Passive optical networks are becoming prevalent in part because service providers want to deliver high bandwidth communication capabilities to customers. Passive optical networks are a desirable choice for delivering high speed communication data because they may not employ active electronic devices, such as amplifiers and repeaters, between a central office and a subscriber termination. The absence of active electronic devices may decrease network complexity and/or cost and may increase network reliability.
FIG. 1 illustrates a network 100 deploying passive fiber optic lines. As shown, the network 100 can include a central office 110 that connects a number of end subscribers 115 (also called end users 115 herein) in a network. The central office 110 can additionally connect to a larger network such as the Internet (not shown) and a public switched telephone network (PSTN). The network 100 can also include fiber distribution hubs (FDHs) 130 having one or more optical splitters (e.g., 1-to-8 splitters, 1-to-16 splitters, or 1-to-32 splitters) that generate a number of individual fibers that may lead to the premises of an end user 115. The various lines of the network can be aerial or housed within underground conduits.
The portion of network 100 that is closest to central office 110 is generally referred to as the F1 region, where F1 is the “feeder fiber” from the central office. The F1 portion of the network may include a distribution cable having on the order of 12 to 48 fibers; however, alternative implementations can include fewer or more fibers. The portion of network 100 that includes an FDH 130 and a number of end users 115 can be referred to as an F2 portion of network 100. The network 100 includes a plurality of break-out locations 125 at which branch cables are separated out from main cable lines. Branch cables are often connected to drop terminals 104 that include connector interfaces for facilitating coupling the fibers of the branch cables to a plurality of different subscriber locations.
Deployment, otherwise known as payout, of telecommunications cable lines can be performed in a variety of ways. One prior method includes winding the telecommunications cable around a cylindrical spool, placing a rod through the center of the spool, transporting the spool to a deployment site, and unwinding the telecommunications cable by pulling the cable end located on the outside of the spool. Typically, the inside (radially inward) end of the wound cable is fixed in relation to spool rotation and cannot be accessed until the cable has been unwound.
One disadvantage to such a method is that only one end of the telecommunications cable is accessible when the spool is wound. In some cases, the cables are connectorized at one end and unconnectorized at the opposite end. For example, with reference to fiber optic cables, the connectorized end is useful for optically coupling the fibers of the cable to other connectorized fibers and the unconnectorized end is useful for splicing the fibers of the cable to another cable, such as a stub cable. Using the method described above, a technician cannot choose which end of the cable would be most beneficial to access first.
There exists a need in the art for better telecommunications cable storage and deployment systems and methods.