SC APC to SC APC Fiber Drop Cable, OS2, Custom Length

This fiber drop cable closes the last span of the FTTH access network, running from the distribution point or splice closure to the subscriber premises. Both ends are factory terminated with SC APC connectors, so the link plugs directly into the optical network terminal and the distribution hardware without field splicing. The cable is the proven flat drop construction: one OS2 9/125µm single-mode fiber of G.657.A2 bend-insensitive glass in a 2.0x5.0mm LSZH jacket, manufactured to the exact length the route requires.

Product Highlights

• SC APC to SC APC, factory terminated and tested
• G.657.A2 bend-insensitive fiber, 7.5mm minimum bend radius
• Flat 2.0x5.0mm LSZH drop cable construction
• Insertion loss ≤0.3dB, return loss ≥60dB
• Plug-and-play installation, no field splicing required
• Manufactured to the ordered route length

Between the distribution point and the subscriber, the drop cable is the most frequently handled and most often replaced part of the access network. It crosses walls, window frames, conduit entries and the final indoor route to the optical network terminal. A factory-terminated drop cable turns that span into a plug-and-play link: the installer routes the cable, seats both connectors, and the subscriber is live. No splicer, no curing time and no field polishing enter the schedule, which is exactly what high-volume FTTH rollouts need.

Access networks built on GPON and XGS-PON carry downstream video overlay and high-power optical budget on shared splitters, where reflections travel back toward every subscriber on the PON. The angled physical contact end-face of the SC APC connector keeps return loss at 60dB or better, steering reflections away from the upstream path. Mixing UPC cords into an APC-planned PON creates reflectance events that are hard to trace later, so the drop segment should follow the APC discipline of the rest of the plant.

The indoor part of a drop route turns around door frames, baseboards and furniture edges, and it is often stapled or clipped by installers working quickly. G.657.A2 fiber tolerates a 7.5mm bend radius at the glass level, so the tight corners of a real apartment do not add measurable loss. The flat 2.0x5.0mm construction with its parallel strength members keeps the cable lying flat against surfaces and protects the core from the crushing loads of staples and clips.

Drop routes vary from a few meters in a townhouse to over a hundred meters on a rural lot, and a wrong guess in either direction costs time: too short means a replacement visit, too long means a coil of slack at the terminal. Ordering the drop cable to the measured route length removes both failure modes. The 300mm breakout at the connector ends is part of the standard build, giving enough free fiber to dress into the closure or the terminal without strain.

Every drop cable in this family is manufactured to the length stated with the order rather than picked from fixed stock sizes, because last-mile routes differ from a few meters to well over a hundred. The cable is manufactured to the length stated with the order; measure the route including the vertical drops and the entry path, and allow working slack at both ends for the closure and the terminal. Specifying the measured route length avoids both the slack storage problem of an overlong cable and the strain risk of one that is too short.

Every drop cable is terminated with precision zirconia ferrule SC APC connectors and optically tested before packing: insertion loss is verified against the 0.3dB ceiling and return loss against the 60dB minimum on each assembly. End-face geometry is inspected for consistent physical contact, so the delivered cable can be plugged in and put into service without on-site rework.

Refer to the SC APC to SC APC drop cable family when requesting a quotation and state the route length and quantity per length. For sealed outdoor termination at the distribution end, the hardened-connector versions of this family mate directly with IP68 terminal ports; send the site requirement with the enquiry and the factory will confirm the build before production.