A single strand of fiber-optic cable can carry a lot of data or hundreds of phone calls, unlike the single call an old copper wire could handle. And it can do it at blinding speed compared to previous technology. However, with the advantages of this new technology comes some trade-offs. With copper wire, a technician needing to make a splice could use his knife to strip off the plastic coating and twist the copper core together with the other wire and then wrap some electrical tape around the connection. The tiny glass fiber inside fiber-optic cable needs delicate care and specialized equipment to make connections.
Oxford Networks in Lewiston has become a leader in fiber-optic service, using a fleet of customized vehicles to service their customers, including a splicer truck that has a very specific, but important job to perform. A skilled technician must use specialized equipment to match up the tiny cables and splice them together, often in inclement weather. “Having a warm, well-lit and well-equipped space to do it makes all the difference in the world,” said cable splicer Troy Keach during a recent demonstration.
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- Troy Keach, a cable splicer for Oxford Networks in Lewiston, works inside one of the company’s specialized bucket trucks, where he performs “telecommunications triage.” He is coiling spliced fiber-optic cables onto a splice tray in a splice closure that will be placed on — and can be seen from — telecommunication wires hanging between utility poles.
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- The bucket on this Oxford Networks truck can be raised as high as 45 feet.
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- Before Oxford Networks workers can splice fiber-optic cable, they must make a deliberate, controlled break using a high-tech cleaver. This creates a perfectly flat endface, perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the fiber.
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- After splices are made and the cables are secured in a splice tray, they are encased in what is called a snap case.
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- This main cable, which will be spliced, is pulled through a customized opening in the back of a company truck.
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- Businesses can connect their lines to Oxford Networks via a wall-mount interface like this one.
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- Here, a fiber-optic cable is fed into a heat-activated splicer.
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- Troy Keach slips plastic sleeves over several cables that will be melted to fuse two pieces of fiber-optic cable together.
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