Design and Testing of the SL Cable

This paper describes the design of armorless and armored lightguide cable for use in the AT&T SL undersea lightwave system. Mechanical and optical test results from laboratory experiments and field trials are summarized. We review the effect of hydrogen on optical-fiber loss, and discuss its control in the cable structure. Finally, a description of armorless and armored cable-to-cable splicing methods and of cable-torepeater couplings is presented.