Flexible ribbon fiber optic technology: cable development, requirements and test methods An alternative to optimize the network for IoT and 5G systems

There is a high demand for optical fiber to enable smart grid communication, as well as the need to advance the telecommunications sector, mainly related to IoT and 5G. The technology used in Brazil, of optical cables with loose tubes, limits the development of new high-capacity connectivity technologies. High density optical cables composed of flexible ribbons already exist outside Brazil [1] [2] and are a solution that makes it possible to considerably increase the number of fibers in a network. This work presents the development of optical cables composed of flexible ribbons for installation in ducts or lashed aerial networks, with 288 optical fibers, which allow greater compactness of optical networks and reduction in installation times and costs and commissioning.