GYTC8A Figure 8 Cable

We recently deployed over 150 km of the GYTC8A Figure 8 Self-Supporting Fibre Optic Cable for a regional aerial backhaul extension. From an installation engineering perspective, the integrated figure-8 design provides massive time and labor savings by eliminating the need to lash cable to a separate messenger strand. The supporting member utilizes a 7-strand steel wire configuration (ф1.0mm × 7 steel strand) that achieves a long-term tensile strength of 4000 N and a short-term tensile rating of 7500 N. This high tensile capacity easily supports long pole spans under high wind sway and tension without risking fiber stress or cable sag. Furthermore, full compliance with YD/T 1155-2011 and IEC 60794-1 standards ensured our engineering team met all regulatory compliance benchmarks for municipal utility pole attachments.

In outdoor aerial environments, moisture isolation and thermal stability are the top parameters determining long-term sheath longevity. FirstFiber’s GYTC8A cable utilizes a multi-barrier waterproofing design comprising a water-resistant compound inside the high-modulus loose tubes, 100% cable core gel filling, and a surrounding Aluminum Polyethylene Laminate (APL) moisture barrier. The 250 µm optical fibers are buffered within hydrolysis-resistant loose tubes that prevent microbending degradation. Tested across our northern network sectors, the rugged polyethylene (PE) sheath maintains full mechanical integrity across an extreme storage and operating temperature range of -40℃ to +70℃. For field technicians, adhering to the specified bending radius limits (15D static / 30D dynamic) makes pole dead-ending and slack coiling effortless.

When scaling high-core-count aerial infrastructure, optical attenuation stability under dynamic mechanical loading is critical. The GYTC8A cable core features loose tubes and fillers stranded around a solid central steel wire strength member to maintain a compact, circular profile. We selected the G.652 single-mode variant across a mix of core counts (up to 144 fibers). Post-installation OTDR measurements confirmed pristine optical performance, maintaining attenuation levels at or below ≤0.36 dB/km at 1310 nm and ≤0.22 dB/km at 1550 nm across all spans. Combined with a reference price of $0.9 USD per meter, this self-supporting cable offers exceptional cost-to-performance value for telecom operators and regional ISPs.