Fiber to the antenna - Corning Incorporated

fiber to the antenna 

wireless challenges | 

Today’s wireless operators face ongoing challenges to 

supply the coverage and capacity that their customers 

want, especially for data. This means deployment of 3G 

and 4G solutions, often in crowded tower and rooftop 

environments. Fiber-fed remote radio technology offers 

potential savings through both capital expenditure 

(CapEx) and operating expenses (OpEx) reductions 

compared to traditional coaxial cable-based solutions. 

Corning Cable Systems Solutions for Wireless Networks 

leverages field-proven, standards-based solutions to 

make fiber-to-the-antenna (FTTA) deployment a fast 

plug-and-play operation that saves time and money. 

Corning Cable Systems Solutions 

for Wireless Networks

Corning Cable Systems 

fiber to the antenna (FTTA) 

optimizing fiber for FTTA | 

The most basic way to connect remote radios (or units) 

to their base transceiver station (BTS) is to homerun 

optical and power cables from each remote radio to the 

BTS. However, wireless operators concerned with adding 

future remote radios and making repairs and upgrades 

with ease can benefit from a terminal-based solution. 

This approach places an optical terminal at the tower 

or rooftop to which short jumpers can be connected for 

each remote radio. A single optical cable runs from the 

terminal to the base station. 

Corning Cable Systems’ products support both terminalbased 

and homerun solutions. However, compared to 

the homerun approach, the terminal-based solution 

leverages Corning’s experience and technology used in 

other access networks, such as fiber to the home, to 

address a much wider range of short- and long-term 

operator needs. 

how does the terminal-based 

solution work? | 

Corning Cable Systems OptiSheath® MF2 or MF4 

MultiPort Terminal, which is placed at the top of the 

tower or on the rooftop, forms the foundation of the 

solution. From that terminal to the remote radio, short 

cable assemblies (typically 3 to 10 m) are easily installed. 

With the 6-port version (two fibers/port), the OptiSheath 

MF2 or MF4 MultiPort Terminal can connect three 

remote radios on day one and add three more at a later 

date simply by adding the remote radio cable assemblies. 

The terminal has an integral 12-fiber stub cable that 

routes vertically down the tower and is preconnectorized 

for easy plug-in at a demarcation point or equipment 

rack at the BTS. The terminal and stub cable assembly are 

also available as separate components – in this case, a 

non-stubbed terminal has an input connection and various 

length cable assemblies can be stocked to address a 

range of tower heights. For carriers preferring to combine 

optical and power connectivity into one terminal, the remote 

radio distribution terminal (RRDT), or sealed remote 

radio distribution terminal (SRRDT), provides this capability. 

A variety of connectivity options for the BTS complete 

the FTTA solution set. 

selecting the best passive optical solution 

for your FTTA deployment is accomplished 

as three design choices | 

choice 1 | tower/rooftop 

At the tower or rooftop, both a terminal and remote radio fiber optic 

cable assembly (RRCA) are selected. RRCAs are preconnectorized 

assemblies with a connector for the radio interface on one end and 

the terminal on the other. The terminal provides ports for RRCA 

connection and either an integrated stub cable to reach the BTS or 

an input port for a vertical cable from the BTS. The OptiSheath MF2 

or MF4 MultiPort Terminal provides low-profile optical connectivity 

while the RRDT supports both optical and power connectivity. 

choice 2 | tower to shelter/cabinet 

If a stubbed terminal is selected, its integrated stub cable acts as 

the vertical cabling that reaches out to the BTS shelter/cabinet. If a 

non-stubbed terminal is used, a preconnectorized cable assembly is 

selected to be “plugged in” at the terminal. In both cases, the BTS end 

of the stub/cable assembly is connectorized for the type of connector 

used at the BTS shelter/cabinet. 

choice 3 | BTS shelter/cabinet 

Fibers originating at the remote radios terminate at the shelter or 

cabinet. Within the shelter or cabinet, preconnectorized fibers from 

the terminal stub/cable assembly can be brought into a conventional 

patch panel or, if a multi-fiber connector is used, a quick “plug-andplay” 

solution can be deployed. While fibers from the tower can be 

connected directly to the electronics, a patch panel provides a test 

point and storage for spare fibers in the assembly. From the patch 

panel, patch cords of the appropriate length can be used to manage 

the connectivity between the tower verticals and the BTS electronics, 

including any adds, moves or changes. If the shelter or cabinet is prepared 

offsite and then placed at the tower, an external demarcation 

point can be included so that the tower vertical is simply plugged in 

(everything in the shelter or cabinet is prewired). 

EVO-1040-EN | Page 2



OptiSheath ® 

MF2 

MultiPort 

Terminal 

Solution Set 

Remote 

Radio 

Distribution 

Terminal 

Solution Set 

OptiSheath 

MF2 and 

MF4 MultiPort 

Terminal 

with stub 

Alternate: 

OptiSheath 

MF2 and 

MF4 MultiPort 

Terminal 

without stub 

Alternate: 

Sealed 

Remote 

Radio 

Distribution 

Terminal 

(SRRDT) 

choice 1 

choice 1 

choice 2 

choice 2 

choice 3 

choice 3 




what are the components? | 

tower/rooftop 

The OptiSheath® MF2 or MF4 

MultiPort Terminal is available in 

both stubbed and non-stubbed form, 

where the non-stubbed terminal 

accepts a separate “feeder” cable 

assembly. The RRDT, or SRRDT, 

allows up to 24 fiber connections 

(12 remote radios) AND terminal 

surge protection for six pairs of 

conductors (six remote radios). 

Stubbed OptiSheath MF2 

or MF4 MultiPort Terminal 

Remote Radio Distribution 

Terminal (RRDT) 

Non-Stubbed OptiSheath 

MF2 or MF4 MultiPort 

Terminal 

Remote Radio Fiber Optic 

Cable Assemblies 

Sealed Remote Radio Distribution 

Terminal (SRRDT) 





tower to shelter 

While the stubbed MF2 or MF4 

terminal has an integrated vertical 

cable, both the non-stubbed terminal 

and the RRDT use separate vertical 

cable assemblies for design and 

deployment flexibility. The MF2 or 

MF4 terminal requires an OptiTip® 

Connector as the “input” port, while 

the RRDT uses LC duplex connectors. 

In each case, the shelter or cabinet 

end of the vertical cable can be configured 

with a range of connector types 

– OptiTip, MTP®, LC duplex or SC. 

OptiTip Connector 

Hybrid Cables 

MTP Connector Duplex LC Connector 





shelter/cabinet 

A range of traditional and quickconnection 

solutions are available 

for the shelter or cabinet. Inclusion 

of spare fibers as well as the potential 

for equipment changes makes a 

patch panel approach ideal as a test 

point and “parking” area for fibers not 

yet utilized. An external demarcation 

point is used by many operators as 

a hand-off between prefabricated 

and site-built elements as well as 

multiple contractor responsibilities. 

OptiTip ® Module Rack-Mount 

Housing 

Closet Connector Housing 

(CCH-01U) with duplex 

connector panels 

Environmental Distribution 

Center (EDC) as a demarcation 

point 




how does the value stack up? | 

Relative to both coaxial cable-based solutions and optical 

homerun solutions, Corning Cable Systems’ terminalbased 

approach can save both money and time: 

| Money – Compared to coax cable deployments, with 6 to 12 

coaxial cables, a fiber-fed remote radio solution can save as 

much as 50-60% on total material and installation costs. The 

sheer number and length of coaxial cables that must be placed 

is a key driving factor. The higher the tower becomes, the need 

for larger coaxial cable, at higher per foot cost, widens the gap. 

Compared with the homerun solution, Corning Cable Systems 

OptiSheath® MF2 or MF4 MultiPort Terminal can further 

reduce costs, saving up to 15% on material and installation. 

Additional benefits include spare ports, replaceable remote 

radio cable assemblies and a single optical sheath down the 

tower (compared to three and 12 in the homerun scenario). 

Reducing the number of cables saves time and money during 

installation and may reduce monthly lease costs as well. 

| Time – A fiber-fed solution installs quickly, getting the site 

up and running much faster than with a coax solution. Comparing 

a site with three antennas and six coax lines to a site 

with three remote radios/antennas, a four-technician crew would complete 

the coax tower work in about three days. For a fiber homerun solution, 

that drops to three technicians and two days. With Corning Cable Systems 

OptiSheath MF2 or MF4 MultiPort Terminal, the three-technician crew can 

knock out the job in as little as one day. This translates into better productivity 

from existing crews and more sites done for the same hours spent. 

| Weight – Consolidating into a single optical cable reduces weight and can 

help avoid costly tower upgrades. For the same three antenna solutions as 

above, the fiber solution (with power cable included) can reduce weight load 

on the tower by as much as 62%. 

| Sparing – A tower-top terminal can include spare ports for future remote 

radio connection at minimal material and virtually no installation cost. 

This avoids the need for additional cables that would be required with the 

homerun approach. 

| Repair, Maintenance and Testing – With a terminal, the radio cable assembly 

can be quickly replaced, whereas the homerun approach requires a completely 

new cable assembly all the way down the tower. 

| Power Costs – Remote radio technology makes more efficient use of utility 

power by avoiding the typical three dB RF power loss in coax lines and by 

lowering the HVAC load in the shelter. 




how do I find out more? | 

Corning Cable Systems is your tip-to-tip fiber optic provider, 

with everything needed to connect your remote radios to 

your base station. Corning also provides technical support 

and design assistance for our customers. We can assist you 

by evaluating your particular application and recommending 

a solution geared toward your requirements. 

reference literature | 

OptiSheath® MF2 or MF4 

MultiPort Terminal Literature Code EVO-1135-EN 

Remote Radio Distribution Terminal and 

Remote Radio Fiber Optic Cable Assemblies Literature Code EVO-1056-EN 

Sealed Remote Radio 

Distribution Terminal (SRRDT) Literature Code CAR-008-EN 

Wireless Consolidation Terminal Literature Code EVO-1005-EN 

Cell Site Drop Cable Assembly Literature Code EVO-1018-EN 

OptiTip® Module Rack- and Literature Code EVO-1090-EN 

Wall-Mount Solution 

Closet Connector Housing (CCH) Literacture Code LAN-1129-EN 

Please contact your Corning Cable Systems Customer 

Service Representative at 800-743-2671 or visit our Web 

site at www.corning.com/cablesystems/wireless 

Corning Cable Systems LLC 

PO Box 489 

Hickory NC 28603-0489 USA | 

800-743-2675 | Fax: 828-325-5060 

International: +1-828-901-5000 

www.corning.com/cablesystems 

Corning Cable Systems reserves the right to improve, enhance and 

modify the features and specifications of Corning Cable Systems 

products without prior notification. OptiSheath and OptiTip 

are registered trademarks of Corning Cable Systems Brands, Inc. 

AnyLAN is a trademark of Corning Cable Systems Brands, Inc. MTP is a 

registered trademark of USConec, Ltd. Corning is a registered trademark 

of Corning Incorporated. All other trademarks are the properties of their 

respective owners. Corning Cable Systems is ISO 9001 certified. 

© 2011, 2012 Corning Cable Systems. All rights reserved. Published 

in the USA. EVO-1040-EN / April 2012

Fiber to the antenna - Corning Incorporated

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