Description:TECHNICAL FIELD
[1] The present disclosure relates to the field of optical fiber ribbons and
cables. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to an optical fiber cable
with Intermittently Bonded Ribbon (IBR) superbundles.
PRIORITY DETAILS
[2] The present application claims the benefit of the Ordinary Application No.
202111002365, filed on 19/01/2021.
BACKGROUND
[3] An optical fibre cable plays a pivotal role in today's networking
infrastructure. The optical fiber cable carries data faster than conventional copper
cables and has complex designs and intensive underground laying procedures.
The demand for uninterrupted and high-speed internet is consistently paving a
way for new design of the optical fiber cable. Over decades, the consistent
development in the optical fiber cable industry leads to innovative cable designs
that can accommodate more optical fibers within the current limited duct space.
[4] The optical fiber cable is designed to have maximum number of optical
fibers, to be easy to access and to be easy to tear and cut whenever required. In
one of the configurations, the optical fibers are placed longitudinally in groups (12
fibers, 24 fibers or the like) and bonded with a bonding material to form optical
fiber ribbons. The optical fiber ribbons are grouped together to form optical fiber
ribbon bundles.
[5] The prior art reference US2011110635A1 discloses bundles of IBR. The
prior art reference DE60030375T2 discloses about grouping of fibers with colored
water-swellable binders and binding of all the groups with a water-swellable
material. The reference DE60030375T2 focuses on using water swellable material
to bundle a plurality of fibers to avoid use of water-blocking gel. Further, the prior
art reference DE10111274A1 discloses bundling of loose fibers and assembling of
these bundles to form sub-cables. The reference DE10111274A1 discloses about
bundling of loose fibers and not IBR.
[6] However, in a high fiber count optical fiber cable like 6912F cable, a total
of 24 bundles has 288 fibres each. Sheathing of the 24 bundles simultaneously
becomes difficult since the optical fiber cable has ripcords, water swellable yarns,
water blocking tape and strength members apart from the 24 bundles. Such
sheathing process with a large number of moving parts becomes difficult to
monitor and may cause damage. In addition, the bundling of the 24 bundles
together in a core like structure to avoid using the 24 bundles individually causes
fibre breaks due to the sheer weight of 6912 fibers.
[7] In the light of the above stated discussion, there is a need to ameliorate one
or more of the aforementioned disadvantages by providing an optical fiber cable
with one or more superbundles.
OBJECTIVE OF THE DISCLOSURE
[8] A primary object of the present disclosure is to provide an optical fiber
cable having one or more superbundles that further has a plurality of
Intermittently Bonded Ribbons (IBRs) bundles that has unstranded IBRs. Another
object of the present disclosure is to provide an optical fiber cable having one or
more superbundles that further has a plurality of stranded IBR bundles with a lay
length of 350 mm to 700mm. yet another object of the present disclosure is to
provide an optical fiber cable having stranded one or more superbundles with a
lay length of 900 mm to 2000 mm.
SUMMARY
[9] In an aspect of the present disclosure an optical fiber cable is disclosed.
The optical fiber cable has a core. The core has one or more superbundles.
Specifically, each superbundle of the one or more superbundles has a plurality of
Intermittently Bonded Ribbon (IBR) bundles such that each IBR bundle of the
plurality of IBR bundles has a plurality of unstranded IBRs. Specifically, each
IBR bundle of the plurality of IBR bundles is stranded at a first lay-length that is in a range of 350 millimetres (mm) to 700 mm. Further, the optical fiber cable has
a sheath that surrounds the core.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[10] Having thus described the disclosure in general terms, reference will now
be made to the accompanying figures, wherein:
[11] FIG. 1 illustrates a cross-sectional view of an optical fiber cable with one
or more superbundles.
[12] FIG. 2 illustrates a superbundle of the one or more superbundles of FIG. 1.
[13] FIG. 3 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a slotted optical fiber cable.
[14] It should be noted that the accompanying figures are intended to present
illustrations of exemplary aspects of the present disclosure. These figures are not
intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. It should also be noted that
accompanying figures are not necessarily drawn to scale.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[15] The detailed description of the appended drawings is intended as a
description of the currently preferred aspects of the present disclosure, and is not
intended to represent the only form in which the present disclosure may be
practiced. It is to be understood that the same or equivalent functions may be
accomplished by different aspects that are intended to be encompassed within the
spirit and scope of the present disclosure.
[16] Moreover, although the following description contains many specifics for
the purposes of illustration, anyone skilled in the art will appreciate that many
variations and/or alterations to said details are within the scope of the present
technology. Similarly, although many of the features of the present technology are
described in terms of each other, or in conjunction with each other, one skilled in
the art will appreciate that many of these features can be provided independently
of other features. Accordingly, this description of the present technology is set
forth without any loss of generality to, and without imposing limitations upon, the
present technology.
[17] FIG. 1 illustrates a cross-sectional view of an optical fiber cable 100 with
one or more superbundles 102. The optical fiber cable 100 may have a core 104.
The core 104 may have the one or more superbundles 102 of which first through
six superbundles 102a-102f are shown. Although FIG. 1 illustrates that the one or
more superbundles 102 has six superbundles (i.e., the first through six
superbundles 102a-102f), it will be apparent to a person skilled in the art that the
scope of the present disclosure is not limited to it. In various other aspects of the
present disclosure, the one or more superbundles 102 may have any number of
superbundles, without deviating from the scope of the present disclosure. In such
a scenario, each superbundle may be adapted to perform one or more operations in
a manner similar to the operations of the first through six superbundles 102a-102f
as described herein. In general, an optical fiber cable has a plurality of fibers that
carries information in the form of data between two places using light technology.
In some aspects of the present disclosure, the core 104 may have stranded one or
more superbundles 102. In some other aspects of the present disclosure, the core
104 may have stranded loose tubes each with a superbundle of the one or more
superbundles 102.
[18] In some aspects of the present disclosure, each superbundle of the one or
more superbundles 102 may have a predefined occupancy. Specifically, the
predefined occupancy of the one or more superbundles 102 (i.e., the first through
six superbundles 102a-102f) may be greater than 0.5. The predefined occupancy
of the one or more superbundles 104 may be defined as a filling coefficient of a
plurality of optical fibers present in a superbundle of the one or more
superbundles 102 with respect to an imaginary cylinder of minimum diameter that
can accommodate the plurality of optical fibers of the superbundle of the one or
more superbundles 102.
[19] In some aspects of the present disclosure, the optical fiber cable 100 may
further have a sheath 106 that surrounds the core 104. In some aspects of the
present disclosure, the sheath 106 may be a high-density polyethylene (HDPE)
jacket. Aspects of the present disclosure are intended to include and otherwise
cover any type of the material for the sheath 106, including known, related, and later developed materials, without deviating from the scope of the present
disclosure. In some aspects of the present disclosure, the sheath 106 may be
characterized by a thickness that may be in a range of 2 mm to 3.5 mm. In some
other aspects of the present disclosure, the thickness of the sheath 108 may vary.
In an aspect, the sheath 106 may be black in color. In another aspect, the sheath
106 may be of any color. In an aspect, the sheath 106 may be embedded with one
or more strength members. The sheath 106 may interact directly with an ambient
environment. In addition, the sheath 106 is a jacketing layer. Specifically, the
sheath 106 may protect the optical fiber cable 100 against crush, bend and tensile
stress along a length of the optical fiber cable 100. In some aspects of the present
disclosure, the optical fiber cable 100 may further have one or more intermediated
layers (not shown) disposed underneath the sheath 106. Specifically, the one or
more intermediated layers may be made up of, but not limited to, a water blocking
tape, aramid yarns, water soluble yarns, an armor layer, and the like. Aspects of
the present disclosure are intended to include and/or otherwise cover any type of
the one or more intermediated layers known to a person of ordinary skill in the art,
without deviating from the scope of the present disclosure.
[20] FIG. 2 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a first superbundle 102a (herein
interchangeably designated as “the superbundle 102a”) of the one or more
superbundles 102 of FIG. 1. As the first through sixth superbundles 102a-102f
may be structurally and functionally similar to one another, therefore, FIG. 2
illustrates the first superbundle 104a (i.e., the superbundle 102a) only, to make the
illustrations concise and clear and should not be considered as a limitation of the
present disclosure. In various other aspects, each superbundle (i.e., the second
through sixth superbundles 102b-102f) may be adapted to serve one or more
functionalities in a manner similar to one or more functionalities of the
superbundle 102a as described herein, without deviating from the scope of the
present disclosure.
[21] Each superbundle of the one or more superbundles 102 may have a
plurality of Intermittently Bonded Ribbon (IBR) bundles 200. As illustrated, the
superbundle 102a may have the plurality of Intermittently Bonded Ribbon (IBR) bundles 200 of which first through fourth IBR bundles 200a-200d are shown.
Further, each IBR bundle (i.e., the first through fourth IBR bundles 200a-200d) of
the plurality of IBR bundles 200 may have a plurality of unstranded IBRs
202a-202d. Specifically, the first IBR bundle 200a may have a plurality of
unstranded IBRs 202a, the second IBR bundle 200b may have a plurality of
unstranded IBRs 202b, the third IBR bundle 200c may have a plurality of
unstranded IBRs 202c, and the fourth IBR bundle 200d may have a plurality of
unstranded IBRs 202d. Each IBR bundle (i.e., the first through fourth IBR
bundles 200a-200d) of the plurality of IBR bundles 200 may be stranded at a first
lay length. Specifically, the first lay length may be in a range of 350 millimetres
(mm) to 700 mm. Specifically, each IBR bundle (i.e., the first through fourth IBR
bundles 200a-200d) of the plurality of IBR bundles 200 may be stranded at a large
lay length (i.e., the first lay length of 350 millimetres (mm) to 700 mm) to make
the core 104 (as shown in FIG. 1) of the optical fiber cable 100. In some aspects
of the present disclosure, each superbundle of the one or more superbundles 102
may be made by stranding the plurality of IBR bundles 200 (i.e., the first through
fourth IBR bundles 200a-200d) to provide Extra Fiber Length (EFL). Stranding of
the plurality of IBR bundles 200 (i.e., the first through fourth IBR bundles
200a-200d) to make the one or more superbundles 102 may be easier as the
number of components is less. Normally, the number of ribbons in an IBR bundle
are 12-24 while number of IBR bundles in a superbundle are 2-6. Therefore, the
stranding process is simpler at second stage. The first lay length may be selected
to be in the range of 350 mm to 700 mm as below 350 mm EFL would be very
high and production line speed would be a challenge and above 700 mm the EFL
might not be sufficient for operation in various conditions, and the optical fibers
may face optical losses after installation.
[22] In some aspects of the present disclosure, each superbundle of the one or
more superbundles 102 (i.e., the first through six superbundles 102a-102f) may be
stranded at a second lay length such that the second lay length may be greater than
the first lay length. As illustrated, the superbundle 102a may be stranded at the
second lay length such that the second lay length may be greater than the first lay length. In some aspects of the present disclosure, the second lay length may be in
a range of 900 mm to 2000 mm. Specifically, when the second lay length is below
900 mm, mechanical stresses on the optical fibers may increase which may
degrade performance of the optical fibers. Moreover, when the second length is
above 2000 mm, extra length of the one or more superbundles 102 may be
insufficient inside the optical fiber cable 100 which may result in attenuation
issues during handling/installation. Thus, the second lay length may be kept in the
range of 900 mm to 2000 mm. In some aspects of the present disclosure, the
second lay length and the first lay length may have a predefined ratio.
Specifically, the predefined ratio of the second lay length to the first lay length
may be in a range of 1.3 to 6.7.
[23] The optical fiber cable 100 (as shown in FIG. 1) may further have an
unstranded bundle binder 204 that may be disposed over each IBR bundle (i.e.,
the first through fourth IBR bundles 200a-200d) of the plurality of IBR bundles
200. For example, the first IBR bundle 200a may have the unstranded bundle
binder 204 disposed thereon. Specifically, the unstranded bundle binder 204 may
have a lay length that may be in a range of 20 millimetres (mm) to 50 mm.
Specifically, the lay length of the unstranded bundle binder 204 that may be kept
in the range of 20 mm to 50 mm as below 20 mm, the optical fibers may be tightly
bound, may face optical losses, and may take extra time to open up the IBR
bundle and above 50 mm, the unstranded bundle binder 204 may not be able to
hold the plurality of IBRs intact and there may be bulges or loose portions in the
unstranded IBR bundles (e.g., the first through fourth IBR bundles 200a-200d).
Specifically, as the IBR bundles (e.g., the first through fourth IBR bundles
200a-200d) are bound by the unstranded bundle binder 204, the additional lay
length is required to provide extra EFL for ease in handling and maintaining
optical efficiency during bends in the optical fiber cable 100.
[24] In some aspects of the present disclosure, each superbundle of the one or
more superbundles 102 may have a superbundle binder 206. As illustrated, the
plurality of IBR bundles 200 forming the superbundle 102a may be stranded by
way of the superbundle binder 206 at a third lay length. In some aspects of the present disclosure, the third lay length may be in a range of 40 mm to 70 mm.
Specifically, when the third lay length is below 40 mm, extra superbundle binder
(e.g., the superbundle binder 204) length may be required and a time to open-up
the superbundle may increase. Further, when the third lay length is above 70 mm,
the superbundle binder 204 may not be able to hold the one or more superbundles
intact. Therefore, the third lay length may be selected to be in the range of 40 mm
to 70 mm. In some aspects of the present disclosure, the superbundle binder 206
may be adapted to bind the plurality of IBR bundles 200 (i.e., the first through
fourth IBR bundles 200a-200d) to form the superbundle 102a. In some aspects of
the present disclosure, the stranding of each superbundle of the one or more
superbundles 102 and the plurality of IBR bundles 200 may be, but not limited to,
a helical stranding (i.e., a unidirectional stranding), a SZ stranding (i.e., a
Bidirectional stranding), and the like. Aspects of the present disclosure are
intended to include and/or otherwise cover any type of the stranding known to a
person of ordinary skill in the art, without deviating from the scope of the present
disclosure. In some aspects of the present disclosure, the unstranded bundle binder
204 and the superbundle binder 206 may be made up of a material such as, but not
limited to, polyester, aramid, and the like. Aspects of the present disclosure are
intended to include and/or otherwise cover any type of the material for the
unstranded bundle binder 204 and the superbundle binder 206, without deviating
from the scope of the present disclosure.
[25] In some aspects of the present disclosure, the plurality of IBR bundles
200a-200d may be formed by bundling one or more IBRs. In an aspect of the
present disclosure, the one or more IBRs may be rolled and bundled using the
unstranded bundle binder 204. In an example, the unstranded bundle binder 204
may have binder yarns where the rolled IBRs (or optical fiber ribbons) may be
bent in a near-circular shape. In another aspect of the present disclosure, the one
or more IBRs may be bundled using any other suitable means. The unstranded
bundle binder 204 may be coloured binder yarns. The unstranded bundle binder
204 may be of same or of different colour. In addition, the unstranded bundle
binder 204 may be made of any suitable material. In some aspects of the present disclosure, at least one of the unstranded bundle binder 204 and the superbundle
binder 206 may be a dual-end binder yarn. The term “dual-end binder yarn” as
used herein refers to a binder is divided in two substantial equal ends (parts) and
both the “ends” of the binder yarn are unwound from a single bobbin and used
simultaneously during the binding process. In some aspects of the present
disclosure, at least one of the unstranded bundle binder 204 and the superbundle
binder 206 may be a single end binder yarn. As used herein “single end binder
yarn” may be a binder that has a plurality of entangled yarns/threads, which are
wound together around a cable core.
[26] The one or more IBRs has a plurality of optical fibers. The plurality of
optical fibers may be intermittently bonded and form one or more IBRs. In
addition, the plurality of optical fibers may be placed in parallel and adjacent
optical fibers are bonded with special material intermittently along a longitudinal
length and width. Further, the bonding with special material converts the plurality
of optical fibers into intermittently bonded ribbons. The flexible matrix material
between adjacent optical fibers may take a corrugated shape, concave shape,
convex shape, flat shape or any other suitable shape. Furthermore, the joining of
the plurality of optical fibers with a special material imparts rollable capability to
the one or more optical fiber ribbons. The one or more optical fiber ribbons may
be rolled and packed efficiently. The packed bundles of the one or more optical
fiber ribbons are easy to handle and are used to further make an efficiently packed
superbundle.
[27] In an aspect, the plurality of optical fibers may have a diameter that may
be in a range of 160 micrometres (µm) to 260 µm. In another aspect, the plurality
of optical fibers may have a diameter of 200±10 µm. In yet another aspect, the
plurality of optical fibers may have a diameter of 160±10µm. Alternatively, the
plurality of optical fibers may have other suitable diameter. In general, an optical
fiber refers to a medium associated with signal transmission over long distances in
the form of light pulses. The optical fiber uses light to transmit voice and data
communications over long distances when encapsulated in a jacket. The plurality
of optical fibers may be single-mode optical fibers or multi- mode optical fibers.
The plurality of optical fibers may be of ITU.T G.657A2 category. Alternatively,
the plurality of optical fibers may be of ITU.T G.657A1 or G.657B3 or G.652D or
another category. The plurality of optical fibers may be coloured fibers. The one
or more optical fiber ribbons may have a pitch of 250µm. Alternatively, the pitch
may vary. The one or more optical fiber ribbons may use colour coded ribbon
matrix, band stripe printing or the like for ribbon identification. In some aspects of
the present disclosure, each optical fiber of the plurality of optical fibers may have
a macro bending loss of less than 0.25 Decibels (dB) at 1550 nanometres (nm) for
10 turns on a mandrel with a radius of 15 mm.
[28] Each superbundle of the plurality of superbundles 102 may have one or
more water swellable yarns 210. In addition, each bundle in the plurality of
superbundles 102 may be held together by at least one of the one or more binders,
water blocking tape, an aramid yarn(s), a glass roving yarn(s) and a metal tape. In
some aspects of the present disclosure, at least one of, the one or more binders,
water blocking tape, an aramid yarn(s), a glass roving yarn(s) and a metal tape
may surround the core 104 such that at least one of, the one or more binders,
water blocking tape, an aramid yarn(s), a glass roving yarn(s) and a metal tape
may be positioned between the core 104 and the sheath 106. The one or more
water swellable yarns 210 may act as a water blocking element. The one or more
water swellable yarns 210 may be adapted to facilitate in prevention of water
ingression in the one or more superbundles 102. In an aspect, the one or more
water swellable yarns 210 may be placed inside at least one of the one or more
superbundles 102, inside at least one of the plurality of IBR bundles 200, and
in-between a pair of adjacent bundles of the one or more superbundles 102. In
another aspect of the present disclosure, the one or more water swellable yarns
210 may be located in the core of the optical fiber cable 100. In another aspect of
the present disclosure, the one or more water swellable yarns 210 may be placed
inside one or more of the plurality of IBR bundles 200. In addition, the one or
more water swellable yarns 210 may be placed inside the plurality of
superbundles 102. In some aspects of the present disclosure, there may be three
water swellable yarns 210. In some aspects of the present disclosure, the number of the water swellable yarns 210 may vary. In some aspects of the present
disclosure, the one or more water swellable yarns 210 may have a weight of 9000
denier. Alternatively, the one or more water swellable yarns 210 may have other
suitable weight. In some aspects of the present disclosure, the one or more
superbundles 102 may be formed without the one or more water swellable yarns
210.
[29] In some aspects of the present disclosure, the plurality of IBR bundles 200
and the one or more water swellable yarns 210 may be placed longitudinally and
bundled using the unstranded bundle binder 204. In an aspect of the present
disclosure, the one or more super binders may be a binder yarn. In another aspect
of the present disclosure, the unstranded bundle binder 204may be any other
suitable means. In an aspect, the plurality of IBR bundles 200 and the one or more
water swellable yarns 210 may be SZ stranded to form a superbundle of the
plurality of superbundles 102. In general, the SZ stranded may have two turns of 4
bundles of the plurality of bundles in clockwise direction. The plurality of IBR
bundles 200 may have a defined lay-length followed by two turns in
anti-clockwise direction with same lay-length, where the process is repeated. In
general, the lay length is a length of a binder required to complete a rotation of
360° around a group of IBRs (bundle or superbundle). The number of bundles and
turns may vary.
[30] FIG. 3 illustrates a slotted optical fiber cable 300. The slotted optical fiber
cable 300 may have a sheath 302, a core 303, and a skeleton structure 304. The
sheath 302 may be an outer covering of the core 303, and thus for the slotted
optical fiber cable 300. The skeleton structure 304 may be arranged within the
sheath 302 of the slotted optical fiber cable 300 such that the skeleton structure
304 forms plurality of slots of which first through fourth slots 306a-306d are
shown. Each slot of the first through fourth slots 306a-306d may be adapted to
accommodate the one or more superbundles 102 (as discussed in FIG. 1 and FIG.
2). In some aspects of the present disclosure, the skeleton structure 304 may be
stranded (not shown) to maintain the lay length of one or more superbundles 102.
The one or more superbundles 102 may be wrapped by a water blocking tape (not shown). In some aspects of the present disclosure, the one or more superbundles
102 may be wrapped by a tape that is made up of a material such as, but not
limited to, a synthetic material, aramid yarn, fire-retardant material, and the like.
Aspects of the present disclosure are intended to include and/or otherwise cover
any type of the material, without deviating from the scope of the present
disclosure.
[31] Thus, the optical fiber cable 100, 300 having one or more superbundles
102 that further has a plurality of Intermittently Bonded Ribbons (IBRs) bundles
200 has optimized rollability and robustness that further facilitates in high density
packaging of the optical fibers. Further, the optical fiber cable 100, 300 of the
present disclosure reduces scrap generation and resin material usage. Further, as
the optical fiber cable 100, 300 utilizes unstranded IBR bundles (i.e., the plurality
of IBR bundles 200) to make one or more superbundles and has the first lay
length of the plurality of IBR bundles 200 in the range of 350 mm to 700 mm
further improves ribbon twisting and avoid breakage in bonded portions.
[32] The foregoing descriptions of specific aspects of the present technology
have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not
intended to be exhaustive or to limit the present technology to the precise forms
disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light
of the above teaching. The aspects were chosen and described in order to best
explain the principles of the present technology and its practical application, to
thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the present technology and
various aspects with various modifications as are suited to the particular use
contemplated. It is understood that various omissions and substitutions of
equivalents are contemplated as circumstance may suggest or render expedient,
but such are intended to cover the application or implementation without
departing from the spirit or scope of the claims of the present technology.
[33] While several possible aspects of the disclosure have been described above
and illustrated in some cases, it should be interpreted and understood as to have
been presented only by way of illustration and example, but not by limitation.
Thus, the breadth and scope of a preferred aspect should not be limited by any of
the above-described exemplary aspects. , Claims:1. An optical fiber cable (100, 300) comprising:
a core (104, 303) comprising one or more superbundles (102), wherein each superbundle of the one or more superbundles (102) comprising a plurality of Intermittently Bonded Ribbon (IBR) bundles (200) such that each IBR bundle of the plurality of IBR bundles (200) comprising a plurality of unstranded IBRs (202), wherein each IBR bundle of the plurality of IBR bundles (200) is stranded at a first lay length that is in a range of 350 millimetres (mm) to 700 mm;
a sheath (106, 302) that surrounds the core (104, 303).

2. The optical fiber cable (100, 300) of claim 1, further comprising a unstranded bundle binder (204) disposed over each unstranded IBR bundle of the plurality of unstranded IBR bundles (200), wherein the unstranded bundle binder (204) has a pitch that is in a range of 20 millimetres (mm) to 50 mm.

3. The optical fiber cable (100, 300) of claim 1, wherein each IBR bundle of the plurality of IBR bundles (200) comprising a plurality of optical fibers such that each optical fiber of the plurality of optical fibers has a macro bending loss of less than 0.25 Decibels (dB) at 1550 nanometres (nm) for 10 turns on a mandrel with a radius of 15 mm.

4. The optical fiber cable (100, 300) of claim 1, wherein the one or more superbundles (102) has a predefined occupancy that is greater than 0.5.

5. The optical fiber cable (100, 300) of claim 1, wherein each superbundle of the plurality of superbundles (102) is stranded at a second lay length, wherein the second lay length is greater than the first lay length.

6. The optical fiber cable (100, 300) of claim 6, wherein the second lay length and the first lay length has a predefined ratio that is in a range of 1.3 to 6.7.

7. The optical fiber cable (100, 300) of claim 1, further comprising a superbundle binder (206) disposed over each superbundle of the plurality of superbundles (102), wherein a lay length of the superbundle binder (206) is in a range of 40 mm to 70 mm.

8. The optical fiber cable (100, 300) of claim 1, wherein the core (104, 303) comprising a plurality of slots (306a-306d), wherein each slot of the plurality of slots (306a-306d) occupying at least one superbundle of the plurality of superbundles (102).

9. The optical fiber cable (100, 300) of claim 3 and 8, wherein at least one of the unstranded bundle binder (204) and the superbundle binder (206) is a dual end binder.