Abstract: An optical cable formed by a plurality of main bundles with each of the main bundles being composed of a plurality of sub-bundles having at least one optical lead. The sub-bundles are preferably stranded around a central element and the main bundles are stranded around a central core or element with the direction of stranding of both the sub-bundles and main bundles being reversed with a spacing between the locations of the reversing of the stranded main bundles and of the stranded sub-bundle being approximately equal. Preferably, the spacing between the reversing locations is smaller than the standard length of a standard cable sleeve so that a cable sleeve applied to the cable will always have at least one reversing location for the stranded main bundles and sub-bundles within the cable sleeve.

Abstract: A strand element for an optical cable which strand element has several light waveguide fibers for transmission of light waves received in a protective casing which surrounds the fibers and has an internal interior diameter which is larger than the exterior diameter of a hypothetical cylinder which surrounds the fibers characterized by each of the fibers being surrounded by a soft elastic material and being stranded with one another, and the space between the stranded optical fibers and the protective casing, which is capable of resistance, being filled with an easily shapeable filling compound which remains very soft and which displays no tendencies towards aging, melting or freezing.