Abstract: In order to allow an optical cable to be accessed by spur cables at various points along its length after it has been laid, connection housings are provided at intervals along its length. A loop of the main cable is passed into each housing so that at a later date there is an excess of cable to enable connections to be made to it. Each housing contains fittings such as manifolds and organizer trays where the optical fibers are spliced and includes several access ports which are covered over until it is required to connect a spur cable to the main cable.

Abstract: Method of splicing optical fibres having a glass core and at least one plastics cladding layer comprises: stripping the or each cladding layer from the fibre ends, fusion splicing the bare fibre ends, placing the splice region in an open channel of a flexible mould, the channel being of uniform section, filling the gap between the bare, splice region and the inner wall of the channel with a curable plastics material, closing the flexible mould so that the channel walls close together and assume an internal shape complementary to that of the cladding layer or layers whereby to expel the surplus plastics material, curing the plastics material remaining within the mould, and opening the mould.