Prysmian Partners with KPN on Recycled Plastic Cable Network
Prysmian Groupย has launched a pilot project withย Dutch telecommunications operator KPNย to deploy aย fiber optic network using recycled plastic cable. Importantly, the cable containsย 90% recycled material. As a result, KPN becomes the first European telecom company to install customer connections using Prysmian’s sustainableย recycled plastic cableย technology.
Recycled Plastic Cable Design Reduces Material Use
The project uses Prysmian’sย Sirocco HD 96f cableย and thinnerย Easenet tubes. Both products were introduced earlier this year. Specifically, the newย recycled plastic cableย design features aย 4.5-mm diameter cable in a 10-mm sleeve. In contrast, conventional cables measureย 6 mm in 14-mm sleeves.
This advancement delivers approximatelyย 50% reduction in plastic volume. Additionally, smaller diameters allow manufacturers to supply greater cable lengths on a single reel. Consequently, this cuts costs forย transport, storage, and packaging.
For more information on Prysmian’s sustainable solutions, visit https://www.prysmian.com
Pilot Projects in the Netherlands
Prysmian and KPN will test theย recycled plastic cableย system in two Dutch locations. These includeย Buitenpost (Friesland) and Nijmegen. Furthermore, the teams expect additional benefits during installation. For instance, reduced excavation at network concentration points minimizes soil removal and processing requirements.
Environmental Benefits of Recycled Plastic Cable
Toni Bosch,ย Vice President at Prysmian Group, emphasized the company’s commitment to developing innovative broadband networks. Notably, he explained that the solution enables smaller trenches for new installations. Therefore, it lowers bothย installation costs and raw material consumptionย while reducing the environmental footprint.
The new cables and tubes require aboutย half the plastic or polyethylene (PE)ย of conventional systems. Moreover, theย recycled plastic cableย offers an indirect environmental advantage. Specifically, manufacturers produce overย 90% of the tubes using high-quality recycled PE.
This immediately reducesย carbon emissions. Additionally, it minimizesย end-of-life waste. Beyond this, Prysmian expects further carbon reductions through savings on logistics, storage, and packaging materials. The company will evaluate these benefits in real-world testing for KPN.
For updates on KPN’s network infrastructure, visit https://www.kpn.com
