With the price of copper peaking at historically high levels, communication networks infra- structure specialist CommScope announced that it is now offering copper alternative products for various industries. Why so? To deter damaging and dangerous thefts that are increasingly occurring in communications and utility networks while keeping maintenance costs to a minimum,” says the company.
“The dramatic increase in thefts and damage has led to industry-wide efforts to find effective solutions at preventing this disruptive and expensive criminal activity,” said Ted Hally, chief commercial officer, CommScope. “We fully understand the costs and service issues associated with copper theft and are committed to supporting our customers with effective product alternatives that can deter theft.”
One such copper alternative is the HELIAX FXL Smoothwall Cable from CommScope’s Andrew Solutions. HELIAX FXL is a RF (radio frequency) transmission line cable designed to optimize performance and reliability while lowering network deployment cost. Compared to copper cabling, CommScope says FXL delivers lower attenuation, higher crush strength and minimal copper content, therefore thieves are less likely to steal it. Andrew Solutions also offers tin-plated grounding bars and grounding kits that have the appearance of containing no valuable copper, despite performing just as well as products with visible copper in their construction.
Similarly, CommScope’s GroundSmart Copper Clad Steel (CCS) provides a safe, highly reliable alternative to the use of solid and stranded copper for grounding applications. CCS is specifically designed to disperse fault currents and lightning strikes at a lower total cost of ownership compared to pure copper. Copper Clad Steel (CCS) is an electrical conductor that has an outer sleeve of copper metallurgically bonded to a solid steel core.
Copper Clad Aluminum (CCA), available in both 10 and 15 percent copper, is an electrical conductor that has an outer sleeve of copper metallurgically bonded to a solid aluminum core. The combination of these two metals make it uniquely suited for many electrical applications where weight-to conductivity issues are important.