Clearfield FieldSmart Fiber Scalability Center Now Available for Below-Grade Deployment

OSP Cabinets Can Now be Deployed in an Underground Vault for Easement and Aesthetic Gain

MINNEAPOLIS, Jan. 31, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Clearfield, Inc. (Nasdaq:CLFD) today announced the FieldSmart Fiber Scalability Center (FSC) Below-Grade OSP Cabinet. While thousands of traditional FieldSmart FSC Cabinets have set the bar for fiber access, protection and density among outside plant cabinets, this innovative below-grade design delivers identical features and functionality, with installation out-of-sight within an underground vault. The FieldSmart FSC Below-Grade Cabinet is available for PON, cross-connect or hub collapse environments.

In OSP application environments where placement or easement permitting is not cost-effective, the FSC Below-Grade Cabinet can leverage existing below grade assets and facilities in polymer concrete or HDPE vaults and handholes. In environments where above grade placement of cabinets, pole-mounted or on the ground, is prohibited, the FSC Below-Grade Cabinet meets the requirement without sacrificing the key fiber management rules of access, bend radius protection, physical fiber protection and route diversity. 

"A below-grade design alleviates the aesthetic issues of a traditional deployment, and is able to do so without adding significant cost to the product," explains Johnny Hill, chief operating officer at Clearfield.

Swing-Up Locking Mechanism Provides Ease of Access

The FSC Below-Grade Cabinet provides a swing-up and locking mechanism for easy and quick dual-door access to the Clearview Cassette building blocks and cabinet splitters. Watertight entry and exit ports secured with Sealcon grommets and heavy-duty stainless steel fasteners, ensure watertight and airtight deployment. Up to 72 hours of water intrusion protection is assured should the cabinet become submerged due to flooding or run-off.  

Up to 432 ports of connectivity are delivered across a variety of transport and configuration methods:

• In a cross-connect configuration, the FSC Cabinet supports a user defined feeder-to-distribution ratio without real estate penalty.
• In a PON configuration, the FSC Cabinet is the complete solution for managing 288 fibers for FTTx applications.
• In a Hub Collapse configuration, the FSC Cabinet is designed for the cable operator looking to separate their passive infrastructure from the electronics without the need for a standard hub architecture, thereby reducing operating costs associated with Moves, Adds and Changes.

"Easement regulations and costs can be a significant barrier to fiber deployment," explains Cheri Beranek, president and CEO of Clearfield. "In environments where obtaining the easement to set an OSP cabinet cannot be gained or can be gained only after significant cost, the FieldSmart Below-Grade OSP Cabinet provides a streamlined alternative."

The FieldSmart FSC Below-Grade Cabinet can be deployed in a variety of vault environments with specific configuration requirements and details available directly from Clearfield. The product is compliant to: NEMA 6, GR-20, GR-409, GR-487, GR-1221 and GR-1209. All Clearfield fiber terminations have been tested to GR-326 compliance with every pig tail, patch cord and 12-fiber assemblies guaranteed to Clearfield's Fiber Deep performance threshold of .2dB insertion loss.  Additional information, including datasheets and a demonstration video, are available online at http://www.clearfieldconnection.com/products/cabinets/bg-fsc.html.

About Clearfield

Clearfield, Inc. (Nasdaq:CLFD) designs, manufactures and distributes fiber optic management products for the communications networks of leading ILECS, CLECs, MSO/cable TV companies and mobile broadband providers. We help service providers solve the Fiber Puzzle, which is how to reduce high costs associated with deploying, managing, protecting and scaling a fiber optic network to deliver the mobile, residential and business services customers want. Based on the patented Clearview™ Cassette, our unique single-architected, modular fiber management platform is designed to lower the cost of broadband deployment and maintenance by consolidating, protecting and distributing incoming and outgoing fiber circuits and enable our customers to scale their operations as their subscriber revenues increase. Headquartered in Plymouth, MN, Clearfield deploys millions of fiber ports each year throughout North America.

CONTACT: Clearfield PR Contact
         Christy Kemp
         Calysto Communications
         Tel: + 1 404 266 2060 x539
         ckemp@calysto.com

Released January 31, 2013