CommScope, noting the surges in copper theft as metal prices spike, says it offers some alternatives that will be of interest to telecom and broadcast companies.
It suggests Andrew’s Heliax FXL cable for transmission line use, which has less copper in it than comparable cables, it says, through the company’s Andrew Solutions and CommScope’s BiMetals technology.
CommScope also has two bimetal products that use less copper.
GroundSmart Copper Clad Steel has a metallurgically-bonded copper exterior to a solid steel core for use in grounding situations. CommScope executive Ricardo La Guardia said: “CCS is a solution that has been proven for decades. Now that the price of copper has skyrocketed, utilities face increasing theft issues and must replace stolen copper ground wire on a regular basis.”
Copper Clad Aluminum, available in 10 or 15 percent copper coatings, can be substitute for a number of uses where pure copper wiring would be normally used.
