American Telephone & Telegraph Co., At&t Bell Laboratories

At&t Technologies, Inc.

James D Claxton

Gerald A Scheidt

Stanley C Shores

A buffer optical fiber (20) includes an optical fiber (21) comprising a core and a cladding. The optical fiber is enclosed by a plastic buffer layer (50). Interposed between the optical fiber and the buffer layer are a plurality of fibrous strands (25--25) which are strength members for the buffered optical fiber. In a preferred embodiment, the strength members are layless and as such are generally linear and parallel to a longitudinal axis of the buffered optical fiber. The buffer layer has a predetermined compressive engagement with the strength members which allows the stripability of the buffer layer from the fiber to be controlled.

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Lawrenceville, GA, United States of America

James D Claxton