Adding to existing trials in the US and West Germany (CI No 1,402), Raynet Corp, of Menlo Park, California, is set for a trial installation of its fibre-to-the-kerb LOC Loop Optical Carrier fibre optic system in a neighbourhood of around 100 homes in Madrid, Spain; the trial will be managed in conjunction with Telefonica de Espana SA. The LOC system, which will carry normal telephone traffic from the fourth quarter of this year, will eventually be evaluated for the transmission of AM video, cable television, standard integrated services digital network features, and ultimately for 622Mbps broadband ISDN. For Telefonica de Espana, the trial represents one of a number of forays into fibre optics, which include a 900 mile cable laid between the Spanish mainland and the Canary Islands (CI No 1,333), and a 500 mile UK-Spain link which will be laid in collaboration with STC UK (CI No 1,327).
