The Universal Joint (UJ) is a solution for connecting different types of submarine optical telecommunication cables, regardless of design or manufacture, using common construction equipment and standard piece-parts in the joint.
Building on the UJ principles, the UQJ (Universal Quick Joint) has been developed to connect smaller diameter un-repeatered submarine cables taking account of the simpler cable construction and the requirement for a faster and simpler process.
The UC (Universal Coupler) is a solution for coupling types of submarine optical telecommunication cables to submerged housing (repeater, equalizer, branching unit), regardless of design or manufacture, using common construction equipment and standard piece-parts in the joint.
UJ, UQJ and UC products are therefore jointing piece parts or jointing tools produced and sold by each Consortium Member.
UJC is the short name of for the Universal Jointing Consortium made up of four members:
- Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN)
- KDDI Cableships & Subsea Engineering Inc. (KCS)
- SubCom
The UJC members share a common aim to cooperate on the development and maintenance of a standardised cable jointing technology for underwater cables known as Universal Jointing (UJ), Universal Coupling (UC) and Universal Quick Joint (UQJ).
The origin of universal jointing for fibre optic cables goes back to the late 1980s, when AT&T, BT (Marine) Ltd and Les Cables de Lyon, formed a consortium to supply an universal jointing and coupling solution for installation and maintenance purposes. The aim was to supply a standard jointing technology platform that offers common tools and piece parts for assembly of joints in different cable types. By the early 1990s, the four members listed above were actively involved in the development of the universal jointing technology. The first consortium agreement was signed in 2000 to develop and improve the universal jointing technologies. The members have recently renewed the agreement to continuing their commitment and collaboration in this field.
Today, the majority of maintenance authorities for undersea telecommunications cables deploy UJ technology and standards on their cable systems worldwide.
Go to the 'Contact Us' page, where you will find a request form for communicating with the consortium. Our Co-ordinator will follow up your request/comments.
You will also find the contact details of each Consortium Member, who can also forward your request to the consortium members.
The UJ (Universal Joint) and UC (Universal Coupling) are used in medium and long-haul submarine networks where repeaters or optical amplifiers are deployed.
The UJ provides a connection between cables and the UC provides a connection between a cable and submerged plant optical housing such as a repeater or branching unit.
The UQJ (Universal Quick Joint) is a cable-to-cable joint for use unpowered short-haul cable systems.
We aim to acknowledge receipt of your enquiry within 2 working days. Response time can vary depending on the nature of your enquiry. As a general rule, we target to provide an initial response within 10 working days from the date of receipt.