Patent ID: 8472767

Claim:
A fiber optic cable assembly for connecting to one or more external opto-electrical components, comprising: a single fiber optic cable having a length and a plurality of optical fibers disposed within and extending along at least a portion of the fiber optic cable; at least two electrical conductors disposed within and extending along at least a portion of the fiber optic cable; at least one mid-span connection point formed in the single fiber optic cable and traversed by at least one of the optical fibers; at least one external optical fiber portion comprised of at least one portion of the at least one of the optical fibers made external to the fiber optic cable; and external electrical conductor portions comprised of respective portions of the at least two electrical conductors made external to the fiber optic cable; wherein said at least one external optical fiber portion and said external electrical conductor portions are configured to optically and electrically connect at least one of the one or more opto-electrical components to the fiber optic cable; and wherein the one or more opto-electrical components are attached to the fiber optic cable by a tether.