Patent ID: 7015398

Claim:
An insulated wire for use in a communications cable, the wire comprising: a conductor; at least one inner insulating layer surrounding said conductor, at least one of said at least one inner insulating layer being a nano-composite comprising nano-sized platelets and a flame and smoke retardant additive package dispersed within a polyolefin matrix; and an outer layer surrounding said at least one inner insulating layer, wherein said outer layer is substantially resistant to flame spread and smoke evolution, substantially impermeable to moisture and moisture absorption and has a dielectric constant lower than about 2.5 and a dissipation coefficient lower than about 0.001 at frequencies up to about 650 MHz; wherein said at least one inner insulating layer has a volume of at least about 35% and up to about 70% of the volume of said at least one inner insulating layer and said outer layer combined.