Low shrink telecommunications cable and methods for manufacturing the same

A telecommunications cable comprising:

• at least one optical fiber having a core surrounded by a cladding and at least one protective coating;
• a strength layer for providing the cable with tensile reinforcement surrounding the optical fiber;
• and
• an outer jacket surrounding the strength layer, the outer jacket including a thermoplastic base material and a plurality of discrete, elongated shrinkage-reduction members embedded within the thermoplastic base material, the shrinkage-reduction members being aligned generally parallel to a longitudinal axis of the cable, the shrinkage-reduction members having lengths ranging between 0.2 mm and 100 mm, wherein the outer jacket shrinks less than 3% in length when tested separately from the optical fiber for carrying a telecommunications signal by exposing the layer to 110 degrees Celsius for 2 hours.