Aerial cable containing optical transmission elements and process for the manufacture of an aerial cable

An aerial cable comprising:

• a core comprising at least one optical transmission element and a protective covering surrounding said at least one optical transmission element;
• at least one tensile discharge element extending lengthwise along said core;
• a jacket surrounding said core;
• and
• a plurality of fiber-like elements having a diameter in a range of 0.01 mm to 1 mm and completely embedded in the jacket, wherein the fiber-like elements consist of a polymer comprising at least 50% by weight of at least one of polyethylene and polypropylene and 10% to 40% by weight of at least one of carbon and carbon black such that the polymer has semiconductor characteristics, and wherein the fiber-like elements have a resistance in a range of 105 Ω/m to 109 Ω/m.

A method for manufacturing an aerial cable comprising:

• providing a core comprising at least one optical transmission element and a protective covering surrounding the at least one optical transmission element;
• extruding a jacket about the core;
• and
• coextruding a plurality of fiber-like elements along with the jacket such that the plurality of fiber-like elements are completely embedded in the jacket, wherein coextruding the plurality of fiber-like elements comprises coextruding a plurality of fiber-like elements consisting of a polymer having semiconductor characteristics with a resistance in a range of 105 Ω/m to 109 Ω/m.