OPTICAL FIBER CARRIER

A flexible carrier for supporting and protecting elongated items such as optical fibers is disclosed. The carrier is formed from a substrate of interlaced filamentary members which may be woven, knitted or braided together. The elongated items are interlaced with or otherwise captured by the substrate during its manufacture. Various configurations of the substrate such as flat, pleated and tubular are feasible. Capture of the elongated members may be effected by integrally woven tubes formed within the substrate, by interweaving the items as warp yarns in a woven substrate or by laying in of the items in a knitted substrate.