Yes, fiber cables can be bent during installation, which proves particularly useful when you pull cables into position rather than using blown installation methods. Blown fiber installation uses air pressure to propel cables through conduits, minimizing bending stresses. Bending of a fiber optic cable can damage the cable if the curvature of the bend is too small. Damage may not always be obvious, like a kink in the cable, but may include broken fibers, fibers with higher loss due to stress and cable structural damage that may lead to reliability problems. If the angle of bend is too great the glass will. The fiber optic bend radius refers to the smallest radius a fiber cable can be bent without causing unacceptable signal degradation or physical damage.
