A metal-free optical cable has a cable core with a plurality of optical fibers in a sheath, which is surrounded by a carrier member in the form of at least one ply of a high-strength film material. The improvement characterized by the filament material being held together by an externally applied winding of a filament forming an armoring layer with the filament being of a shorter length of lay than the filament material for the carrier member and being of a material exhibiting electrical properties that are substantially the same as the material of the filament forming the carrier member.