The conclusions of this paper are summarized as follows:At the same radial position within the cable, the axial temperature difference measured by the fiber was much smaller than that of the thermocouple. The maximu. The conclusions of this paper are summarized as follows:At the same radial position within the cable, the axial temperature difference measured by the fiber was much smaller than that of the thermocouple. The maximum temperature differences between the fibers and thermocouples at the segmental conductor center, insulation shield surface, and waterproof compound center were 4.9 °C, 3.2 °C, and 3.7 °C, respectively. The reason for the large differences was that the thermocouples were laid into the cable by manually drilling, and the actual radial position may be difficult to control accurately, while the laying environment of water for the cable may increase this effect. Therefore, the distributed optical fiber is more feasible and reliable for cable intern. To investigate the optimal radial-arranged-position of the optical fiber in the cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) power cable, the fibers were arranged into three positions, including segmental conductor center, the insulation shield surface, and the waterproof compound center, respectively, and temperatures were measured based on the Brillouin optical time-domain reflectometry (BOTDR) technology while the thermocouples were arranged at the same positions mentioned above for comparison, respectively. Four cases of cable temperature rising experiments under the laying environments of duct and water were carried out. The conductor temperatures were calculated using the temperatures measured by the fibers at the insulation shield surface and waterproof compound center, and the diff. ••The temperature measurement effectiveness of optical fiber in the cable was studied.••The temperatures of the cable were measured by the BOTDR and thermocouples.••The conductor temperature calculated by optical fibers at different radial positions.••The temperature differences between th. Conductor temperatureTemperature measurementPower cableThermal circuitThe cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) power cables have been widely used in urban distribution networks because of their superior electrical and mechanical performance,. The internal temperature of the XLPE power cable, especially the conductor temperature, is an important factor reflecting its operation state,. The long-time operating temperature of the conductor should be lower than 90 °C, and the overload temperature should be less than 105 °C. The excessive temperature of the conductor will accelerate the aging process of the insulating material, shorten the cable lifetime, and cause failure or even fire in serious cases,. Therefore, the real-time cable temperature measurement is critical to the safe and steady operation of XLPE power cable.