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Test condition
:
The entire test was performed using typical indoor
temperature cycles and an applied force of 500N (50kg).
Two access jumpers were connected to the sample
during the test. Optical monitoring of insertion loss was
carried out both before and after the test.
All samples were put inside a walk-in chamber with two
access jumpers on both ends. Samples were conditioned
for 1h at each temperature and tested for 15 minutes.
System measurements were taken before and after
test exposure.
4 Deployment cost
Estimations of typical first-installation costs of fibre to the
home networks is shown in
Figure 7
.
Labour typically represents half of the first installed costs
of fibre to the home networks while passive components
represent only 20% of the total investment.
There are two elements concerning the labour costs,
namely the time to deploy, test and troubleshoot, and the
hourly rate of the installer required to install the network.
That hourly rate depends on the skill set and equipment
required to install the components.
Major MDU architectures used for MDU deployments are
shown in
Figure 8
:
a) traditional point to point solution – all fibres are
individually terminated at the
customer side
b) blowing fibres – individual fibres/
cables blown from basement to the
customer
c) mid-span access – cable sheath
is cut and fibres are selected and
extracted on each floor
d) pre-connectorised riser – 100%
factory tested ‘plug and play’
solution
The approach of a point-to-point as
well as of blowing fibre has been to
run individual fibre cables from a single
point in the basement to each floor
of a building, because of the need to
centralise splitters or electronics.
Both these approaches result in
significant labour time and a high level
of craftsmanship of the skilled splice
technician who covers the feeder and
distribution segments of the network
being needed.
Even more for mid-span solutions,
where the cable sheath needs to
be cut and individual fibres are
selected and extracted on each floor,
highly skilled installers are required
and significant constraints in the
deployment time appear.
Additionally, owners of MDUs are
sometimes reluctant to grant approval
for a service provider to install new cabling and hardware
within their buildings, due to the disruptions these
activities will cause for their tenants – making the speed of
deployment even more important.
Table 1
shows a comparison of major MDU architectures
used for MDUs in terms of system characteristics.
The proposed riser cable can be quickly and easily
deployed with minimal disruption of the end customer.
Instead of traditional deployment techniques involving
a separate cable for each floor or the need to perform
a mid-span access at specified locations, the OptiRise™
is simply pulled through the vertical riser conduit.
The network access points then line up with the openings
in the riser conduit where the riser tethers can be
accessed.
The benefits of this innovative approach enable
considerable advantages in the speed of deployment,
while significantly decreasing the number of skilled
installers needed to complete an installation successfully.
At the same time, the risk of reworks and failures is
reduced due to each fibre in the riser cable being 100%
factory tested before shipping to the customer and
provides valuable test points during deployment and for
later trouble shooting.
A pre-connectorised solution reduces health and safety
risks associated with fibre cable preparation and splicing.
a) Point to point solution
b) Blowing solution
c) Midspan solution
d) Proposed preconnectorised riser cable
❍
❍
Figure 8
:
Major FTTH architectures used in MDUs