Various FTTP civil engineering videos

I'm sure many regulars will be aware of this but for those who aren't do check out https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChW2Bg_Kq2RTx5m-LlA...

These guys have all kinds of videos on getting the, mostly micro, ducts into the ground and blowing fibre into them. Some of these techniques are being used in the UK on a smaller scale, with Virgin Media using narrow trenching - not quite micro trenches but certainly not normal ones.

When Openreach are no longer deploying copper they should have more options with regards to their technology choice but for now they're stuck with standard open trenching, and Virgin Media have to use open trenches, sometimes pretty wide ones, when deploying the hybrid fibre coaxial network as microducts wouldn't cut it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wisrs03EkDM is a pretty cool one - cutting into edge of curb and reinstating there rather than going into pavement or road directly.

Requirements for duct sharing may leave Openreach using its standard ducting for new runs for a long time yet

In reply to a post by Ignitionnet:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wisrs03EkDM is a pretty cool one - cutting into edge of curb and reinstating there rather than going into pavement or road directly.

The video does not show how the properties that are passed would be connected.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrDupHh1v5A https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwsXGwGONh8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxGkyOgi9kw

Show a way to connect properties. The curb cutting method isn't an end to end solution. Breaking into the microducts to spur off into properties via lateral cuts or hammerhead mole can be done either at install of microducts or, less optimally, later.

It's on there and elsewhere and can be found easily enough. microtrenching both for use to carry microducts along the network path and as laterals to deliver to properties have been done in the UK.

If you check some Virgin Media streetworks you might even be able to see some them mention laterals - the laterals are microducts coming off the narrow trench feeding a 'Toby' - a plastic cover covering the end of the microduct that will deliver fibre to the edge of the customer property ready for install further along.

That's actually the TL;DR. of the GM deployments, microtrench deployments using their kit, carrying sufficient microducts to allow them to be spurred from, a T created at each access point and a lateral cut or underground hammerhead mole plough to get to the customer, leaving an access point at the end of their property ready to go..

A microduct bundle can hold quite a few fibres. combining multiple premises' microduct drops into a single larger capacity microduct that can hold more fibres is quite legitimate. Fibres are tiny, even microducts have more than enough room to carry them, you just have to get to property edge through a hammerhead mole plough, a drill or simply another microtrench across the pavement, triggered when people order.

If an operator is worried about fibre count going into a neighbourhood they can simply use PON and deliver a curb cut link carrying a couple of fibres to a splitter they place in an underground pit. From that pit they introdce the last drop to the customers. They install microduct fom the original curb run towards the customers via one of the methods above, aggregate the customer fibres into a couple of the microducts, they don't need much space, and they're good to get back to a splitter.

Of course this needs inspection covers every so often. This is just a way to get in between the inspection covers where the magic happens, and a damn fine one.

VM are running bunches of microducts with each one spurring off into a home, requiring a lateral cut across the footpath. Start running homes off fibre delivered via a microduct with multiple customers' fibres present and you reduce the duct count on the initial run, and the lateral runs can be done via any method that can break into the microducting, so installing swept tees into the microducts running along the curb during construction and running a microtrench to the home is quite feasible.

Edited by deleted (Mon 01-Jan-18 02:55:00)