|
|
Intrigued to find the following brackets appear overnight on poles in the area:
https://www.pixelstock.com/light.jpg
Perhaps the start of a multi stage process of bringing FTTP to the area, I was wondering if anyone has documented in fine detail the physical stages and processes involved in a typical deployment of FTTP?
I do appreciate it still might be days/months/years away still, though it reminds me of the FTTC development all those years ago and my walks to monitor progress at the cabinets, all a bit nerdy perhaps 
Stephen
|
|
|
Looks the same bracket as on this site, that says it is a mounting bracket for back to back CBTs which are definitely FTTP deployment. https://www.millsltd.com/default/mills-cbt-back-to-b...
Are there are a lot of properties served from that pole? Would make sense if they need 2 CBTs to give enough ports that a bracket would go up.
|
|
|
|
I think a slightly better fixing method than four pozi screws and washers should be employed though..
|
|
Register (or login) on our website and you will not see this ad.
|
|
|
|
Hi djb61,
Thanks for that, much appreciated. Had an extended walk and saw them on more poles in the area. One pole had 6 lines on it and another 20 lines but the same brackets on both.
Past a few poles without the new brackets but these had a lot of furniture at the top of the pole already (eg an older one off FTTP feed to a couple of care homes and another for the public library).
|
|
|
Quite a few OR ones around my area, for multiple CBTs on busy poles as said above.
Edited by BuckleZ (Wed 16-Feb-22 19:40:25)
|
|
|
Openreach fit the same bracket as a means of fixing multiple (12-port) CBTs where there are many premises being served from the same pole.
https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2021/02/an-unu...
|
|
|
|
Thanks for that insight.
It got me thinking, I found a number of posts with 6 lines that had the bracket, unless all the small houses were turned into flats the number of lines were unlikely to increase. I wonder if they were told to instal double brackets in case other firms want to also fix fibre equipment to the poles?
For instance BT have said they will provide FTTP by 2026 - presumably the poles will need to carry multiple CBTs? If there were multiple brackets the poles will look pretty ugly....
|
|
|
|
Pheasant
Wondering if one of our local poles will get two brackets as it has over 36 pairs from it . ( Difficult to count exactly as you tend to lose track.)
|
|
|
|
There is limit to the amount of hardware that can be attached to a pole for practical and safety reasons. Think it's 5 and that include any existing copper hardware like DPs , block terminals, DACS (LOL), as well as any fibre equipment from Openreach or an altnet. Some are going to need additional poles just to provide space for capacity.
|
|
|
It does seem like the rules about loading on the ring head are being let slide. Already with Openreach copper and FTTP on the same DP it gets very busy, especially for those requiring their existing copper pair to be left in situ.
It should also be noted that with all this malarkey attached willy nilly, work, especially protracted work, becomes awkward and uncomfortable very quickly.
|
|
|
There is limit to the amount of hardware that can be attached to a pole for practical and safety reasons. Think it's 5 and that include any existing copper hardware like DPs , block terminals, DACS (LOL), as well as any fibre equipment from Openreach or an altnet.
Interesting, I thought the limit would be higher. Or does the use of the brackets 'convert' two or three CBTs into one 'space'?
There is a pole near me which has 3x CBTs (on one 3-way bracket), 2x Community Fibre AFNs (a 2-way bracket), and 2x Block Terminal no. 76 (or similar, direct to pole). Community Fibre marked it as unavailable for new orders for a time as a limit had been reached on the number of drop cables, but this appears to have been resolved so perhaps old drops have been removed.
|
|
|
|
I think the amount of hardware prevents openreach engineers from climbing the pole, so a hoist would be required, as well as making it awkward to work on. Not a problem for contractors who can just do whatever they like.
|
|
|
Witchunt
I assume the 5 does not include the old white insulators that are still on some poles around here..
These always need a hoist due to sheer loading on the pole ( and pole age, one has a spike on top so coming up to 100 yo.)
Edited by kitcat (Thu 17-Feb-22 14:56:10)
|
|
|
|
Are CF splicing at the AFNs up the pole?
|
|
|
Are CF splicing at the AFNs up the pole?
The method used around my way was as follows - all stages carried out on different days often weeks apart:
1. Microduct introduced from footway chamber; protective capping partially removed from pole while feeding through and replaced immediately. Microduct left coiled and taped at top of capping.
2. General underground works to run microduct bundles and join to single microducts at poles - a process taking multiple months, one small piece at a time.
3. Blowing of fibre - 12f to each pole regardless of whether one or two AFNs required. Coil of blown fibre left emerging from the coil of microduct at top of capping.
4. Splicing - one or two AFNs spliced at ground level; my guess is that the 1:4 bare end:LC/APC splitters commonly supplied with the AFNs are used. AFN(s) left temporarily attached to pole above head height, with twin mounting bracket if applicable. The splicer works on his own with a small step ladder and table.
4.5 Testing?? Unknown when this happens.
5. Mounting of AFN at top of pole using hoist. Excess 'feeder' microduct is coiled in the space behind the AFN.
Total time from stage 1 to 5 was around 4-6 months.
|
|
|
|
Thank you for clarifying. This makes a lot of sense. Quite a different methodology to Openreach. Blown fibre seems the delivery method of choice for very many AltNets.
|
|
|
Reckon there's 7 on this pole. Glad that my pole climbing days are over.
https://goo.gl/maps/aeqdG9d44F4gRmMK7
#Johnson'sLandOfLess
|
|
|
ADSL came about, and the MDF’s became congested, VDSL caused similar issues in the cabs, I suppose it’s natural progression that the DP’s go the same way …
|
|
|
Are CF splicing at the AFNs up the pole?
Noob question: Does AFN = Aerial Fibre Node in this context? What's the difference between AFN and CBT?
|
|
|
Noob question: Does AFN = Aerial Fibre Node in this context? What's the difference between AFN and CBT?
Aerial Fibre Node is a HellermanTyton product, used by Community Fibre and potentially other altnets as a pole-top enclosure.
Connectorised Block Terminal is a Corning product, they call it Optisheath, used by Openreach both on poles and in underground chambers.
The CBT as used by Openreach is very well environmentally sealed (the ports are on the outside, it's not a 'box' that can be opened), it uses a proprietary waterproof connector, has a maximum port count of 12 and is supplied pre-spliced to a 4, 8 or 12 core tail.
The AFN as used by Community Fibre is a box that opens to reveal a lower shelf where incoming fibres are manually spliced to splitters, and an upper shelf with up to 24 LC/APC (standardised) connectors. If the box isn't vertical or is left open, water and dust will get in.
Openreach don't have to pay themselves for pole space (they charge altnets per item), so there's an incentive for altnets to use higher port density equipment.
Openreach are also working at massive scale where money and/or time are saved by reducing the number of splice locations and hence amount of skilled labour required - as the CBTs are supplied preterminated they don't need to deploy a splicer to each pole, only the splitter nodes which serve multiple poles.
|
|
|
Excellent answer. Only thing I would add is that CommScope are another supplier of CBTs to Openreach.
The originals CBT product families from each of these manufacturers are practically identical, in size and look. Openreach announced a new strategic initiative with CommScope the middle of last year, potentially using a new generation of CBT products from CommScope but as yet they are yet to be physically deployed to my knowledge.
The physical connector used on the Corning and CommScope CBTs is a proprietary hardened connector called OptiTap that is sealed with double o-rings and physically it’s screwed into the housing to secure it and weather seal the connection. It uses a fairly standard optical interface SC/APC which is the same as that which is used to connect into the ONT inside the premises.
There are thus really only 2 mated physical connections outside of the exchange on Openreach FTTP.
|
|
|
|
I would also add that although the Openreach CBT's are pre-connected with a fibre tail this does not mean they only require splicing at the splitter as a fair few I have seen have multiple track nodes between the splitter and CBT which also need splicing by a skilled engineer.
|
|
|
|
Indeed. Not sure what the longest tail CBT that they keep in store is though. Various lengths available from the factory.
|
|
|
|
Ah, thank you.
|
|
|
|
Hi ft247,
Many thanks for providing the detailed overview of the work on the poles, much appreciated.
The pole serving my home does not have its own access chamber at its base with all the surrounding area tarmacked (its in a rear entry). Hopefully there is some kind of pull through mechanism as I guess the alternitive would be to dig a channel..
|
|
|
|
They will probably use an overhead cable from another pole. This has been done on several poles around me. This morning I saw a pole with two CBTs on a Lightspeed bracket and it is connected to two further posts with overhead cable. There is a newly installed tube with a cord at the base which hasn't been used to feed a cable but the top of the pole is very congested. Saw the CBTs being installed by MJQ last week using ladders!
|
Pages in this thread: 
Print Thread
movinglight
