Fibre Node Installation Guides

Anyone interested in some of the nuts & bolts of the fibre distribution network that BT are building?

I found instruction guides (with lots of photos) for some of the nodes that BT are using in their fibre access network; these give us some clues as to the architecture BT intend for fibre.

Aggregation Node
http://www.te.com/commerce/DocumentDelivery/DDEContr...

This shows there are separate areas for "NGA Spine" fibre and "P2P BAU" fibre.

Generic Joint
http://www.te.com/commerce/DocumentDelivery/DDEContr...

This shows some of the fibre options being chosen by BT for the access network. For example, the larger cables seem to consist of 240, 276 or 288 fibres.

Splitter Node
http://www.te.com/commerce/DocumentDelivery/DDEContr...

It seems that a splitter node is supplied with one 2x32 splitter - 32 end-users, with (I assume) a way to have 2 separate parent fibres back to the AGN for redundancy. Perhaps this allows for dual-parenting, or separate head-ends.

Three further splitter devices can be added, so one node can supply up to 128 properties. The box is designed for fibre from the AGN to loop-through, on its way to further SPNs down the chain.

Splitter Node for MDUs
http://www.te.com/commerce/DocumentDelivery/DDEContr...

Similar function, but housed in a way suitable for MDU basements.

Fibre DP
http://www.te.com/commerce/DocumentDelivery/DDEContr...

The fibre DP shown is now of the 'old' style, they are out there, but the new ones used, and now fitted as standard are of a different design.

Trying to learn a bit here......

Do I gather from this that BT use a passive PON type of layout/topology for their native FTTP rather than point to point as used by the likes of B4RN and Gigaclear which go back to an active village cabinet.
So I presume from this that the splitters and aggregation nodes are what I would call PON splitters?

I've just realised that if they are using GPON or one of its variants it maybe explains why they are not offering a symmetrical native FTTP service unlike those using point to point.

Yes.

For FTTP as we currently know it, a GPON architecture is used.