JAMIE MCGEE FIBRE TO MDUS
ACHIEVING FAST AND EFFICIENT FIBRE OPTICS FOR MDUS FIBRE TO THE APARTMENT
Rolling out FTTH is rarely a simple job and the difficulties multiply when providing service to individual households in apartment blocks. Given the number of such multiple dwelling units in Europe alone, it is clear that a ubiquitous solution is required. Jamie McGee , MDU product specialist at Emtelle looks at the difficulties and possible solutions.
A s new applications such as Virtual Reality, the connected home and all manner of IoT-enabled devices continue to grow in popularity, Governments and operators alike are turning to fibre to fulfil consumer demand for fast, reliable broadband. But not all our buildings are equipped to deal with this new digital world. Multi Dwelling Units (MDUs) like apartment blocks, for example, can cause multiple problems for operators trying to service their customers inside as landlords resist what they see as disruptive building work and new building regulations emerge. So how can operators effectively serve MDUs with the ultrafast connectivity consumers now expect to receive? When looking at MDU solutions, there are many considerations for operators. MDUs are normally defined into High-Rise, Low-Rise and Converted, as well as being categorised into New Build (Greenfield) and Existing Build (Brownfield). Greenfield buildings can be easier for installers as MULTIPLE CHALLENGES, MULTIPLE SOLUTIONS
installer can blow the fibre from the basement through the microducts to each apartment when required. This solution is deemed much quicker and easier than the traditional routed cable solution but still requires splicing at each individual apartment. THE SPLICING CONUNDRUM With both these traditional methods the installer needs to carry out splicing operations at every floor and apartment. If this splicing operation was removed the installer could see significant cost savings, installation reductions and a reduced skill-set requirement. The issues created by having to carry out splicing at each apartment differ widely from operator to operator depending on various factors. The main issues include a reluctance from the building owner – due to pre-conceived thoughts of cosmetic damage – getting repeated access into the apartments at the correct time and getting access to the relevant spaces to install the fibre cables within the building. Thankfully fibre-optic broadband is seen as the future of communications and building owners are realising that being
access to cable pathways can be utilised and accessed at an earlier stage. Installers on a Brownfield MDU installation project can face space constraints and the existing infrastructure can cause issues for the installation within the building. Currently, there is no single method of deploying an MDU solution efficiently. Instead, operators must look at multiple solutions depending on the exact type or layout of a building. In fact, a single MDU deployment could use multiple solutions to successfully complete the installation. There are two methods that have been traditionally used for MDU solutions. One technique can use fire-rated fibre optic cables normally routed on cable trays from the basement via riser spaces to each floor, where the cable is spliced at a termination box and then a separate drop cable is routed to each apartment. This solution can be timely and complex depending on the exact building layout. Another traditional MDU solution is a point-to-point solution using fire- rated microduct tube bundle assemblies and a blown fibre unit. The microduct system can be installed separately and in pieces, rather than having to install one full point-to-point cable, then the
30
| ISSUE 16 | Q1 2019
www.opticalconnectionsnews.com
Made with FlippingBook - Online magazine maker