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Microduct
FAQs provided by Lite Access Technologies:
Installation
Q1. What governs the position of the fibre-optic cable in the roadway
or footway?
A1. Consultation with the
Cities/Municipalities
Streets and Engineering Department describes proposed location,
description and depth of the network including proposed timetable for
commencement and completion of the works and the dates and times during
which the Company proposes to carry out such works. Further
consideration will also be given to accommodate roadway or footway
improvement schedules and may assist with
optimal depth determination.
Q2. What depth should the microduct be installed?
A2. Minimum depth required within NRSWA, New
Roads
and Streets Work Act 1991, is 20mm into unbound layer. Target depth
150mm hard infrastructure, 250mm soft infrastructure. Actual depth will
be determined by the materials found within the structure and depth of
third party plant.
Q3. What is the recommended installation procedure for the microduct?
A3. Most deployments are engineered to be
placed
between gutter pan and road surface and at a depth whereby the
opportunity of network compromise is virtually non-existent. The
microduct is laid directly into the 12mm or 17mm slot, backfilled to
approx. 10mm above top edge of microduct with dry sand, limestone
composite, flowable concrete or City/Municipal recommended material.
Final reinstatement follows guidelines as determined by governing body
and may include grade tarmac to approx 40mm of finished surface level
followed by hot bitumen to finished level.
Q4. Does the microduct network need to be grounded?
A4. Any cable with non-current carrying metal
components must be grounded at the building entrance or as soon as
feasible. The 2002 NESC, section 31, under General Requirements
Applying to Underground Lines and sub-section 315, Communications
Protective Requirements, state that cable must be grounded if the
following conditions apply:
· Lightning
· Contact with supply conductors with voltages exceeding 300V
· Transient rise in ground potential exceeding 300V
· Steady –state Induced voltage of a level that
may cause personal injury
Q5. How many fibres are deployed?
A5. Lite Access’s MicroDuct
Technique provides
for up to 96 fibres in a single deployment. Depending on current
requirements, clients are now able to purchase what is immediately
needed. No longer does a client have to spend large amounts of capital
for product and services that may never be used. Our future-proof
solution enables clients to control the growth of their network by
allowing additional fibre to be blown at any time.
Q6. How easy does the microduct network integrate with existing
infrastructures?
A6. Lite Access’s fibre solution was
designed
to integrate with any type of existing infrastructure and technology.
Lite Access’s fibre products are color coded in accordance
with
TIAIEIA-598A, “Optical Fibre Cable Color Coding”,
and
terminate into traditional splice enclosures most typically used within
the Telecom Industry. Use of nonproprietary, common access chambers,
handholes, manholes etc. enables integration of new and existing
networks as well as availability and acceptability of product within
cities and Municipalities. Lite Access’s microduct is also
fully
compliant with the requirements of CEI/IEC 60794-3-10, International
Standard for Outdoor Cables enabling direct bury and aerial application
use.
Q7. What is the life of the installed cable?
A7. Based on the life of the infrastructure in
which
the cable is placed, we anticipate a lifespan of greater than 20 years.
Another consideration is that the cable can be completely replaced
without affecting customers (provided that redundancy is deployed),
giving the network a potentially endless life.
Maintenance
Q1. How susceptible to damage are 'LITE ACCESS’s microduct
networks'?
A1. No damage has been experienced to Lite
Access’s networks to date. Consultation with local
authorities
include consideration of existing route conditions including future
build possibilities, road improvements etc. enabling the design and
engineering of the
network in the safest and least vulnerable route. Once installed,
detailed documentation including as-built drawings will be in the
possession of the local authorities and client.
Q2. How can damage be avoided?
A2. Subscribing to 'call before you dig'
services
will prevent the majority of events. Also some education may be
required for city maintenance teams who deal with footway and road
repair to ensure detailed documentation and as built drawings have been
obtained and properly analyzed. 'Man-made' or events having an
identical impact on any type of deployment methodology - namely,
related to utility maintenance and construction not following the
correct procedures and checking registered 'as-built' documentation may
be possible.
Q3. How does one locate a damaged or broken cable?
A3. In addition to as-built drawings and
typical
placement of the network between the gutter pan and road, Lite
Access’s microduct contains an aluminum layer or tracer wire
that
can be used to locate the damaged cable. An OTDR (Optical Time Domain
Reflectometer) can also be used to locate damaged fibres.
Q4. What happens if the fibre is damaged?
A4. In most cases, if the fibre has been
damaged,
the microduct network has also been compromised. Using specially
designed connectors providing an air tight and water tight connection a
new section of microduct is connected. The fibre can then be either
spliced at the break location or the broken strands blown out and new
fibre blown in.
Q5. What happens in the event of frost heave?
A5. Lite Access’s microduct
technology was
designed as a one piece conduit system containing full water barrier
protection and conforming to or exceeding stringent crush test and
tensile load parameters. Placement of the network in existing expansion
joints such as gutter pan and road, and at depths within the unbound
layer provides further protection from varying external forces.
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