BROADBAND COMMUNITIES is the leading source of information on digital and broadband technologies for buildings and communities. Our editorial aims to accelerate the deployment of Fiber-To-The-Home and Fiber-To-The-Premises.
Issue link: https://bbcmag.epubxp.com/i/90470
The 3M One Pass Mini delivers triple-play services inside a residence. Installation of the No Polish Connector does not require a power source, which is often dif- ficult to find in MDU hallways. method for concealing communications cables. Te microducts are installed first, and then the cables are routed through them. Often the use of mi- croducts requires core drilling, or bor- ing holes through one or multiple floors of a building. Te benefit of microduct is that cables and ducts can be almost completely concealed. However, instal- lation is expensive, time-consuming, noisy and messy. In each of these cable pathway solu- tions, cable installation involves a time- consuming, costly, two-step process that usually requires two crews – one to build the pathway and one to lay the cable. Most of the work involves carpen- try, and a two-person crew can take an entire day or more to finish a single floor. Te result can be enormous costs and weeks of disruption for residents. More- over, the end result can stand out visu- The One Pass Fiber Pathway simplifies the process of fiber drop cable routing through MDU halls. ally, a huge problem because aesthetics can make or break the decision to move forward with deployment. (Even though 43 percent of respondents in the RVA RESOURCES For more information about the industry studies cited in this article, see "MDU Owners Crave Fiber – If They Know What It Is," Broadband Communities, July 2012 "What Fiber Broadband Can Do for Your Community," eighth edition of the Fiber-to-the-Home Primer produced by the editors of Broadband Communities, August/September 2012 "Fact Sheet: Verizon Study of MDU Residents," Parks Associates, 2008. survey named aesthetics as a barrier to FTTH deployment, 3M estimates that the percentage is much higher in owner- occupied, high-end buildings – as we have learned through experience.) In other circumstances, particu- larly in apartment hallways with many bends and turns, ultra-bend-insensitive cables capable of maintaining bend radii as small as 5 mm (ITU G.657.B3) are simply stapled to the walls. Although this method is quick and easy and is generally considered optically accept- able, a special crowned staple is needed. More important, many apartment walls are concrete, making stapling virtually impossible. In general, stapling is noisy, creates dust and looks industrial, at best. Visually, most high-end building own- ers and homeowners are unlikely to ac- cept such a solution. A NEW SYSTEM FOR MDU FIBER DEPLOYMENT 3M has developed a better way to deploy fiber in MDUs. We call it the 3M To- tal Package. Te 3M Total Package is a full-fiber MDU broadband solution for both inside and outside the living unit. It combines the new 3M One Pass Mini Fiber Pathway for living units with the 3M One Pass Fiber Pathway hallway so- lution, connected by the easy-to-install 3M No Polish Connector (NPC). Tis solution simplifies the process of routing drop cable through MDU hallways and living units. Te complete fiber-to-the-premises broadband solu- tion provides a quicker, neater and qui- eter installation for building owners and 30 | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | www.broadbandcommunities.com | OCTOBER 2012