Broadband Communities

OCT 2012

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.

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2 Just as with FTTC, there is little or no intrusion into customer premises. Cons: 1 Once again, the bandwidth limita- tion of copper comes into play with this architecture. 2 Just as with FTTC, copper cable conditioning or replacement will re- sult in higher opex. FIBER TO THE COMPLEX Tree basic architectures are available, each of which requires a different set of products to support it. Te first is commonly known as fiber to the curb – or, in the case of MDUs, fi- ber to the complex. In this architecture, fiber is terminated at active electronics placed centrally in the development, and existing twisted-pair copper or coax ca- bles are used for the last 3,000 feet. Pros: 1 Capital investment is minimized by using existing copper plant. 2 Customers are happy because there is no intrusion into their premises. 3 Te central location of the electron- ics in the development allows more flexibility on take rates. You can de- ploy only what you need. Cons: 1 Bandwidth drops sharply with dis- tance over copper cables. 2 Electronics cabinets have easement and powering issues, and making them aesthetically pleasing enough to keep a homeowners association happy is not easy. 3 Maintenance costs for copper plant are higher than for fiber because copper is affected by the elements. Copper cable conditioning results in high opex. Microtrenching and placement of microduct through the trench to the OCTOBER 2012 | www.broadbandcommunities.com | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | 25 active gear is a cost-effective, quick and relatively nonintrusive way to deliver fiber to the complex. FIBER TO THE BUILDING OR FLOOR Te second type of architecture is fiber to the building or fiber to the floor. In this scenario, active electronics are pushed closer to customers, reducing the length of the copper loops. Typical loop lengths are between 150 and 300 feet. Pros: 1 Installation time is low. All an in- staller needs to do is run a jumper or coax to the demarcation point, where it will interface with the existing coax or twisted-pair wiring infrastructure. 3 Power requirements for the MDU ONT will pose a challenge. Will the ONT be house powered or un- metered? Who will pay for it? How much wall space is available for this equipment? Can it be placed close to existing demarcation points? Once again, aesthetics becomes an issue. Homeowners associations have to approve all these decisions. 4 Take rates need to be high. Placing a 12-unit MDU ONT in a building and getting only three or four sub- scribers could keep a deployer from seeing any return on investment for a long time. Fiber management and protection are key to a successful fiber-to-the-floor de- ployment, and equipment must be scal- able to be cost-effective for this type of deployment. A microduct solution with pushable fiber can deliver fiber to the ac- tive gear on each floor, with or without available conduit. Fiber management within a building or on a floor should be housed in a wall or in rack-mounted

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