  | Issue: | Latin America 2009 |
| Article no.: | 14 | |
| Topic: | Satellites – a global platform for seamless rapid fibre deployment | |
| Author: | Jaxon Lang & Sergio Ruiz | |
| Title: | Jaxon Lang is VP of Global Connectivity & Sergio Ruiz is Market Manager for the Latin America Carrier Market | |
| Organisation: | ADC | |
| PDF size: | 332KB |
About author
Jaxon Lang is ADC’s Vice President of Global Connectivity Solutions – Americas; he is responsible for all product and service development, manufacturing and sales for the Americas Region. Mr Lang also served as Vice President of Structured Cable Product Management and had responsibility for the company’s global enterprise strategy. Mr Lang served as Director of Product Management for Structured Cable and Director of Sales and Marketing Integration following ADC’s acquisition of KRONE. Mr Lang joined ADC as a Systems Engineer. He has one issued patent for telecommunications and network equipment design. Jaxon Lang holds a Bachelors of Science Degree in Environmental Engineering from Northwestern University and an MBA from the University of Minnesota, Carlson School of Management.
Article abstract
Given the ever-widening range of bandwidth-intensive services and the move from voice to data, the migration from copper to fibre is accelerating rapidly; gigabyte, terabyte and petabyte networks demand fibre. By building the network using factory-terminated, pre-connectorized hardened adaptors and hardened connectors at both ends of a fibre cable, carriers eliminate the labour-intensive splicing of hair-thin fibre optic cable; this cuts installation and operational expenses and accelerates installation and deployment of flexible and cost-effective fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) and fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) networks.
Full Article
One thing is abundantly clear in the telecommunications business: copper lines are slowly being replaced by fibre optic cables just as sure as voice has given way to data. Even more apparent is the fact that major carriers are installing more and more fibre optic cables, adaptors and switches because they can serve as the foundation for a future-proof network – networks that are capable of meeting greater bandwidth demand to accommodate more content like video and images at lightning-fast speed. We are no longer talking about bits, kilobytes, megabytes or gigabytes. Terabytes and even petabytes per second are right around the corner. What is not as apparent is the best way to connect the fibre networks into our homes and businesses. While many in the industry think the old reliable fusion and mechanical splicing of fibre is the way to go, others are choosing a connectorized approach, the same method used by carriers to easily and quickly connect fibre optics in their central offices and other mission-critical facilities. So, if it is good enough for central offices and network operation centres, why not deploy a connectorization strategy – using a simple plug-and-play, factory-made fibre connector – for fast, easy, and less expensive fibre network installation and turn-on? It would be nearly as easy and fast as plugging a USB cable into a laptop or home computer. With the constant demand for more and more bandwidth worldwide and in Latin America, carriers are finding that using a connectorized approach versus labour-intensive splicing of hair-thin fibre optic cable saves time, money and accelerates installation and deployment of flexible and cost-effective fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) and fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) networks. Carriers around the globe are already using connectorization versus labour-intensive fibre splicing. In China, for example, the government’s national FTTH standard uses a connectorized approach throughout the network, despite the country’s very low labour costs. However, in Latin America, there are still opportunities for carriers to use this technology, thus maximizing the benefits of rapid fibre deployment for FTTP and FTTH networks. Connectorization By adopting the newest connectorization approach, service operators in Latin America can deliver FTTP and FTTH applications to individual residential units or multiple dwelling units (MDUs) faster and less expensively than with age-old splicing methods, helping carriers and service providers generate revenue faster and more profitably than hand-splicing millions of strands of fibre optic cables. Our tests show that using a connectorization method can lower carriers’ installation costs by nearly US$30 per living unit in Latin America. While splicing the entire OSP (outside plant) fibre network might result in lower initial equipment costs, the reality is that those cost-savings will quickly evaporate due to increased operational expenses and reduced network flexibility. How is this possible? The connectorized approach provides carriers’ technicians and installers with a fast, easy, and reliable end-to-end plug and play architecture that significantly reduces the time it takes to install high-speed fibre optic cables and networks. Using factory-terminated, pre-connectorized hardened adaptors and hardened connectors at both ends of a fibre cable, technicians can easily string a ‘plug-and-play’ installation and turn-on of fibre optic cables through the network to a single unit or blocks of MDUs. And, from a technological perspective, connectorization enables immediate trouble-shooting capabilities at the terminal, provides quicker and more efficient service turn-up, provides ease and speed in testing, is easier to maintain, and is much faster in restoring service than splicing in the event of a cable cut. Carriers also provide mission-critical services to organizations such as hospitals, banks and other financial services businesses that require redundant systems. Using the connector approach for these networks means they are easier to repair and maintain, are less prone to human error and reduce churn. With splicing, when the signal is lost, it takes longer to repair, which often results in customer losses. The goal of every service provider building a next generation fibre network is to strike a balance between upfront equipment costs and the operational costs involved in long-term performance of the network. When it comes to the former, connectors may be initially more expensive than splicing. However, savvy network planners look ahead to the lower operational costs incurred by service turn-ups for individual customers and to the ongoing need for easy test access. Leading service providers have discovered that using connectors where they make the most sense in the network justifies the initial equipment costs because it reduces OPEX over the life of the network. Today’s next-generation connectors have proven their value in OSP applications around the world. Although some service providers continue to splice the FTTP network connections, others are replacing those splices in the OSP with connectorized fibres. As a result, they get maximum operating flexibility, easy test access, shorter service turn-up times, lower overall costs and superior long-term performance of their networks. These benefits, which are not available from splicing alone, are essential to succeed in today’s extremely competitive market. Next-generation connectorization in Latin America The number of households with fibre-optic network connections worldwide is expected to grow by nearly 43 per cent worldwide and will continue to grow at rates above 30 per cent a year through 2012, when the number of fibre-connected households will reach nearly 90 million globally, according to research group Heavy Reading. Industry experts agree that Latin America is becoming one of the world’s most promising broadband markets, growing at a CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of 48 per cent from 2003 to 2008 according to the analyst report. Currently, the region’s broadband leaders are Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, and Chile, and in early 2009, these five countries accounted for around 85 per cent of all broadband subscribers in the region, according to Heavy Reading. Convergence offers promising prospects in Latin America, a continent with about 577 million people, a soaring broadband sector, low tele-density, relatively high TV penetration, and a growing VoIP market. Competition will continue to increase and prices will tend to drop in most countries providing ample space for expansion. The research report states that carriers in Latin America understand that they must meet competition profitably, and to do this they have to respond to customer demands quickly, efficiently and reliably to consistently provide better quality of service. Also, they need to increase penetration in key markets quickly; the fast installation and turn-up of connectorized networks will help them lower costs and enhance profitability. The growing reliance on fibre optics in Latin America has even driven a diverse group of telecom service providers, high-tech manufacturers and other enterprises from across the region to form the regional chapter of the Fibre-to-the-Home (FTTH) Council to promote the deployment of next-generation, high-bandwidth Internet, voice and video services to residences throughout the region. In summation, fibre optics and the faster, easier connectorization approach represent carriers’ best solutions for meeting accelerated broadband demand, while providing significantly better ROI than mechanical or fusion splicing. Moreover, connectorization is the most reliable method to install, deploy and turn-on fibre optic networks to boost carriers’ revenues and provide the greatest benefit to consumers. Without a doubt, connectorized solutions enhance carriers’ speed-to-deployment and speed-to-revenue in all FTTH and FTTP environments in Latin America and around the world.
