Network installers play a crucial role in providing reliable Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) connections. FTTH networks provide higher capacity, improved reliability, and faster connection speeds compared to wired and mobile networks, but the deployment of this can be a complex process. Solutions that are cost effective and simplify installation are essential to meet the high roll out targets set out by broadband providers and national governments.

EXECUTING ROLLOUTS WITH EFFICIENCY

Quickly executing the installation process can be no easy feat for the installers. Fiber rollouts require immense amounts of planning, high levels of coordination, skilled expertise, and can be costly when considering the labour and time required for a successful execution.

Traditional solutions can be cumbersome in terms of the manpower needed to deploy; from coordinating appointments and resources for accessing subscribers’ homes to establishing the connection at a time that suits the subscriber. Carting bundles of big and heavy civil engineering equipment up and down the street to each subscriber also causes inefficiency. This can negatively affect the duration of the installation process, as well as the total cost of the install – something that both installers and providers are continuously looking to improve on. Installers therefore need a solution that enables the execution of rollouts with greater efficiency.

A REDUCTION OF TIME AND COST

To address these challenges, HUBER+SUHNER has created a market-first FTTH modular connectivity solution that allows subscribers to partially install their own fiber optics (homes-connected). The new solution, Residential Access (RESA) is designed for rural and suburban residential and commercial areas. This easy-to-install alternative reduces costs, time, and resources and gives installers the opportunity to execute deployments more efficiently, achieving higher homes passed rates than ever before.

This unique modular solution is split into two separate installation phases. The first phase consists of the network installer deploying the RESA Splice Closure (RESA SC) box underground at the property boundary. What was once a time-consuming and costly process can now be simplified as the installer can lay the fiber in one go, greatly reducing the amount of digging work on public ground required.  

The second phase sees subscribers, or a tradesman, equipped with a simple manual, installing the last few meters of the FTTH connection. This consists of the RESA Building Entry Point (BEP) and RESA Jumper being installed at the property.  

RESA improves network efficiency on all fronts. Now an installer’s time and skills can be used more efficiently, with their sole responsibility to install the RESA SC box to the boundary of the home. This requires street-level planning only, and reduced reliance of the availability of the homeowners. The overall deployment is quicker and easier for both the installer and the service provider thanks to the unified fibre-optic connection method for an entire neighbourhood that RESA delivers. 

With simplified co-ordination between all stakeholders within the FTTH roll-out – installers, service providers and subscribers - accompanied by the overall increased speed of deployments, this means more connections can be established in the same time-frame as before and all plots can be developed.