APRIL 27, 2007 -- U.K.-based Emtelle (search for Emtelle) recently completed an aerial blown fiber (search for blown fiber) installation in Queanbeyan, Australia, just outside Canberra. According to the company, the project highlights the benefits of aerial blown fiber, including its speed, flexibility, and ease-of-use.
Emtelle installed approximately 4,000 m of aerial blown fiber for County Energy, a leading Australian energy utility that serves 870,000 customers in the New South Wales region. The company reports that the project was completed quickly, with one day for pole fitting, three days for tube bundle installation, and two for fiber unit blowing. In the majority of blows, speeds of over 50 m per minute were achieved, say company representatives, who note that this feat is especially impressive given the extensive blow lengths. The longest of these was 922 m and included a challenging complete tube loop through an enclosure just before traveling directly up a pole.
At the end of the second day, Emtelle needed to complete an unplanned fiber blow of around 680 m. This was done with ease, says the company, demonstrating how straightforward it is to set up and blow additional fiber in a spare tube when the infrastructure is already in the air. In addition to pole-to-pole installation, two customer drop-offs also were performed on site.
"Overall, the project was a great success," reports Bill Mavridis, Emtelle's business development manager in Australia. "We have a happy client who is finalizing the installation of PLC [power line communication] equipment that will be used as part of a trial for six months from late March."
Emtell says that its installation process enables fiber to be blown into already-existing tubes quickly and easily. This has the dual advantage of eliminating major civil works and allowing the provision of services only when customers need them, say company representatives. The company confirms that aerial blown fiber is gaining more and more acceptance as an alternative to in-ground installation in areas where digging would be impractical or where aerial infrastructures are already in place.
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