The optimization of optical fibre installation methods in South Africa

Abstract

Optical fibre is an old technology that has found numerous new applications as the telecommunications industry has flourished. The South African optical fibre market has exploded and the race is on to install fully functional optical fibre networks. Numerous companies have joined the race and because of the nature of the market, the main aim for these companies is rollout. There are different methods of installing optical fibre networks and it would seem that the process with the biggest capacity would be in-road mechanical trenching. In saying that, there have been some unforeseen difficulties in streamlining this process because of the differences in road conditions as supposed to European countries. The construction of optical fibre networks also consists of a number of phases and the South African network is still in the preliminary phases. The first target for these companies is the corporate industry and it is estimated that optical fibre networks will only reach households within the next ten years. The aim is obviously to install these networks as soon as possible. Reason being, the faster a company enters the market the faster a company can start generating revenue. Through basic alterations to the existing installation process output can be vastly improved. The acceleration of the rollout will increase company profits as well as delivering a service that will greatly benefit the general public a well as increasing the well-being of South Africa.