INDUSTRY FOCUS working ethically and delivering high-quality telecommunications networks.
INDUSTRY FOCUS working ethically and delivering high-quality telecommunications networks.
CAN FTTH COUNCIL CLARIFY THE ESOTERIC TERMINOLOGY THAT WE KEEP HEARING FROM THE INDUSTRY?
The FTTH Council Africa has a definitions document that tries to explain the jargon. Contact admin @ ftthcouncilafrica. com to get a copy, or phone us to chat about it.
WHAT PROTECTION DOES A DEVELOPMENT HAVE ONCE IT HAS SELECTED A SPECIFIC NETWORK PROVIDER?
ONCE DARK FIBRE HAS BEEN INSTALLED, SHOULD THE DEVELOPER USE THE SAME SERVICE PROVIDER FOR THE OTHER SERVICES?
This brings up the debate between open access and exclusive access, and operators will argue that both have merit. It is important for developers and property managers to understand what each type of access means and to make a decision based on their individual requirements.
MUST THE DEVELOPMENT RUN ITS SECURITY SYSTEM ON A DIFFERENT NETWORK?
With any service provider, there is recourse to mediation and legislation. But do yourself a favour: select the right partner for the specific site. Do your homework in advance. While almost everything can be fixed after the fact, it will delay projects and have a cost.
WHAT HAPPENS IF THE NETWORK PROVIDER DELAYS THE COMPLETION OF THE INFRASTRUCTURE, THUS DELAYING OTHER WORKS?
It is important to note that in greenfields developments, developers themselves can deploy the infrastructure. Once a network provider has been selected, the developer can ask for an installation specification and complete the civils component itself, as part of the deployment. Developers are the civils experts, after all.
The FTTH Council Africa has several civils companies as members that can support developers and property managers with this deployment. In retrofit environments it’ s not that simple, but it is still possible, and should be considered on a case-bycase basis.
No, you can run your security on the same network, as long as you have provided for adequate bandwidth to accommodate your specific requirements.
MUST THE DEVELOPMENT FILL AN UPTAKE QUOTA SET OUT BY THE NETWORK PROVIDER?
There are no legal requirements for a minimum uptake. There are financial considerations, however. Network operators consider an uptake of 35 % an acceptable return on investment, as this stacks up the business case. One must appreciate that it is very expensive to deploy fibre optics, especially in a retrofit scenario, mainly due to the civils component, which makes up around 70 % to 80 % of the initial investment. Fibre is a highly desirable product, and communities are in a mad race to get fibre to their areas, both new and existing.
In order to make their developments more attractive to network operators, many communities are guaranteeing certain levels of uptake. As this is a very expensive industry to be in, one can understand that these areas will naturally receive priority.
CONTACT: www. ftthcouncilafrica. com