Best practices quiz: answers for question page 2

Answer page 2 (of 5)

In the questions and answers below, "transmission" refers to installations on lines >100 kV and "distribution" refers to installation on lines < 100 kV. NESC refers to the National Electrical Safety Code which governs all electric utility installations in the U.S. (and any other jurisdictions that adopt it).

You can work through the questions on all 5 pages, then look at the answers; take the questions one page at a time followed by their corresponding answer page; or hop back and forth by following the shortcuts at the end of every question or answer. Finally, if, like many people, you get sick of all the clicking, you can just go to one long page with all the questions and answers.

#11. Do you know where those carriers' POPs are and have you made provision to run taps to them in the future. (Shortcut back to question page 2)

Some long distance carriers may prefer to tie to your fiber network at their local POP instead of making a direct fiber connection at a point where their fiber cable crosses your route. You'll want to know where their POPs are and make provision to runs taps to them.

#12. Have you identified the major potential business and institutional customers near your routes and made provisions to run fiber taps to them? (Shortcut back to question page 2)

This is a common sense question that would seem to require no explanation, yet many utilities still overlook major opportunities. The key is to identify who's using lots of expensive bandwidth, not who has the tallest smokestacks.

Ironically, large investor-owned utilities, so good at developing business in big cities, are ignoring millions of dollars in potential revenue as they fight ever tougher battles in big cities saturated with fiber and competitors. They're not even entering the Tier 3 and Tier 4 markets in their service areas, where there's no competition besides Bell! Meanwhile, in adjacent small towns, municipal utilities are profitably connecting many of the local businesses.

#13. If building a network after September 11, 2001, have you talked to local homeland security and law enforcement personnel about possibly using your dark fiber for security video feeds? How about your own internal security department -- do they want fibers for video cameras at substations and other key assets? (Shortcut back to question page 2)

September 11, 2001 changed the way we all look at security. Utility security personnel are looking to better secure key assets in their system. Local authorities are discovering new vulnerabilities and moving to secure them. Security staffing can only increase so quickly, so the demand for video surveillance systems and smart sensors is growing. Security officials are now installing cameras in new areas.

Additionally, a private fiber network is much more secure from intrusion than a wireless network or traffic moving over the public telecommunications network. Attackers can cut a fiber cable, but they're almost impossible to tap. Combine fiber with self-healing ring networks and utilities can offer local authorities increased data security.

Planning in these areas by security officials is evolving from day-to-day; perceived fiber needs may change from month to month. If your network designers aren't in regular touch with internal and external security personnel since 9-11, they should be.

#14. Do you have a dark fiber marketing plan? Is someone actually working it? (Shortcut back to question page 2)

Again, another common sense question, but one that many utilities flunk. Some don't have a plan, some do but don't work it and others have a plan -- but don't work it very effectively.

Getting this going is hard for many utilities -- the skills and the thought processes just haven't been required before in the rest of the utility's business. This is an area where experienced outsiders can help.

#15. Do you require the cable vendor supply test reports from qualified independent test labs (such as Kinectrics -- formerly known as Ontario Hydro Technology) demonstrating compliance to IEEE standards for OPGW and ADSS? (Shortcut back to question page 2)

Special IEEE standards apply to most of the fiber cables that utilities use; these are tailored to the special demands of power utilities, not phone or cable TV companies. Only a few independent labs worldwide have the facilities to perform these tests. Knowledgeable utilities require vendors provide test reports from such labs demonstrating successful performance on all of these tests. This is an absolute requirement of Fiber Planners before we approve any vendor's cable. (See our page on materials tests.)

(Such tests are expensive -- tens of thousands of dollars -- so they are usually done once for an entire family of related cables that share a common design. They're not done for every customer or every order.)

#16. Do you use any premium dispersion fibers (such as LEAF®, MetroCor™, AllWave®, or TrueWave®) in your network? If so, why? If not, why? (Shortcut back to question page 2)

LEAF®, MetroCor™, AllWave®, and TrueWave® are "premium" single-mode fibers with special dispersion or attenuation characteristics to facilitate wavelength division multiplexing (WDM). Naturally, they're more expensive than traditional single-mode fiber. They offer no advantage when used in traditional optical networking applications but are valuable in WDM applications.

Some utility network routes use cables consisting mostly of premium fibers, others contain no premium fibers. Selecting the right fibers for your routes requires an understanding both of how these fibers work and what your future wavelength management needs may be. If you don't know what you're using or why, you'll want to go back to the books to learn more about current optical network design.

#17. Do you use any multimode fiber in your outside plant? If so, where and why? (Shortcut back to question page 2)

Multimode fiber is used in corporate intra-building and campus local area networks (LANs). It's almost never used in utility fiber optic outside plant networks except occasionally in a few short links within a substation or office building. If you're running ADSS or OPGW with multimode in it, you need to ask why.

#18. Do you have an emergency restoration kit? Do you have an emergency restoration plan? Have you practiced it in the last 6 months? Last year? (Shortcut back to question page 2)

Utility ADSS and OPGW networks are the most reliable fiber networks out there. As has often been said, "there are a lot more backhoes than tornados" -- buried telco cables get cut much more often than aerial power utility fiber cable systems.

Still, accidents can happen. Your own electric system and customers are counting on you to get service back up fast. Well-rehearsed restoration crews with pre-prepared restoration kits routinely restore fiber service in 4 hours or less -- can you?

If you don't have a kit, a plan and regular drills, you're in trouble. Routine OTDR checks (next question) are no substitute for drills, but they can supplement drills by reinforcing troubleshooting skills.

#19. How often do you check your lines with an OTDR once they're in service? (Shortcut back to question page 2)

Checking at least your unused fibers periodically for attenuation changes can identify signs of future trouble before it gets out of hand. Having said that, those sorts of "creeping" problems are unusual in well-built systems.

Much more importantly, periodic OTDR checks keep your crews familiar with their OTDR, test access locations, as-built network records and any details of particular routes.

#20. What wavelengths do you test your fiber at? (Shortcut back to question page 2)

You should have OTDR records of every fiber on every route and tested in each direction. Tests should be made at 1310 nm. and 1550 nm. Copies of these records should be kept both at a central location and at the test locations. If not, you're not ready.

What about 1625 nm. tests? It's still an open question whether to test at this new wavelength. Some networks will eventually carry traffic at or near this longer wavelength, which is much touchier for splicing mistakes. Many never will. What are your future wavelength management plans? If you may operate at 1625 nm. in the future, you should get these tests done now as part of your installation and splicing acceptance tests.

Even if you don't expect to operate at 1625 nm., it may still be worthwhile to test at 1625 nm., just to spot kinked fibers at splice cases, but it will add cost to your splicing contract, especially if your contractor doesn't have a 1625 nm. OTDR module. Industry opinions are divided on doing this.

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