top of page
FOT Logo.png

Step Into The Role Of A Fibre Optic Installer

Step into the pivotal role of a fibre optic installer, where each day presents new challenges and opportunities. Immerse yourself in the artistry of fibre optic installation, a blend of technical expertise and creative problem-solving crucial for our digital age. Discover how these skilled professionals enhance connectivity and transform communities by providing high-speed internet access. Meet the exceptional individuals reshaping the industry, including inspiring women breaking barriers in this field. Join us in celebrating the unsung heroes of connectivity fibre optic installers who make a real difference in people’s lives every day.


The role of a fibre optic installer demands a high level of proficiency in installing fibre optic cables and troubleshooting networks to ensure clients are online and enjoying the desired speeds. So, what exactly does a fibre optic installer do, and what specific skills are required to excel in this role?


What are the requirements of a fibre optic installer

First, a fibre optic installer needs to understand network diagrams and schematic drawings, have good eyesight, and not be colour-blind. Every fibre strand is colour-coded, so they also need to be aware of the colour codes, as many fibre operators may use different colour codes and abide by their own.

In most cases, they must be able to work independently unless shadowing an experienced network engineer who knows the network well. As they operate on public highways, they must have the UK Streetworks licence accreditation card known as the New Roads & Streetworks Act (NRSWA) for signing, lighting, and guarding, along with health and safety accreditations if required or other accreditations from network operators.


What specific training or certifications are needed to become a fibre optic installer?

The UK’s most recognised current vocational qualification is City & Guilds 3668 level 2. However, new qualifications are being developed by COFNII, which has worked with employers and the industry to determine what is required to fill the skills gap in telecommunications and network infrastructure. These new qualifications have been mapped across and will start at level 3 and above. Some courses include:

  • Certified Fibre Network Installation Technician (CFNIT)

  • Certified Fibre Network Installation Technician Telecommunications (CFNITT)

  • Certified Fibre Network Testing Engineer (CFNTE)

  • Specialist Ribbon Fibre installation

  • And many other certifications for various job roles.


How does the work of a fibre optic installer differ between residential and commercial projects?

Residential installers almost carry out the same role as commercial or business installers. Business customers tend to have a fixed leased line, and the bandwidth tends to be higher. Service level agreements (SLA) are in place for these circuits. They usually have a 4-hour SLA to respond to and will involve a maintenance contract in place, so the downtime is minimal.


What are the most common challenges fibre optic installers face in the field?

One of the most challenging challenges an installer will face is being correctly trained and, once trained, having the confidence to complete the tasks at hand. However, when working on large networks, new installers will undergo an induction programme and be shadowed by a more experienced technician or engineer. They also face the challenge of evolving standards, especially when testing fibre optic networks.


Types of Fibre Optic Installations

Fibre installation could involve installing new cables ready for connection to the existing network, which is generally underground; these cables can be installed using several various options as follows:

  1. Direct cable installation using existing ground duct; the underground ducts will require rodding and roping before cable installation can be pulled in situ.

  2. Blown fibre cable installation using a hollow pipe called a sub-duct and then a cable blown in using forced air and a cable blowing machine. Again, this method would require the underground duct to be rodded and roped before sub-duct installation to check the route for blockages and silted ducts. The benefit of blowing allows faster installation. With the cable being blown for many kilometres at hundreds of meters per minute, cable-blowing teams are well-versed in doing this work.

  3. Blown fibre tubing (BFT) allows micro bundles of fibre to be blown; these are great for customer connections. With multiple cores from 12 to 24 fibre strands, it is a cost-effective solution in telecommunications and Local Area Networks (LAN) as we can use either multimode or single-mode fibre. Depending on how many tubes are in the BFT cable, up to 24 tubes allow greater flexibility in the network.

  4. Overhead fibre optic cable is a common choice in today’s evolving networks, especially if the underground structures are congested or blocked. Going via telegraph poles can cut down on costs compared to the excavation of public footways and highways. Many operators commonly use it as a civil engineering avoidance tool. Also, it is used globally, with large fibre counts used as trunk routes.


What skills are required for modern fibre optic installers

A multiskilled fibre optic installer who can work on these types of activities, both underground and overhead, is becoming common and a must. Now, with splicing and testing added to the realm, it’s highly sought after by any employer.


Fibre optic installers must possess many skills to be competent when carrying out their duties. They must be able to install cable and blow cable, fibre optic splice enclosures (jointing enclosures) in underground chambers and deep maintenance holes, work on telegraph poles, navigate the network, and troubleshoot and diagnose faults. This variety of tasks underscores the complexity of their role and the breadth of their skills.


Fibre Optic Cable Preparation

Fibre optic splicing is easy these days; it’s the cable preparation and the dressing of fibre tubes and fibre strands. It is like being a surgeon but working with glass, which is fragile, and we have to keep it clean, setting the machines correctly and ensuring we exceed the industry standards. It is common practice for technicians and engineers to achieve low loss jointing of two fibres if they are correctly trained and can reach 0.1db loss or less in telecommunications. Many out there in the industry will argue that it cannot be achieved when it can, by using the correct cleaning process and setting up the fusion splicer correctly; often, you find untrained technicians that have accreditation, not a vocational award, which can be detrimental o network operators, they don’t know how to route fibres within an enclosure correctly, they don’t clean them with the correct cleaning solution, or poorly prepare the cable as it enters the enclosure which then leads to network faults.

Being an installer is rewarding but often goes unnoticed. Fibre optic installers keep the networks running smoothly so everyone can access the internet, whether on a mobile phone or a fibre broadband connection.


Career progression

With career progression towards fibre network testing engineer or transmission commissioning engineer working on networks that utilise equipment like wave division multiplexing and carrier ethernet, carrying high-capacity data through a single core of fibre that might have 40 channels or more using different colours of light at the same time in one single core, these can be amplified in modern networks. We also have the option of CWDM course wave division multiplexing.


Modern-day fibre networks

These networks tend to operate in metropolitan networks and are not amplified; this option is more cost-effective than its big brother, DWDM and uses different frequencies again. Fibre optic installers are usually given the task of installing new links for both types of circuits and may be required to install new cables or fusion splice them together along a route and test them to ensure the network can carry the traffic expected; they would need to work out optical loss budgets to ensure the specification is correct, and then use OTDR’s and other test equipment to determine the health of the fibre.

Given the rapid evolution of Passive Optical Networks (PON) and the changing technology landscape, the importance of fully trained technicians and engineers cannot be overstated. As we witness changes in modern networks, especially with the utilisation of WDM technology in PON architecture deployments, the need for continuous learning and adaptation becomes more apparent. Optical power budgets are critical to ensure these networks’ smooth operation and deployment.

 
 
 

Comments


Commenting on this post isn't available anymore. Contact the site owner for more info.
bottom of page