Qualifying your Optical Network Installation

So youve seen the need to install an optical network, youve gone through the
planning stage and about to rollout.
1. ODF Labelling
2. Patch Cord labelling
3. Proper grounding of Junction box and equipment
4. DC power termination of optical equipment
5. Optical Power range
6. Fan Unit and Air conditioning
7. Distance range of SFP
8. Proper Documentation of fiber route and ODF splicing
A major bane of most fiber project is poor acceptance, It is most likely the case that
acceptance test are left to individuals who have little knowledge on the acceptance
criteria of fiber optics installations. In other cases proper acceptance is hampered
by the dire need to immediately migrate service onto the newly installed fiber
network, all these situation shortens the lifespan of your fiber network and
complicates the everyday troubleshooting activities of the O&M team.
Acceptance test for fiber optics equipment is of two folds; the fiber cable
acceptance, and the fiber equipment acceptance. The first part of this article will
tackle the fiber cable acceptance, subsequent articles will delve into the acceptance
criteria of the fiber equipment.
Acceptance of fiber optics cables installation is of three stages; you first have to
accept the fiber cable to be installed, then u accept the burying/ducting/Ariel
installation of the fiber. Finallly, you accept the fiber ODF splicing and termination.
For the purposes of this article, we shall term the three acceptance stages as;
Pre- Installation Acceptance: I have noticed a certain reluctance on the part of many
network operators when it comes to pre-installation acceptance. For them, cable
anomalies can only arise from installation activities and not from manufacturing
defects; this is a big fallacy, more so, shipping and handling of the fiber reel during
clearing at the ports can induce some level of damage to the fiber cable which
needed to be confirm before actual installation starts. Failing to carry out cable
acceptance tests, in order to verify and document fiber attenuation and dispersion
anomalies prior to the installation of the fiber makes it difficult to determine
whether the fiber was properly installed in the first place; and can be a precursor to
serious optical network performance problems in the future.
An OTDR could be used to check the continuity and fiber characteristic patterns, on
the other hand, a light sourc and power meter could help to confirm the attenuation
co-efficient of the fiber cable as stated in the manufacturers document.
Cable installation Acceptance: Testing each segment of the fiber cable after
installation is necessary to ensure quality installation works. The Installation Test is
performed immediately after the cable is buried or erected in the case of aerial fiber
and before splices or connectors are added. Installation supervisors must ensure
that fiber bends and vertical angles are as per manufacturers documentation and
necessary slacks are allowed during cable installation. Fiber system bonding and
grounding needs to be checked and verified during this stage of cable testing and
acceptance.
Cable termination acceptance: This could as well be referred to as the final
acceptance test. It is an end to end test that should include connector and splice
points. An OTDR can be used to profile each fiber