The superior performance of fiber is an easy sell. In fact, the benefits of fiber internet are well understood by most homeowners. So the challenge isn’t convincing ISP customers to upgrade or switch – it’s ensuring the infrastructure is even in place to make choosing fiber an option.

Adopting a neighborhood-wide approach to FTTH deployment, as opposed to focusing on individual homes, is a highly efficient way of creating the infrastructure. The incremental effort and cost required for an ISP or a technician to install fiber connections for multiple homes versus just one are relatively small. Yet, the rewards – such as heightened uptake of fiber packages once the infrastructure is established – are significant.

But navigating a neighborhood-wide FTTH deployment demands more than just a top-notch team. It also requires the right installation equipment to drive efficiency, minimize costs, and ensure the job gets done right the first time.

Choosing the Right Install Equipment

Crucial components, such as network interface devices (NIDs), outside plant (OSP) enclosures, and media panels, play a significant role in any successful FTTH deployment. But the trick lies in choosing equipment that is robust and reliable, and easy for your teams to install repeatedly as they move from home to home.

For example, here are a few pieces of equipment that should be on every FTTH project’s spec sheet:

P350 OSP Enclosure: Compact yet versatile, the P350 OSP Enclosure takes the hassle out of installation. Equipped with a splice clip, cable management clips, and two SC-APC adapters, this OSP enclosure also includes built-in cable management – making it an easy, efficient choice.

FTC2 Fiber Transition Case: Designed with simplicity in mind, the FTC2 Fiber Transition Case easily fits into tight spaces thanks to its low-profile and externally accessible adapter mount. Plus, it offers the flexibility to be wall-mounted over a gang box or mud ring, or housed within a media panel.

PR10 Media Panel: Inside each home, having a central hub for all connectivity equipment is essential – and the PR10 Media Panel provides just that. With options to either wall-mount or leave it freestanding, this media panel ensures accessibility is never an issue during quick setups.

By equipping your team with the right tools for the job, you’re investing in smooth installations, efficient operations, and ultimately, successful neighborhood-wide FTTH deployments.

Primex in Action: FTTH Installs with Fort Collins Connextion

Organizing a large-scale effort to bring fiber to entire neighborhoods is no simple feat. Work can unfold over weeks or months, so making an effort to standardize equipment across the entire project lifecycle can go a long way toward making it more efficient.

When the Connextion team brought fiber to eight different Fort Collins neighborhoods in 2019, they worked in successive stages. First, they marked fiber routes, dug keyholes, and laid conduits. Then they did directional drilling, installed vaults and flowerpots, and pulled feeder fiber cable to the vaults. Only once these steps were completed in a subdivision did they complete outside and inside installs at specific households.

The team used Primex P700 OSP Enclosures outside each home, and Primex CPO4 fiber jacks and Nokia Gateway 3 ONTs inside each home.

By using the same equipment for the outside and inside installs, Connextion installers were able to complete their work at each home by following the same standard approach, even if one tech was installing the NID in the morning, and a different tech was installing the fiber jack and ONT in the afternoon – or vice versa.

The Road to More Connected Neighborhoods

Neighborhood-wide fiber deployments not only drive down the cost of installation per home, but also increases the uptake rate by ensuring high-speed fiber internet is conveniently within reach for homeowners.

Selecting the right install equipment is key to driving efficiency on projects of this scale. Opting for user-friendly, robust, and dependable tools – such as the Primex P350, FTC2, and PR10 – streamlines the installation process.

Photo Credit: Glen Aikins