Emtelle, a UK-based supplier of ducted-network and blown-fibre products, jointly commissioned the study in collaboration with Wavin, a European manufacturer of plastic pipes and fittings for a range of applications, including telecoms. The two firms are competitors but they felt that by joining forces and asking an independent outfit to carry out the research it would add weight to the results.
“We get a lot of questions from customers who are pretty focused on what it will cost [to put in fibre infrastructure] on day one. But the important question is what will this cost me over the lifetime of the network?” explaines Tibor Van Melsem Kocsis, chief marketing officer for Emtelle.
One of the key conclusions of the study was that the cost of direct buried duct — plastic tubing into which optical fibres can be blown as and when required — was lower than that of direct buried cable when considered over a 25 year period, even though the upfront costs were higher. The study took into account events such as adding subscribers, maintenance and repairs.
“The great value of TNO’s work is that it provides a detailed accurate and comprehensive tool to assess specific applications and it identifies the ideal solution — ideal in terms of costs and performance,” says Emtelle’s spokesman. “Cable and duct both have a role to play, and customers now have a more reliable way to identify which technology is better suited to which role.”
The companies plan to use TNO’s work to provide their customers with a better service, but say they are also open to exploring how the model can be made more widely available in future.