CUSTOMER ACCESS NETWORK

1. CUSTOMER ACCESS NETWORK BY Mohd Nasir bin Said ADTEC Kulim

2. CUSTOMER ACCESS NETWORK(CAN) • TITLE CODE: L03-3-5 • NOSS CODE:D-210-3 & D-211-3 • TOTAL CREDIT HOURS: 2 HRS

3. DEFINITION • An access network is that part of a communicationsnetwork which connects subscribers to their immediate service provider.

4. An access network or outside plant refers to the series of wires, cables and equipment lying between a consumer/business telephone termination point (the point at which a telephone connection reaches the customer) and the local telephone exchange

5. The local exchange contains banks of automated switching equipment to direct a call or connection to the consumer. • The access network is perhaps one of the oldest assets a telecoms operator owns, and is constantly evolving, growing as new customers are connected, and as new services are offered. • This makes the access network one of the most complex networks in the world to maintain and keep track of.

6. Access networks consist largely of pairs of copper wires, each traveling in a direct path between the exchange and the customer. In some instances, these wires may even be aluminum, the use of which was common in the 1960s and 1970s following a massive increase in the cost of copper. As it happened, the price increase was temporary, but the effect of this decision is still felt today because the aluminum wires oxidize and lose their ability to carry large quantities of data.

7. Access is essential to the future profitability of operators who are experiencing massive reductions in revenue from POTS (plain old telephone services), due in part to the opening of historically nationalized companies to competition, and in part to increased use of mobile phones and VOIP (voice over IP) services

8. Operators now look toward additional services such as xDSL based broadband and IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) to guarantee future profit. • The access network is again the main barrier to achieving these profits since operators world wide have accurate records of only 40% to 60% of the network. Without understanding or even knowing the characteristics of these enormous copper spider webs, it is very difficult, and expensive to 'provision' (connect) new customers and assure the data rates required to receive next generation services.

9. Over time, we will see the access networks around the world evolve to include more and more optical fiber technology. Optical fibre already makes up the majority of core networks and will start to creep closer and closer to the customer, until a full transition to 21st Century Networks is achieved, delivering value added services over fiber to the home (FTTH).

10. Without an access network, a fixed line telco can not exist, yet this network has been undervalued and under invested for decades. Telcos today, need to massively improve their understanding of these networks to remain profitable in the short term, and remain in existence in the longer term.

11. Copper access network • In civilian telecommunications, the copper access network (also known as the local loop) typically consists of the following elements: • In-house wiring that connects customer premises equipment to the demarcation point. • One or more twisted pairs connect the demarcation point to a streetside cabinet or Serving area interface. • The streetside cabinet contains a distribution frame.

12. The streetside cabinet is connected to the main distribution frame, located at the central office, by one or more cables which together contain hundreds of copper twisted pairs or by optical fiber. • Jumper cables are installed on both the MDF and the streetside distribution frame. • Active equipment (such as a POTS or DSL line circuit) can then be connected to the line in order to provide service, but this is not considered part of outside plant

13. Outside Plant Engineers • OSP Engineers are also often called Field Engineers as they often spend a great deal of time in the field taking notes about the civil environment, aerial, above ground, and below ground

14. OSP Engineers are responsible for taking plant (copper, fiber, etc.) from a wire center to a distribution point or destination point directly. If a distribution point design is used then a cross connect box is placed in a strategic location to feed a determined distribution area.

15. The cross connect box, also known as a service area interface is then installed to allow connections to be made more easily from the wire center to the destination point and ties up fewer facilities by not having dedication facilities from the wire center to every destination point

16. The plant is then taken directly to its destination point or to another small closure called a pedestal where access can also be gained to the plant if necessary. These access points are preferred as they allow faster repair times for customers and save telephone operating companies large amounts of money.

17. The plant facilities can be delivered via underground facilities, either direct buried or through conduit or in some cases laid under water, via aerial facilities such as telephone or power poles, or via microwave radio signals for long distances where either of the other two methods is too costly.

18. As Structural Engineers, OSP Engineers are responsible for the structural design and placement of cellular towers and telephone poles as well as calculating pole capabilities of existing telephone or power poles new plant is being added onto

19. Structural calculations are required when boring under heavy traffic areas such as highways or when attaching to other structures such as bridges. • Shoring also has to be taken into consideration for larger trenches or pits. • Conduit structures often include encasements of slurry that needs to be designed to support the structure and withstand the environment around it (soil type, high traffic areas, etc.).

20. As Electrical Engineers, OSP Engineers are responsible for the resistance, capacitance, and inductance (RCL) design of all new plant to ensure telephone service is clear and crisp and data service is clean as well as reliable.

21. Attenuation and loop loss calculations are required to determine cable length and size required to provide the service called for. In addition power requirements have to be calculated and provided for to power any electronic equipment being placed in the field.

22. Ground potential has to be taken into consideration when placing equipment, facilities, and plant in the field to account for lightning strikes, high voltage intercept from improperly grounded or broken power company facilities, and from various sources of electromagnetic interference

23. As Civil Engineers, OSP Engineers are responsible for drawing up plans, either by hand or using Computer Aided Drafting (CAD) software, for how telecom plant facilities will be placed.

24. Often when working with municipalities trenching or boring permits are required and drawings must be made for these. Often these drawings include about 70% or so of the detailed information required to pave a road or add a turn lane to an existing street. Structural calculations are required when boring under heavy traffic areas such as highways or when attaching to other structures such as bridges

25. As Civil Engineers Telecom Engineers provide the modern communications backbone for all technological communications distributed throughout civilizations today.

26. Unique to Telecom Engineering is the use of air core cable which requires an extensive network of air handling equipment such as compressors, manifolds, regulators and hundreds of miles of air pipe per system that connects to pressurized splice cases all designed to pressurize this special form of copper cable to keep moisture out and provide a clean signal to the customer.

27. The OSP Engineer is the telephone operating companies’ face and voice to the local authorities and other utilities. • OSP Engineers often meet with municipalities, construction companies and other utility companies to address their concerns and educate them about how the telephone utility works and operates. Additionally, the OSP Engineer has to secure real estate to place outside facilities on such as an easement to place a cross connect box on.

28. THANK YOU Q & A