Quote:
Originally Posted by ronny  We're lacking on everything not just the internet level. Yet, having a fiber optic infrastructure can benefit every communication sectors.
It's not just about how much upload and download speed we'll be getting; banks, hospitals, army, etc. can benefit from fiber optics. |
FTTH is the thing that exactly will do in opposite.
FTTH, it is when fiber coming directly to customer premises. I was discussing this project with one telecom, who did test implementation in some area. The issues that happen:
1)Fiber cable not flexible as copper. If you exceed allowed turn angle you will loose few db's. Means you cannot place anywhere as copper in building. It is easy to place on relatively straight trenches or poles, but very difficult to place in house. External fiber which used for transport links outside is very thick, you even cannot do wrong angle, but cable in building is much more thin,
If you are living in building which BUILT WITH FIBER IN MIND, means have special cable channels, yes it will be reasonable to put fiber there. In most of lebanese houses in best case only telephone wires available, and it is difficult to put UTP even.
2)Fiber cable for "in-house" placement is very sensitive to curving. Basically those people who is installing cables in Lebanon will damage them. And way how everything done here, it will be difficult to find where and who did it. To diagnose such problems you need very expensive reflectometer and very good knowledge how to use it.
3)Fiber-splicing is much more complicated in Lebanon, usually it takes 1 day to splice 12-24 cable, for local techs, and they do it not very well. Additionally each fiber would cost $50 and more, just for work. To compare, just UTP cable take 30 seconds, and cost of connector is few cents. Good fiber splicing machine cost around $10000 and more.
4)For distance less than 100 meters (and it is distance inside house) there is no difference between fiber and copper. You can get easily gigabit on both. But difference in price huge.
5)Customer equipment to terminate this fiber also cost money. Simple Lebanese just cannot afford them yet. To terminate gigabit u need $10-$15 card, to terminate fiber you need at least fiber converter, which will cost $100-$200, and actually it is not very useful for end-user, since it had some limitations and lack of way to monitor it properly. You need also switch which will terminate all this customers, it will cost also $100-$200 per port. You need also UPS also for it and place to host it in house (if you do aggregation in house). For copper connection you need network card, that can be found in any shop. Yes copper more sensitive for lightening, but if in-house cabling done properly, it will not be affected.
6)If fiber cable is broken,kids damage, someone hit it, during some work, it is actually not like glass, but sensitive to mechanical shocks), it can be spliced. But it will cost time and money and again special equipment used. If cable broken many times it cannot be recovered, because each time you are splicing broken cable, his capabilities degrading.
The main issue in this test implementation this telecom hit - regular people often broke fiber in their house, or someone damage fiber by mistake. You need army of educated people, with expensive fiber splicers to fix this issues. It is just not profitable and not reliable at the end. While UTP for most of customers can be recrimped by any tech.
Thats why everybody does in best case FTTB.
I am not taking all this from google, i have fiber splicer at home and actually doing for my network splicing and doing for people who ask it. It is simple and complicated at same time.
So fiber is good generally, but it doesnt mean anything that have word "fiber" is good for Lebanon. For same amount of money you can cover few times more bigger area and provide same capacity. And what is defined in article - sounds like total ********. I dont understand how person like minister talk about FTTH, while his country telecoms not able to provide interconnection for ISP's more than 2-10 Mbit/s.
30th April 2009
