Overcoming Last Mile Obstacles

The world has awakened to the importance of fiber-based broadband, with unprecedented amounts of funding flowing into all corners of the telecommunications grid, most notably into rural deployments, an area that has been under invested previously. Rural and lower density municipal networks bring special challenges. Customers are typically farther apart. Fiber counts may be lower. Aerial spans may be longer. Pole lines may require significant upgrades or make-ready procedures to meet clearance requirements. At the same time, low density tends to drive up costs per home passed, while subscription rates in less dense areas can be higher. This combination of challenges and opportunities lend themselves to another look specifically at how to deliver service in less dense areas, specifically from the trunk cable through the closure/terminal and to the drop cable to and in the home. This presentation will introduce fundamentally new concepts that may provide substantial cost savings and installation speed increases, primarily for rural and lower density municipal networks. Concepts will be introduced supported by testing information and results of field trials as appropriate.