Not many people know that one of the first FTTH projects began in Minnesota. Several years ago, a start-up company in Bemidji starting looking at ways to use fiber optic technology to enhance bandwidth for residential applications. In the beginning, the only way to deploy a PON network was to splice FBT splitters in splice cases. After a few years, PON splitter cabinets with pre-terminated planar splitters became the norm and made technician’s lives a lot easier. Indoor ONT’s, test access points and bend insensitive glass and many other new products continue to improve the overall performance and ease of installation of FTTH deployments.

So what is next? We have already come so far since the beginning of FTTH. The answer is simple. Microduct. Many of the struggles associated with drop fibers (typically the most challenging part of the deployment for most customers) can be alleviated with this product. The ability to make tight bends around the homeowner’s cherished gardens, jungle gyms and pools is a key feature of this product. It installs with the ease of a direct bury application but provides a repairable pathway in case of accidental damage. The spools of microduct can be easily inventoried in a small area and transported by a single technician and a pick-up truck. With many types of duct to choose from (aerial, direct bury, and indoor versions), the ability to transition from one environment to another without the need for splicing is another key feature. The FieldShield product line is the clear choice for future FTTH builds with the recent addition of the plug-and-play FieldShield Multiport SmarTerminal. In a couple of years, we will look back at traditional drop methods and wonder how we ever did it without microduct.

Go ahead and be a pioneer of this new technology. You will be glad you did.

By: Tom Warren