O-NET Brings Fiber Flexibility to MDU with YOURx Flex Box from Clearfield

O-NET delivers high-speed internet, television and phone services. They sought a multi-dwelling unit (MDU) fiberto-the-suite solution for a new 22-unit, three-floor condo. Microduct needed to be supplied to the builder, with the contract electricians installing one run to each suite. The microduct is left empty until a customer signs up—then the fiber is pulled and service starts.

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Challenge

“One of our major concerns with having fiber in an MDU is repair,” says Jason McBeath, Fiber Optic Technician, O-NET. “If our fiber is damaged on either end, often it is difficult or impossible to re-pull— leaving our customer without service for an extended amount of time.”

Solution

“Clearfield is always our first stop when attempting to solve new problems,” says Robin Harder, Chief Technologist, O-NET. The Clearfield YOURx Flex Box with FieldShield® Drop Wheels gives O-NET the ability to easily deploy fiber to the suite. Installation consisted of one Flex Box with built-in 16-port splitter and 16 Drop Wheels, placed in the main floor’s central utility room. The FieldShield Drop Wheels give the needed flexibility to feed any of the suites in the unit without worrying about slack management or precise lengths of fiber to each suite.

To feed the building, O-NET installed two of Clearfield’s FieldShield Pushable Fiber Optic Cables from the street pedestal: one to feed the YOURx Flex Box and one to spare. Installation was “extremely simple” and aesthetically very appealing.

The reversible door on the Flex Box seemed like a minor feature, but made a big impact when it had to be mounted in a very tight area. Plus the aggregator plate holds the FieldShield Microduct very firmly in place, with break-away tabs on unused ports ensuring that the product stays dry and clean inside for years to come.

“With the FieldShield StrongFiber Drop Wheels and microduct combination, re-pulling a fiber to the suite is now a one-technician job, easily completed during a standard trouble call,” says McBeath.

FieldShield StrongFiber Drop Wheels used in apartment complex to feed fiber to each unit

Results

Having a solid fiber-to-the-suite solution gives O-NET the ability to provide a full range of service—which cannot be provided via a traditional copper network.

In addition, the YOURx Flex Box contributes to the reduction of “stranded capital”—allowing O-NET to run fiber when needed, not permanently at build time. With no splicing required at customer install time due to the pre-terminated Drop Wheels, person/hour costs are further reduced. “This is the same reason we selected Clearfield pushable pre-terminated drops for use in our outside plant: ease and speed of installation = lower person hours and higher customer satisfaction,” says Harder.

If O-NET exceeds 16 customers in the building, they will place another YOURx Flex Box beside the existing one, feeding it with the second FieldShield Pushable Fiber drop cable to serve additional customers.

“Clearfield continually offers innovative solutions to solve the problems we face daily. Products like the YOURx Flex Box make our network more durable and reliable, our jobs easier and our customers happier,” says Harder. “Their products have the highest quality and impressive features that make deployment a real pleasure. Clearfield components have become very important pieces of our fiber network, and will continue to be our go-to manufacturer of FTTx solutions.”

Flex Box

Cassette (12 to 48 Ports) or Drop Wheel (4 to 16 Ports)

StrongFiber Drop Wheel

Microducts

About O-NET

To address broadband connectivity issues, communities across Canada are developing their own fibre optic networks and service providers. O-NET is at the forefront of this new wave. Located in Olds, Alberta, Canada, they were the first to develop and deploy a community owned fibre network and triple-play offering to compete with incumbents. Their organization focuses on developing local tech resources, generating economic growth, and ensures subscribers receive the highest quality of services and support. Since launching in 2012, O-NET has become the leading example for rural communities with the desire to ensure their residents and businesses have the connectivity they need to compete in the market today and in the future. The fibre-to-the-premise network was installed throughout the entire community to service residents and businesses. The fibre network provides access to 4000 homes and 300 brick and mortar businesses. O-NET offers IPTV, phone and PBX, video security, and gigabit internet.

About Clearfield, Inc.

Clearfield, Inc. (NASDAQ: CLFD) designs, manufactures and distributes fiber optic management, protection and delivery products for communications networks. Our “fiber to anywhere” platform serves the unique requirements of leading incumbent local exchange carriers (traditional carriers), competitive local exchange carriers (alternative carriers), and MSO/cable TV companies, while also catering to the broadband needs of the utility/municipality, enterprise, data center and military markets. Headquartered in Minneapolis, MN, Clearfield deploys more than a million fiber ports each year. For more information, visit www.SeeClearfield.com.