atcomsystems.ca/forum Forums Wiring - Telecom Carriers - Trunks & Services Outside Plant OSP Construction Unused/Cut Aerial Drops.

The outer jacket can be used in either situation? I know that pre-terminated fibers are used between the outside distribution block and the OTU.

Well, I can't say for sure that it is rated for direct burial, but they sure are doing it around here. At first, they would put in 1" innerduct, then pull the fiber cable in, but not any more. I will say that the cable has a copper tracer wire under the jacket, so maybe it really is dual rated. I guess I'll dig around to find out (no pun intended).

We do sub contract work for Verizon. The stated policy is leave anything old alone, no matter what the condition and just do what is exactly on your work order. Of course, we always remove the dead drops and make sure the copper drops that are still connected are connected securely and properly. I have the same problem seeing poorly attached "flappers" on poles, etc.

Underground work, here, still requires innerduct and we pull a copper locating wire with the fiber. The new work locations where new housing developments are do not use innerduct and the drop cables have a locator copper wire embedded.

Rcaman

Yep I see a lot of this in my area (ex-Verizon, now Fairpoint). But last few months I've seen a surge in line construction and some cleanup. Things like the steel guards being replaced on outside plant cable going from aerial down the pole into underground, aerial cable plant being attached to new utility poles (where new poles have been in place for years....). It's kind of interesting actually.

Funny thing about Verizon ditching copper for fiber to premise is that the company has capped FiOS. Existing areas will continue to be serviced, areas where the legal process is underway will continue...but that is it.

I'd still like to cut those tails shorter. They look horrible.

In our office building, Verizon pretty much "red flagged" all of the copper coming in, as in marking the outdoor terminal with a red X. I know that they don't do this to mark if for a formal removal. I think it is more to mark it so that their installers won't try to use it. The predominant tenant in our building got FiOS for their voice and data, and I guess that they assumed that nobody else would be moving into the building.

We came in and arranged to have our existing PRI from a CLEC moved to the building. We had to get a few POTS lines as a temporary measure until Verizon could get our T1 installed. They were able to give us those over the existing ONT almost immediately. I asked their installer how they were going to get our T1 in and he had no clue what I was talking about.

Lo and behold, they ended up bringing our circuit in over that dreaded copper that they so wish to abandon. I have to laugh when they think that FiOS is so advanced, while it provides such a narrow range of services. POTS, CATV and Internet. I guess they figure that anything else just isn't needed anymore. They can run as hard as they want, but they aren't going to escape their responsibilities in being a regulated utility.

I suppose for more advanced applications, Verizon would install commercial grade fiber muxes. The Tellabs ONTs are good...as noted...for POTs, basic data and cable TV. That would cover residential and small office situations.

That's interesting. Here in western PA, I have not seen a copper high cap circuit installed in the last 5 years. Every Verizon install is done in fiber. They will go out of their way to install fiber and completely abandon copper. The craftspersons who were copper splicers are all gone. The last "lead" cable mechanic retired. Splicing, if necessary, is now left to the installers and techs. They hate it because they are not properly set up to do it. I have seen a fiber truck roll up to a job only to have to call someone to splice a copper cable. I asked a fiber tech if he sees any "bridle" wire? He said "Bridle wire...what's that?"

I'm getting OLD!

Rcaman

At least he didn't think that bridal wire had something to do with horses.

At this point, Verizon can't really get 100% away from copper or fiber. Even wireless communication requires some sort of hard media to get service from cell sites to switching centers.

Another incentive to cut unneeded drops close to the splice points is that the company could get more money when the time comes to take that copper to the scrap yard.