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Fragile Connections

Like the states here in the UK you have to get permission to dig up the road and ask all and every utility provider for details of their services under the ground. Unfortunately the information they provide is more often than not inaccurate. Our ground workers once we're digging in an industrial estate to reach a fairly deep sewer that needed repair. All permits, checks done a 50,000V cable that was ment to run parallel to their planned dig and 30 metres from it was, slap bang in the middle of their dig instead. BANG! It blew a hole in the excavator bucket and melted it, outed power to 2 hospitals, 600 businesses and 2500 homes instantly. Blew a relay at the substation, and nearly gave the excavator driver a heart attack. It was all repaired within three hours, we successfully sued the power company and so did several hundred businesses. It made the national press.
 
Stories like that also make me think the fiber cutters must've known what they were doing; otherwise, it'd be an insane guess.
 
newspaper reporters have fast fingers trying to beat the other guy to the Press Run..... they throw out pieces of news blurbs they culled from something that "sounds similar", when in truth, like this event, it is nothing but a bunch of fiberglass which is useless as scrap.

it was done intentionally by those with knowledge of who/what/where to do the most financial/political damage to the company that owns the fiber.
 
It leads one to suspect the carriers that did not use that fiber-optic line. Pretty farfetched, but makes more sense than looking for copper where it isn't.
 
This is why ISP operators need more back-up systems like microwave to fiber bridge connections if the main fiber trunk gets cut. Think of microwave as a wireless laser that can be used for advanced back-haul with almost a limitless amount of bandwidth.
 
EarlyMon said:
And higher costs.
Click to expand...
Microwave is the cheapest form of backhaul and not to mention the quickest to deploy, especially if you have a long haul. Install two microwave dishes on each point, aim them, and turn them on. Believe it or not a lot of mobile operators use microwave for LTE service as well its very common too see multiple cells sites daisy-chained with microwave.
 
jmatherly411 said:
Microwave is the cheapest form of backhaul and not to mention the quickest to deploy, especially if you have a long haul. Install two microwave dishes on each point, aim them, and turn them on. Believe it or not a lot of mobile operators use microwave for LTE service as well its very common too see multiple cells sites daisy-chained with microwave.
Click to expand...
I live where microwave is king.

The exposed antennas often need maintenance and the service cabinets at the base need regular maintenance as well, often resulting in more service points than underground fiber. Where power isn't readily available, solar panels and backup batteries are used, for yet another maintenance specialty.

Our microwave switchover to LTE was a nightmare when the schedules got crosswired between the fiber backhaul and the tower updates.

And now add in multiple service and installation contractors to handle the various parts.

Say what you wish about just throwing up antennas quickly and cheaper, in the world I live in the exact opposite is true.

And the operating costs are higher.

EDIT - plus easier to vandalize in many cases.
 
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