Does fiber optic cable have to be buried?
Fiber optics cables have increasingly become an essential component of the current and future communication network due to their efficiency in transmitting large amounts of information over a considerable distance. But do these cables require to be placed on the ground as other metal communication cables? The answer is more nuanced than a simple yes or no. Here are some key factors to consider regarding whether or not fiber optic cables should or need to be buried.
Some of the reasons that call for burying of fiber optical cables include
Protection – Cables installed underground are least likely to experience any physical damage on the surface from forces of nature, animals, vehicles, construction activities, etc In as much as fiberglass is strong, it has a cover for the strands which if exposed to the surface, is prone for damage. Underground placement safeguards cables.
Security – The cables hidden underground are more protected against any form of vandalism or anything like that. It is the communication networks, which being infrastructures are essential, but having the cables hung high out of reach of terrorists helps to deter such a hostile attack.
Cosmetic - In the urban and suburban areas with overhead power lines, burying of cable eliminates extra power lines on walls, roofs, and over the street. Underground placement is less invasive in the neighborhoods that it borders because it does not occupy any open space.
Safety – Transferring lines underground to avert cases of cables falling during storms or strong winds. It also prevents the formation of a tripping hazard by lines that are laid on the surface over the pedestrian pathways.
Reliability – Hiding the cable underground reduces them from being affected by wind, ice, and trees that cause interruption of internet service. Fiber that is buried is even safer than aerial and usually requires fewer repairs or replacements.
Upgrade Flexibility – The right of way for buried conduit makes it less difficult to blow or pull the new upgraded fiber lines as well as the earlier installations.
Possible Scenarios Where Fiber Optic Cables May Not Require to Be Buried
Cost – Trenching and underground boring equipment plus buried conduit with no duct in the first place greatly increase the cost. Burial adds a significant cost to the initial installation of an optic cable network.
No Vacancy – In densely populated business districts such as cities, there may be no space available to clear the subsurface as well as other utility lines to lay buried cables. This would depend on the degree of access and the type of soil in the respective regions.
Fiber Durability – The glass fiber material that makes up the reinforcement of the composite can allow for external abuse. For example, if the protective cable sheathing remains invulnerable, then direct burial creates only a slightly enhanced defense against harm.
Accessibility – Since buried lines are hidden from human view, it becomes difficult to access them for maintenance, power restoration, and fault detection. The problem with underground infrastructures results in longer periods of repair as compared to other problems.
Signal Loss – The fiber bending when the fiber is installed could cause a slight signal loss. Such a light loss increases with the distance over which the cable is conducted. Aerial cable does not allow bending which makes it possible to have a longer run without breakdown.
Short Cable Runs – In case the total fiber distance is at most 100m (300ft), there is likely no need to bury the cables for added security or shielding. Direct burial is disadvantageous because it is costly in cases where point-to-point links are required.
Emergency Restoration – Flooding can flood the underground conduit with water, which in turn affects the restoration of the buried fiber interruption due to natural weather turmoil or burst pipes. Overhead fiber remains optimized in terms of accessibility.
Regulatory Exceptions – Local electrical /communication codes do not require cable to be buried for private network or low voltage applications. This helps to reduce the cost of small fiber installations where required in specific situations.
Potential factors that may dictate whether or not to bury fiber optic cable installations include
to date it was not clear whether fiber optic lines indeed have to get buried universally or not. Required cable burial versus permission for overhead lines depends on various factors.
- Installation Type – Public network, infrastructure, needs burial more frequently than private data links need. Often, state utility regulations require the establishment of it for service provider backbone networks.
- Location – cables running to remote cell towers are rarely buried while those near airports usually are. Funeral rites in urban areas are more frequent than rural roads through fields without occupants.
- Type of installation – Long-distance cable systems use aerial installation while short metropolitan distance links employ conduit installation. Often, right-of-way agreements mean that the backbone must be relocated underground.
- Environment – Cables along the coast or sea usually require directional drilling or plowing. But flinging aerial fiber between mountain towers may suffice in other regions. In the case of the desert climate conduit, there is trenching of heavy rocks instead.
- Regulations – Local bylaws supersede guidelines since they have legal backing. Certain districts altogether exclude overhead wiring following the old look or the direction of the wind. The traditional wiring rules still allow aerial fiber installation almost in any location.
As such, while the majority of long-haul fiber links are being buried, fibers serving towers as well as individual buildings may ordinarily hang. It is not the characteristics of fiber optic cable but the real conditions of the cable buildout and the laws where it is installed that dictate actual burial requirements. Therefore, through appropriate protective jacketing and route design, direct buried fiber optics, achieve the same level of reliability as cables contained in conduit.
Buried conduit with access vaults does give the best protection and future upgradability where we have fundamental overbuilds like critical long-distance infrastructure or fiber passing through high-density populations. However, for the short point-to-point links or fiber that passes through the areas with no activities in the rural areas the normal environmental exposure is well handled by the direct burial or aerial cables. Authorities remain supporting large communication transport infrastructure projects with requirements for buried fiber optics. However, inconsistently smaller private network builds, even more, flexible and significantly less costly above-ground cabling solutions are commonly implemented.
In conclusion
it is also important to state that despite the above benefits of burial on protection and security of high-count fiber links around cities and towns, burial is not a necessity for all fiber optic cable systems. Thus, several considerations influence the choice of the location of an object – above ground or below it. While fiber may be less resistant to physical damage, its lower conductivity and overall durability decrease the requirements for burial compared to traditional copper cables. For this reason, corporations can dodge county statutes if they wish to have aerial fiber for small distances where it is unreasonable to bury it. Financial reasons also make for the installation of the equipment above ground due to huge costs that may be incurred in trenching or boring conduits underground. Therefore, it can be said that “Does fiber need burial” is not a question that can have a definite answer as much as a question depends on certain conditions more than it does on a cable code. There are no significant differences in the performance of the fiber cables depending on whether they are aerial or underground provided that enough care is taken while planning and choosing the type of path the fibers are to follow.
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