Understanding OSP Engineering & Planning Outside Plant

Course Description

This extensive course was designed for those new to local loop planning and engineering, this course begins with the basic concepts such as outside plant components and loop transmission. It steadily builds to more advanced concepts and skills, including serving area designs, digital loop carrier systems and fiber optics.

Local loop facilities, sometime referred to as "the last mile, "are a critical and capital-intensive network component in delivering reliable and adequate telecommunications services to a local carrier's customers.

In today's competitive markets, local loop facilities that are cost-effective, reliable and capable of accommodating changing customer needs are key to your organization's success.

This course can be delivered in a 3-day version if only covering Copper or Fiber only, but to cover both Copper and Fiber it will be the full 5-days.

Students Will Learn

Properly Plan And Document Route Growth
Optimize Loop Planning With Serving Area Designs
Use Fiber Optics To Reinforce Feeder Routes
Understand Electrical Code And Right-Of-Way Considerations
Engineer Buried And Aerial Facilities
And More

Target Audience

This course is designed for technicians, engineers, planners and technical managers with
little or no previous experience in planning or engineering telecommunications local loop
facilities. It is ideal for those new to the telecommunications industry. While fundamentals
will be addressed, some previous familiarity with general telecommunications terms and
concepts, although not necessary to benefit, will be an advantage that will maximize your
learning experience. This course is technical in nature, but it offers detailed material and
practical concepts without complex mathematics.

Prerequisites

None.

Course Outline

Introduction to Outside Plant and the Local Loop

Main distribution frame
Feeder cables
Distribution cables
Pedestals and cross-connects
Service entrances
Termination

VF Transmission

Basic circuits
Voice frequency band
Ohm's Law
Cable properties
Resistance design
Loading—H88 and D66

Planning and Documenting Route Growth

Fundamental routes
Mapping
Route layouts
Forecasting
Monitoring
Copper versus fiber
Structure considerations
Powering

CSA/DSA Designs

Feeder relief
Transmission limits
Loading and data transmission constraints
Proving-in and sizing of facilities
Lightwave versus copper feeder facilities
Interfaces and locations

Digital Transmission

Digital fundamentals overview
Analog and digital conversions
Digital voice and data—transmission and loop limitations
T1, ISDN, DDS and xDSL
Digital loop carrier (DLC) systems
Competing digital access choices

Planning Fiber Optic Reinforcements

Optics fundamentals overview
Optical devices, cables, and equipment overview
SONET standards
Capacity, reliability and distance limitations
SONET-based applications and fiber ring designs
Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM) and MPLS

Competitive Impacts on Structure Use

Telecom Act of 1996
Obligations and privileges
Allocations

Underground and Direct-buried Construction Methods

Transitions
Conduit and inner-duct
Plowing
Trenchless technology
Open trenching
Restoration

Aerial Design Methods

Space allocation on poles
Guying principles
Span lengths
Pole selection
Construction methods and options

NESC Overview and OSP Safety

Buried and aerial
Clearance requirements from other utilities
Clearance requirements from fixed objects and structures

Bonding, Grounding and Protection

Principles of grounding and bonding
Insulating joints
Corrosion and electrolysis
Protectors

Right-of-Way Use

Property owner's rights
Right of eminent domain
AASHTO clear roadside rules

Service Entrances

Aerial and buried
Termination and protection
Demarcation point—network interface device (NID)

Engineering Economy

Time value of money
Analysis techniques
Making economic decisions

Notes

This course can be delivered in a 3-day version if only covering Copper or Fiber only, but to cover both Copper and Fiber it will be the full 5-days.

Delivery Method

Instructor-Led with numerous Hands-On activities and case-studies.

Equipment Requirements
(This apply's to our hands-on courses only)

BTS always provides equipment to have a very successful Hands-On course. BTS also encourages all attendees to bring their own equipment to the course. This will provide attendees the opportunity to incorporate their own gear into the labs and gain valuable training using their specific equipment.

Course Length

5 Days