Fiber optic cable to towers. Why underground

[z250kid]

I don't understand why they don't have a telephone pole just for fiber and t1 lines instead of having to trench it to tower.  It is cheaper to have aerial system then underground.   The pole could go right next to the fence or inside it.  It would be so much cheaper and probably quicker because you don't need so many permits to dig.

[Mooeydj]

I don't understand why they don't have a telephone pole just for fiber and t1 lines instead of having to trench it to tower.  It is cheaper to have aerial system then underground.   The pole could go right next to the fence or inside it.  It would be so much cheaper and probably quicker because you don't need so many permits to dig.

 

Maybe? But think about storms, winter and summer. Tornadoes? Less chance of having outages due to weather if the cables are underground. I think.

[clbowens]

Yes, cheaper and faster isn't always better.

[strumgewr]

A lot of fiber routes by me are on poles, then split off underground when they go towards towers. Unfortunately there will always be outages no matter what.

[AMejia1976]

I don't understand why they don't have a telephone pole just for fiber and t1 lines instead of having to trench it to tower.  It is cheaper to have aerial system then underground.   The pole could go right next to the fence or inside it.  It would be so much cheaper and probably quicker because you don't need so many permits to dig.

 

It might be cheaper upfront but in the long term is a costlier option. When you add in storms and other natural events the cost of replacing over and over becomes prohibitive. You need as many permits to have poles and rights of way within the jurisdiction (town, municipality, county, parish, etc) Poles can topple and damage property.

 

Also, many large cities no longer have poles as they have moved to an underground infrastructure.

 

@l3x

[kct1975]

Maybe? But think about storms, winter and summer. Tornadoes? Less chance of having outages due to weather if the cables are underground. I think.

As Glen Campbell say in his song 'Wichita Lineman'...

"With the snows down south...the line won't ever stand the strain"

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Peti-t6moGM&feature=youtube_gdata_player

 

All joking aside, both the song and the images in the video explain it best.

 

[COZisBack]

Definitely don't want drunk ass at 3:00AM leaving the bar knocking out the network every chance he gets.

[Paynefanbro]

I know in Brooklyn, which is the most populous borough/county in all of NYC, half of its fiber and coax infrastructure is still above ground on telephone poles.

[bgguy]

In Bowling Green when we were hit with some extremely bad ice storms in January 2009 falling trees snapped some aerial fiber lines that ran to cell phone sites.  Sprint(not Nextel), AT&T and Bluegrass Cellular(a regional provider) were without coverage for several days.  So very good reasons to run them underground.

[AMejia1976]

I know in Brooklyn, which is the most populous borough/county in all of NYC, half of its fiber and coax infrastructure is still above ground on telephone poles.

 

I dont remember b'klyn as well... but isnt most of the subway infrastructure also above ground also? I recall many areas I drove thru in b'klyn where there was not a single pole...

 

@l3x

[Deval]

I dont remember b'klyn as well... but isnt most of the subway infrastructure also above ground also? I recall many areas I drove thru in b'klyn where there was not a single pole...

 

@l3x

 

Queens is like that as well, N/Q/R/7 train all run above ground in some parts. 

 

A lot of places now are moving towards trenching cables, really helps with poor weather.

[Paynefanbro]

I dont remember b'klyn as well... but isnt most of the subway infrastructure also above ground also? I recall many areas I drove thru in b'klyn where there was not a single pole...

 

@l3x

  

Queens is like that as well, N/Q/R/7 train all run above ground in some parts. 

 

A lot of places now are moving towards trenching cables, really helps with poor weather.

All last mile service in Brooklyn is above ground. The closer that you get to Manhattan, the more everything is underground. I used to live in Mill Basin where everything was above ground, probably because it was developed in the 60's. It used to he swampland. However, when I moved to Northern Crown Heights, everything is underground until it reaches the house. The brownstone where I live has a pole in the backyard where there is coax that runs from the ground to people's homes. There are also a lot of weird looking boxes,almost look like small cell tower base stations, that have Cablevision logos on them littered all over Crown Heights. My guess is that is where the fiber is.

[jamesinclair]

Anyone who is against unferground utilities hates america. Why do you hate america?

[briank86]

Something to keep in mind for California is city mandated underground districts, where OH poles cannot exist. Not sure if true for the rest of US or just a CPUC thing. 

[BlueAngel]

I am pretty sure the fiber in my neighborhood is ran on the telephone poles, I saw a bunch of trucks last week that were not the electric company or phone company's running wire over existing wire, I don't know if it was fiber or not so I could be wrong.

[ddimit]

What CA cities are mandated underground facilities? I never heard of such a thing. I know its a requirement in new subdivisions in most places. AT&T Just pulled aerial fiber couple of months ago in front of my place. I wish it was underground. I have 3 giant copper cable bundles  overhead directly in from of my place

 

Funny thing is I was in Europe last summer and some of  Cities with  300-500 year old buildings have  no over head utilities at all and these buildings were around before electricity was discovered.

[AJC1973]

there is also a a matter of astethics, those people that are against towers are usually the same ones that are against lines going to those towers.. 

 

personally id like a push to put all cable thats feasable underground look at the northeast after sandy, how long did it take to get the infrastructure back in place hell after that dericho that hit dc last year it set back nv a few months because of all the above ground infrastructure.. 

 

tornados in the midwest hurricanes southeast and south... the usa is very active weather wise...  the money we spend to put wires on poles after every thunderstorm snow storm or ice storm is insane why thats not underground i just dont know... i mean other than in swamp land i could see in earth quake prone areas that might be a problem but the rest of the country where its stable i think its a good infrastructure move

[Paynefanbro]

there is also a a matter of astethics, those people that are against towers are usually the same ones that are against lines going to those towers.. 

 

personally id like a push to put all cable thats feasable underground look at the northeast after sandy, how long did it take to get the infrastructure back in place hell after that dericho that hit dc last year it set back nv a few months because of all the above ground infrastructure.. 

 

tornados in the midwest hurricanes southeast and south... the usa is very active weather wise...  the money we spend to put wires on poles after every thunderstorm snow storm or ice storm is insane why thats not underground i just dont know... i mean other than in swamp land i could see in earth quake prone areas that might be a problem but the rest of the country where its stable i think its a good infrastructure move

Much of NYC is built on reclaimed land. When we put our stuff underground it floods out. When we put it above ground, we get stuff pike hurricanes that blow it all out.

[AJC1973]

Much of NYC is built on reclaimed land. When we put our stuff underground it floods out. When we put it above ground, we get stuff pike hurricanes that blow it all out.

new york is one of those areas that its damned if you do and damned if you dont i understand that thats why i said where its feasible i know i said sandy but contrary to cnn most of that night there were alot of areas inland where the moisture was turning to snow and ice that was just as affected by sandy as the flooding and storm surge as nyc and nj... if those areas further inland had been underground not only would rebuilding had been faster... but cheaper...

 

friend of mine living in West virginia that night telephone poles were snapping from the weight of the snow and ice on the lines... he used to live in a pine forest but not only were the poles coming down the trees were snapping he said it sounded like some giant was going through and just snapping trees in half...  sandy was a bitch

[z250kid]

As Glen Campbell say in his song 'Wichita Lineman'...

"With the snows down south...the line won't ever stand the strain"

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Peti-t6moGM&feature=youtube_gdata_player

 

All joking aside, both the song and the images in the video explain it best.

I climb telephone poles for work.  nothing like buzz of a transformer 2 inches from your head

[z250kid]

Maybe? But think about storms, winter and summer. Tornadoes? Less chance of having outages due to weather if the cables are underground. I think.

what I mean is.  That it is all aerial to the tower except last 100 feet in an opening with no trees around.

[MacPCS]

I dont remember b'klyn as well... but isnt most of the subway infrastructure also above ground also? I recall many areas I drove thru in b'klyn where there was not a single pole...

 

@l3x

no "subway" is ever underground.  At that point it ceases to be a subway and instead is a railway.  

 

carry on.  

[Mobilesolutions]

I know in Brooklyn, which is the most populous borough/county in all of NYC, half of its fiber and coax infrastructure is still above ground on telephone poles.

Are you talking about the last mile of the network being above ground or main transport lines throughout town?

 

Both are still unnaceptable in any case. Fiber should be trenched to termination for any FTTX application. Then you have wireless, which should be coming from a fully underground network, though wireless is not going to give (average customers) consistent speeds in excess of 50mbps...which a fiber fed customer will likely not "tolerate" for a home connection.

[Deval]

Are you talking about the last mile of the network being above ground or main transport lines throughout town?

 

Both are still unnaceptable in any case. Fiber should be trenched to termination for any FTTX application. Then you have wireless, which should be coming from a fully underground network, though wireless is not going to give (average customers) consistent speeds in excess of 50mbps...which a fiber fed customer will likely not "tolerate" for a home connection.

 

Where I live, all the fiber is on telephone poles, and run directly to the prem. That's how Verizon installed the FiOS service for me.

[Paynefanbro]

Are you talking about the last mile of the network being above ground or main transport lines throughout town?

 

Both are still unnaceptable in any case. Fiber should be trenched to termination for any FTTX application. Then you have wireless, which should be coming from a fully underground network, though wireless is not going to give (average customers) consistent speeds in excess of 50mbps...which a fiber fed customer will likely not "tolerate" for a home connection.

 

In my previous neighborhood, all fiber was outdoors. It was run on telephone poles to the premises. During harsh storms, wiring would regularly fall but there would be little to no service disruption. My new neighborhood has everything underground but then brought outside onto telephone poles once it reaches the home, but it is in the backyard as to keep the neighborhood in pristine condition because it is land marked.