Main Reasons to use Pre-Terminated Fibre

More of what you need, less of what you don’t.

WHY USE PRE-TERMINATED FIBRE?

Fibre networking has changed because of pre terminated fibre solutions.
On-site termination has been superseded with machine polished direct terminated connectors.

1. Reduce the Total Cost of Installation

Surveys have shown that installing pre-terminated fibre can save between 30% – 45% on most installations.

Our own survey conducted last year polled UK installation companies across the UK and demonstrated similar % savings when using pre-terminated fibre.

The main areas of saving split into 2:

1. Reduced number of man days for a
project to be completed

2. Reduced equivalent
product cost

By far the biggest saving came from reducing the number of site man-days that were required. Cost reductions came from:

  • Reducing direct labour costs (actual time to install and test)

    Installing is quicker as there is no terminations required
    Testing is quicker using a pre-term as only a simple light source and power meter test is required.

  • Reducing the total number of site days required

    Reduces wasted travel time to and from site from multiple site trips
    Reduces cost of travel and wear and tear on vehicles
    Eliminates daily set up and clear up costs
    Eliminates wasted time gaining entry to a site

  • The actual product (pre terminated fibre) cost is also reduced because of the following reasons:

  1. Cost of terminations is lower for a pre-terminated fibre
  2. Fibre terminated in a controlled factory environment is much faster than any on-site method so labour cost per termination is much lower.
  3. The set up time and cost with on-site terminations are avoided with pre-terminated fibre. Dedicated termination stations allow the maximum throughput of terminations per day and add to the lowering of the cost per termination
  4. The connectors used are cheaper than an equivalent pigtails.
  5. Due to the volumes of terminations being carried out, economies of scale on all consumable products are achieved.
  6. Measuring, cutting and reeling cable are easier and enables a fast set up.
  7. If something unexpected happens then we have all the products in stock to remedy the situation. There is no wasted time or extra site visits.
  8. With a dedicated testing area and multi-fibre test equipment we can test each fibre much more quickly than any on-site single fibre testing.
Technical Support

2. Improve Optical Performance

  • Pre-Terminated Fibre Links have lower losses and consistent termination quality

    Not all manufacturers of pre-terminated solutions use the same method and so it is advisable to check with your supplier the method and equipment they use.

  • For a high performance fibre link the following are required:

  1. High Quality Connectors and ferrules
  2. A quality 2 part epoxy resin
  3. Multistage machine polishing process using different grades of precision abrasive paper and different polishing speeds.
  4. Between stage testing
  5. Quality assured Testing methods using reliable equipment

When combined with a multi-stage, precision abrasive machine polish this produces a higher performing lower loss connection compared to either hand polishing or splicing pigtails.

3. Increase your connectivity options

  • Using Harnesses / Fan-Outs / Hybrid Trunks and other pre terminated fibre solutions

    If rackspace is in short supply then using a ruggedised harness (ruggedised fan-out) enables a direct equipment link to be established without the need for a 1U patch panel. With harnesses available up to 144 fibres this is an excellent way to save rackspace.

  • Harness to Patch Panel Links

    Creating a patch panel to harness link in the field has numerous difficultites where as a pre-terminated link between a patch panel and a harness can be easily installed.

  • MTP Products

    MTP can only be terminated under factory conditions. With the demands on bandwidth increasing the use of MTP 12 fibre connectors is becoming more and more common

MTP to MTP FanOut

4. Reduce your Time On-site

For most Network and Data Centre Managers the less time engineers are on-site the better.

With a pre-terminated solution the on-site installation time is greatly reduced.

For example, many of our customers have installed a 24 fbre link between patch panels in 20 minutes. This includes pulling the cable and testing.

The other main benefit is that there is no stripping of cables, cutting of fibres or cleaning fibres which means no associated mess to tidy up.

Recent surveys have shown that time on-site for installation is a bigger factor than price when network managers are choosing an installation company.

5. Reduce the Need for Extra Expensive Equipment and Training

With the combined costs of most splicers and cleavers being around £6000, removing the need to increase your capital outlay in order to support your engineering teams is a great benefit.

Most installation companies have more engineers than fibre termination equipment. With a pre-termiated fibre, you don’t have to worry about where your OTDR is, or which project your fusion splicer is being used on.

PTX Series Pre-Terminated Loose Tube OM4 Cable

6. To be Able to Complete Larger Installations Without the Need to Recruit Contract Labour

By using pre-terminated fibre, large projects can be installed with a reduced equivalent labour force because the time to install a link is dramatically reduced.

This means that the need to recruit additional labour is reduced or eliminated.

That has benefit of having your own trusted and well trained engineers doing all the work.

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE BENEFITS

  • Achieve the lowest cost fibre network without compromising on performance

    The MX Xpress Series offers the most cost effective method for creating a fibre network. Costs are minimised through efficient factory terminations and by removing nearly all installation costs as no specialist installation skills are required. For installation the only specialist tool needed is a quality fibre connector cleaning tool.

  • Maximise your rack space with high density port presentation

    The MX Xpress Fibre System offers a fibre density of up to 144 fibres per 1U for LC port presentation or up to 575 fibres for MTP port presentation. With the choice of either a 1U housing panel, ideal for Top-of-Rack (ToR) locations, or a 2U housing panel, ideal for distribution areas, you can ensure you maximise your rackspace.

  • Easily upgrade to 40G and 100G and 200G

    The MX Xpress Fibre System has cassette modules and cables to enable BASE-8 networking for 40GbE, 100GbE and 200GbE. These 40G and 100G ports can be housed alongside existing 10G / 25G duplex links.


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