Fiber optics are a game changer.
The bandwidth they provide is much higher than of networks based on electrical cables, enabling nearly unlimited internet incapacity. Fiber is also more secure (cannot be hacked) and allows signals to be carried without interference, thereby enabling clearer phone conversations or TV reception.
However, this amazing technology is useless if it is not part of a well-designed network.
For over 30 years, MER Group has been perfecting the process of designing, deploying and maintaining fiber optic networks. MER has implemented inner city and rural fiber infrastructures, nationwide backbones, and even shallow water sub-marine fiber networks.
MER’s expertise is providing end-to-end service to clients (such as telecom companies, municipalities and utility entities), supporting every step of the journey towards optimized fiber optic networks – from planning through training, installation and maintenance.
Planning and Design
The process of setting up fiber optic infrastructure begins with the planning and design phase, in which strategic decisions about the layout of the network are made.
Finding the optimal network design is always an iterative process because there are many parameters to consider. A field survey of the deployment area is essential for making sure that the proposed design drawing is possible to implement.
Often, following the field survey and the initial mapping, changes are required to optimize the design. For example, switching to the other side of the road to avoid obstacles or diverting from the original design to utilize existing grass/gravel surfaces instead of penetrating asphalt.
To achieve an optimal, detailed design, the MER team utilize cutting-edge software tools, while also embracing inputs from professionals with different expertise, including engineers, city planners and architects.
The planning and design team produces aerial and street-level images of the area and illustrate on top of these images the exact locations where the fiber optic cables should be installed.
The following images were part of the planning and design phase in a recent MER project to implement a fiber optic network in an urban neighborhood.
An optimal design must:
- Provide high quality operational functionality
- Minimize installation costs
- Enable easy maintenance and a long network life
- Allow for future upgrades (for example, 5G) and expansion possibilities
Fiber Optic Success Stories
MER was an early adopter of fiber optic technology, in 2011. Since then, the company has installed tens of thousands of kilometers of fiber optic infrastructure in Israel, Latin America and Africa, including complex projects that involve set up of fiber optic backbones and fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) networks.
The following is a partial list of MER’s fiber optic success stories:
- Installing a fiber optic backbone along Israel’s main highway – Road 6 – to facilitate high speed connectivity
- Implemented large scale nationwide turnkey fiber optic project for HOT, an Israeli cable TV provider
- Built and operated a FTTH network across the Netherlands, connecting over 200,000 households to the network of the Dutch telecommunications company KPN
- Designed and deployed 3oo km of fiber optics in Buenos Aires, connecting over 100 police stations to the optical network, to improve services and safety throughout Argentina’s capital city