Successful completion of FTTH pilot project
Altdorf/Switzerland (Daetwyler) – Datwyler, appointed General Contractor by the Zurich electricity company (Elektrizitätswerke Zürich, ewz) has completed a Fibre-to-the-Home pilot project in Hardstrasse, Zurich. 106 buildings with altogether 1400 residential units were connected to the city’s modern fast fibre-optic network. From early October 2010 onwards Datwyler implemented a Fibre-to-the-Home pilot project in Zurich’s Hardstrasse as General Contractor for the Zurich electricity company ewz. This involved connecting 106 buildings with total of 1400 residential units to the city’s modern fast fibre optic network. Construction work was completed in March 2011 thanks to Datwyler’s expert planning and extensive project experience, and the turnkey project was handed over to ewz on time. The first thing when connecting fibre optics to all 106 buildings was to sink nine telecom shafts and route approximately 38 kilometres of part pipes through the existing pipe infrastructure. These interconnect the shafts and the main optical distribution board (PoP, Point of Presence). The telecom installation companies used micro-tubes between the shafts and the optical premises distributors. The contract also involved blowing fibre-optic cables into the pipe system and included all the requisite splicing and connecting work. The PoP and the telecom shafts are interconnected by over eight kilometres of feeder cable. Around 20 kilometres of Datwyler’s newly developed S-Micro cable were used for the connections from the shafts to the buildings, in the so-called “drop” area. At the same time, as part of the excavation work and in parallel to the FTTH network installation, main terminals and main electrical connection boxes were replaced in buildings with old electrical house connections. Datwyler is a leading supplier of premium quality total solutions for the electrical and ICT infrastructure in public and commercial buildings as well as for FTTx networks. As a turnkey supplier Datwyler carries out on-site analyses all over the world, draws up infrastructure design proposals, delivers the requisite system solutions and – in close collaboration with certified partners on the ground – takes on the installation, documentation and maintenance of new infrastructures. In Zurich, Datwyler implemented the pilot project in cooperation with local civil engineers, telecom assembly companies, installation and splicing contractors.