Expansion of Broadband Networks now easier in Europe

Cabling specialist R&M welcomes the guidelines for expanding broadband networks enacted a few days ago by the European Commission. “The financing of new access networks by the government and municipalities has now become much easier. The way is now paved for full-coverage Fiber To The Home (FTTH) service,” says Martin Reichle, CEO of R&M AG based out of Wetzikon, Switzerland. R&M is supporting net-work operators in their current expansion projects with new systems for the quick fine distribution of fiber optics and for FTTH home connections. R&M will continue its FTTH initiative in 2010 and gain further market shares in public networks throughout Europe.

Next generation access (NGA) will provide homes and businesses with ultra-broadband Internet in the future. “This new access is urgently needed,” R&M spokespeople noted. Growth in data transmission requires further full-coverage investments throughout Europe. In many locations, new infrastructures are only implementable if the government or municipali-ties become involved. R&M: “With the new guidelines on the public financing of broadband networks and NGA infrastructures, the EU Commission is creating a level playing field and striking a balance between competition, subsidies and private investment.” R&M now ex-pects increased investment in EU countries.

R&M’s recommendation: “Next generation access should be based on fiber optics.” Only fiber optics or FTTH offers guaranteed future performance capable of handling growth in data traffic, fully supporting the providers’ new business models, and delivering the reliability con-sumers expect. This fact was confirmed at ECOC, a fiber optic trade show and conference in Vienna, and the Broadband World Forum in Paris in early September.

FTTH strategies quick and efficient to implement

Numerous projects from municipal utilities and regional network operators are already dem-onstrating today how quickly and efficiently FTTH strategies can be implemented. R&M pre-sented current examples in Issue 37 of Connections, its customer magazine. The network operators wilhelm.tel and willy.tel in Hamburg managed to provide access to its own, newly laid fiber optic network in a matter of months for 130 000 residential units of the housing en-terprise SAGA GWG. The network operators use quick-installation solutions from R&M for this purpose.

Regional and smaller European network providers in particular are currently pushing the ex-pansion of fiber optic networks. This trend has changed the structure of business at R&M. R&M already earns a third of its sales with fiber optic systems. “We will gain further market shares in 2010,” says Martin Reichle.

Single Circuit Management – modular approach to home connection

R&M has announced that network operators will be able to push their FTTH projects even more efficiently with a new system family for the fine distribution of fiber optics. The Single Circuit Management (SCM) system is a modular cartridge system for the management of individual fibers. The scalable module holders can be used on all levels of the last mile to the end customer.

The individual end customers can be connected with minimal effort in the SCM system. Easy handling facilitates a change in providers and thus helps to ensure competition in the access network (open access). The unique 40-millimeter bending radius is one of the special techni-cal characteristics of the SCM system in this area of application. It ensures that fibers are laid free of tension in a minimal space.

Diversity of network designs – end-to-end solutions

The plans for expanding ultra-broadband networks and next generation access continue to vary from country to country and city to city. The task calls for expertise, innovation and flexi-ble cabling technology, just the strengths R&M offers. Swiss cabling expert R&M has solu-tions both for the complete installation of FO networks and hybrid networks as well as for successive migration from copper to FO.

A coherent range of copper and FO cabling is what makes this possible. It covers the com-munication path from the switching and computing centers via the network nodes and dis-tributors outdoors to the building and user connection. With this modular principle, network operators can plan FTTH projects based on individual strategies, investment possibilities, and site conditions.

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