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This presentation is designed to provideinformation regarding some items that should beconsidered when designing a self-provisionedfiber-optic network and writing the associatedRFP. While this presentation contains someinformation on eRate eligibility and associatedrules for Self-Provisioned Fiber – Applicants areencouraged to review the rules and, if necessary,check with a competent eRate consultant or theSLD on such matters.Jeffrey W. Harris - ConsultantSELF-PROVISIONED FIBER PLANNINGJeffrey W. Harris – ConsultantCopyright 2015

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YOU NOW HAVE OPTIONS FOR WAN Lit Leased Service (Gigaman, TWC, etc.)Dark Fiber*Self-Provisioned Fiber*Must be competitively bidMust be cost-effective (Apples-to-Apples TCO)*Must also bid lit leased serviceJeffrey W. Harris – ConsultantCopyright 2015Information from May 20, 2015 FCC Workshop in Washington DC5

SELF-PROVISIONED FIBER PLANNING Locations to be servicedMaster PlanNetwork TopologyInstallation MethodRight-of-WayConstruction DetailsFiber-Optic CableMaintenance and OperationsEquipment to Light the FiberProject BiddingBid EvaluationJeffrey W. Harris – ConsultantCopyright 20156

LOCATIONS TO BE SERVED SchoolsAdmin Buildings?Internet service provider Point-of-Presence(POP)Other?Jeffrey W. Harris – ConsultantCopyright 20157

MASTER PLAN Even if this is only going to connect some of thebuildings initially, there needs to be a masterplanIs the district growing?Will you ever be connecting with City, County,Colleges or Universities in your area, an EDC?Are there other needs to consider?Jeffrey W. Harris – ConsultantCopyright 20158

FIBER BASICSGenerally, a fiber connection consists of two strands of fiber – ora pair of fiber. For this example we are taking about a connectionbetween the network operations center and a school.In the example below, the red fiber strand is the transmit for theNOC and receive for the school. The blue fiber strand is receivefor the NOC and transmit for the school. Together the send andreceive strands represent a fiber pair.NOCJeffrey W. Harris – ConsultantCopyright 2015TransmitReceiveReceiveTransmitSchool9

FIBER BASICSIn the Fiber Network Topology slides that follow, I will use onegreen line to represent a fiber pair. So every time you see adiagram in this presentation showing a fiber connection betweentwo buildings, the green lines represent one pair of fiber (twostrands).NOCJeffrey W. Harris – ConsultantCopyright 2015Fiber pair (two strands)School10

NETWORK TOPOLOGYWhat topology will you use? Point-to-PointStarHub & SpokeLinear (Bus)Partial MeshFull MeshRingDual RingJeffrey W. Harris – ConsultantCopyright 201511

POINT-TO-POINT / STAR / HUB & SPOKEFiber run to each schoolPROS CONSSimple A Limited scalabilityNo resiliencyBCEJeffrey W. Harris – ConsultantCopyright 2015D12

POINT-TO-POINT / STAR / HUB & SPOKEFiber run to each schoolPROS CONSSimple A Limited scalabilityNo resiliencyBCEJeffrey W. Harris – ConsultantCopyright 2015D13

LINEAR / BUSFiber run along one path, with fiber strands dedicated to each schoolPROS CONSLess expensive than STARPossible to take advantageof one cable run to connectmultiple locationsA Limited scalabilityNo resiliencyCBJeffrey W. Harris – ConsultantCopyright 2015 D14

LINEAR / BUSFiber run along one path, with fiber strands dedicated to each schoolPROS CONSLess expensive than STARPossible to take advantageof one cable run to connectmultiple locationsA Limited scalabilityNo resiliencyCBJeffrey W. Harris – ConsultantCopyright 2015 D15

PARTIAL MESHFiber run from NOC to each school with fiber strands dedicated to each school. (STAR)There are also additional fiber runs between some schoolsPROS CONSScalableSome resiliency AMore expensiveBCEJeffrey W. Harris – ConsultantCopyright 2015D16

PARTIAL MESHFiber run from NOC to each school with fiber strands dedicated to each school. (STAR)There are also additional fiber runs between some schoolsPROS CONSScalableSome resiliency AMore expensiveBCEJeffrey W. Harris – ConsultantCopyright 2015D17

PARTIAL MESHFiber run from NOC to each school with fiber strands dedicated to each school. (STAR)There are also additional fiber runs between some schoolsPROS CONSScalableSome resiliency AMore expensiveBCEJeffrey W. Harris – ConsultantCopyright 2015D18

PARTIAL MESHFiber run from NOC to each school with fiber strands dedicated to each school. (STAR)There are also additional fiber runs between some schoolsPROS CONSScalableSome resiliency AMore expensiveBCEJeffrey W. Harris – ConsultantCopyright 2015D19

FULL MESHJust like the Partial Mesh, there are fiber runs from NOC to each school, each school hasdedicated fiber strands, and ALL schools are also connected to ALL other schoolsPROS ScalableResilientCONS AMuch more expensiveBCEJeffrey W. Harris – ConsultantCopyright 2015D20

RINGEach school has a dedicated fiber pair from the NOC, but the same pair used for school A is alsoused for school E. This requires fewer fiber strands, but provides no resiliency.CONSPROS Scalable Economical No resiliencyABCJeffrey W. Harris – ConsultantCopyright 2015ED21

RINGEach school has a dedicated fiber pair from the NOC, but the same pair used for school A is alsoused for school E. This requires fewer fiber strands, but provides no resiliency.CONSPROS Scalable Economical No resiliencyABCJeffrey W. Harris – ConsultantCopyright 2015ED22

DUAL RINGSimilar to Ring topology, except that each fiber pair is dedicated to a single school. This results in twodata paths to the school and provides resiliency. A cut anywhere on the ring will NOT result in loss ofconnectivity to any school.PROSCONS Scalable Economical Resilient ASlightly more expensivethan Ring configurationBCJeffrey W. Harris – ConsultantCopyright 2015ED23

INSTALLATION METHOD Aerial – Hung from existing poles or oncustomer-owned polesJeffrey W. Harris – ConsultantCopyright 2015Photo courtesy of The Fiber Optic Association, Inc.24

INSTALLATION METHOD Buried – Installed into an open trench, eitherdirectly buried or inside of one or moreconduitsPhoto courtesy of The Recorder, Recorder.com.Jeffrey W. Harris – ConsultantCopyright 2015Photo courtesy of California State University25

INSTALLATION METHOD Directional Boring – Conduit is installed using boringequipment with minimal surface disruption and fiber is pulledthrough the conduitsJeffrey W. Harris – ConsultantCopyright 2015Photo courtesy of The Imgarcade.com.26

WESLACO ISD 4 concentric rings Plus 3 future rings NOC is the red star Each red/blue circlerepresents a manhole Approximately 26 mileof fiber Total cost /- 2mJeffrey W. Harris – ConsultantCopyright 201527

QUESTIONSJeffrey W. Harris – ConsultantCopyright 201528

RIGHT-OF-WAY You will need permission to install in an existing right-of-way,or will need to acquire easement(s)Even if you use aerial fiber, you will need permission toattach your fiber to existing poles, or will need to acquireeasements to install your own polesSpecial circumstances will require additional permissions: Attaching to bridges,Crossing RR linesCrossing or running along the side of state/federal roadwaysCrossing Irrigation District pipelinesOthersWho will be acquiring access and filing for permits?Jeffrey W. Harris – ConsultantCopyright 201529

CONSTRUCTION DETAILS How deep will you want your buried or boredinstallations?Do you need marking tape for buried installations?What type of conduit will you specify for buried and/orbored installations?Will you require conduit testing prior to fiber installation?Will you require pull strings?Will you be providing splicing details (especiallyimportant if this is an add-on)Will you require signage for conduits and Manholes?Jeffrey W. Harris – ConsultantCopyright 201530

CONSTRUCTION DETAILSBuilding entrance – Is there an existing cable entrance vault?Will you accept PVC or require Rigid pipe?Where will you transition from outdoor to indoorfiber?Does your inside cable need to be plenum rated?Where will the fiber terminate?Who is providing the LIU?What type of termination is required?Jeffrey W. Harris – ConsultantCopyright 201531

FIBER-OPTIC CABLE What type of fiber do you need?(method of installation and modulatingequipment will dictate to some degree) How many strands will you need for each location? Will you be installing spare strands? What are your tolerances for splices and terminations? Based on distances, splices, future repairs andhardware specifications– will the anticipated dB loss bewithin tolerance?What tests will you require be conducted on the fiber?Jeffrey W. Harris – ConsultantCopyright 201532

MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS How will fiber-cuts be handled?Will 1st year maintenance be included in theRFP? Who will conduct your fiber locates? How will your signage be maintained?Photo courtesy of Promarksupply.com.Jeffrey W. Harris – ConsultantCopyright 2015Photo courtesy Stonehousesigns.comPhoto courtesy of Reelindustries.com33

PROJECT BIDDING For self provisioned RFPs, or Dark Fiber RFPs, you are required to also bid litleased serviceThe RFP needs to be detailed (per USAC)Vendors will need more sufficient time to understand your needs and puttogether a proposal – probably more than the required 28 days In order to obtain funding for self-provisioned fiber, it must be cost effective How many years will you use for the comparison? You will need to extrapolate bandwidth needs across that time frame andestimate the cost over your selected termYour comparison to lit leased service needs to be Apples-to-Apples acrossyour timeframeJeffrey W. Harris – ConsultantCopyright 201534

NETWORK EQUIPMENT Do you currently have a Wide Area Network -OR- are your schools each beingserviced directly by your Internet service provider?Does each location already have equipment in place capable of lighting the fiber?Will you be connecting at 1Gbps? 10Gbps? 40Gbps? 100Gbps? and will yourexisting equipment be able to handle it?Do you already have the correct equipment including blades and modules?Are you considering DWDM? And if so, will your current equipment be able to handleit? Will the fiber you have specified handle it?If you don’t already have the proper hardware and modules, you will need to includethe appropriate components in your RFP so that you can conduct an adequatecomparison to the lit leased fiber solutionThe hardware you have or that you select may affect your fiber-strand countsJeffrey W. Harris – ConsultantCopyright 201535

RULE CHANGESOld Rule Special ConstructionCosts over 500,000were spread out over 3years District up-front sharehad to be paid the firstyearJeffrey W. Harris – ConsultantCopyright 2015New Rule Special ConstructionCosts can be paid thefirst year District up-front cost canbe amortized over up to4 years36