The building is fully-wired and ready. And, the service provider has connected to the handoff point. But the handoff point is 150 meters from the MPOP in the building. 150 meters separate the tenants from the high-speed internet essential for the work place.
Surprise! The building owner is responsible for the circuit extension (“backbone pathway”) not the service provider. This pathway extends the circuit from the Metro Area Network (MAN) to the building entrance facility via single-mode optical fiber. Remember to account for this critical expense earlier versus at the 11th hour.
Business owners and IT managers know high speed internet is essential for productivity in the work place. A building with little or no connectivity does not work, literally. The typical means of connecting to a service provider is the use of optical networks for a single company or multi-tenant building. Cables or fibers run into optical connections located in the entrance facility (main telecom room). These rooms are also referred to as “MPOP” or “DMARC”. At that point, the service provider supplies a router as a handoff point somewhere outside the building. But this leaves a gap in service from the handoff point to the building and a “backbone pathway” is needed for connectivity.
This pathway can connect with an aerial application (pole to pole) or an underground trench/bore. Entry into the building may come through the roof or conduit running up or down a wall. A rigid conduit may be required depending on the composition of the outside plant cable jacket. Copper is typically used when the circuit extension is less than 90 meters from the IT equipment room. A standard cable with 8 pin modular jack connection at both ends can integrate into a local network with copper patch cords.
When the distance is greater than 90 meters and the handoff is a copper interface, media converters connect to the router using a copper patch cord and extended throughout the building with optical fiber cable. Signals are transmitted optically, converted back to copper and patched to your network in the IT equipment room. The other option is to simply install optical fiber from the router to your network equipment using an optical fiber interface.
At the beginning, don’t forget a proper “backbone pathway” to insure optimal connectivity and be better prepared for the construction game.