Underground Telecommunications Cable Works for Road, Commercial and Residential Schemes

Recommendations for Underground Telecommunications Cable Works For Road, Commercial and Residential Schemes Department of Public Enterprise Recommendations for UG Works Business & Technology Division CONTENTS FOREWARD Section 1: GENERAL Section 2: TELECOMMUNICATIONS CABLING PRACTICE Section 3: NATIONAL PRIMARY AND SECONDARY ROADS Section 4: COMMERCIAL SCHEMES – BUSINESS PARKS AND OFFICES Section 5: RESIDENTIAL SCHEMES APPENDICES Appendix A: TERMS AND DEFINITIONS Appendix B: RECOMMENDED MINIMUM INTERNAL DIMENSIONS FOR CABLE CHAMBERS Appendix C: LIST OF CURRENT HOLDERS OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS LICENCES Apendix D UNDERGROUND CROSSINGS WITH ELECTRICITY CABLES MINIMUM CLEARANCES Page 2 of 53 Recommendations for UG Works Business & Technology Division As our economy matures our need and dependence on telecommunications services will increase. It is important that we plan for the future and maximise the opportunities that can be derived from the development of the information society. The provision of telecommunications ducting at the time new build is being put in place is important in that telecommunications services from many operators can be offered at the same time as the rest of the infrastructure is completed. These recommendations are intended to offer some guidance to those who are involved in civil infrastructure developments. Careful planning for the needs of telecommunication operators at an early stage will result in increased savings in costs as well as avoiding for the disruptions associated with footpath and road openings. The Department would like to thank the Department of the Environment, the National Roads Authority, Chorus, Modern Networks Ltd., NTL, ESB, Bord Gais Eireann, Eircom, Nuanet Ltd., for their assistance in preparing these recommendations. Edited by Aidan Ryan, Senior Telecommunications Specialist Approved by Roger O'Connor, Director of Business and Technology Business and Technology Division Department of Public Enterprise 44 Kildare Street, Dublin 2 Page 3 of 53 Recommendations for UG Works Business & Technology Division 1. GENERAL 1.1 Introduction This document provides a summary overview of the current cabling practice for telecommunications services provided to the public, and sets out recommendations for the provision of duct and cable infrastructure for new developments and improvement schemes. These include national primary and secondary roads1, commercial schemes such as business parks and office centres, and residential schemes. These recommendations are intended for use by those concerned with the planning and building of national infrastructure, including Local Authorities, National Authorities, Private Developers, Consultants, Contractors, Telecommunications Network Operators and other Utility Operators. 1.2 Meeting future The Irish Government is committed to ensuring that Ireland is at the forefront of needs developments necessary to support eBusiness and the emerging information society. Crucial to achieving this objective, is the provision of telecommunications infrastructure in accordance with well thought out and harmonised specifications that will facilitate the deployment of advanced telecommunications services. These recommendations concentrate on the telecommunications transmission infrastructure, which is the vital network element required to transport information between users. While radio and overhead aerial cable continue to be selectively deployed, the predominant medium now used for transmission infrastructure is underground cable run in ducts. Cable ducting when properly designed and built has a useful life in excess of 20 years and should be considered as a long-term investment. The following important factors were taken into account when developing these recommendations with regard to the construction of duct infrastructure for telecommunications cables: • the need to facilitate a harmonised approach to the specification of duct networks; • the need to configure duct networks to meet different cabling configurations over their lifetime; • the need to provide ducts during the construction phase of schemes so as to avoid further excavations after completion of site works; • the need to configure duct networks to facilitate sharing between service providers; • the need to provide sufficient duct capacity during the construction phase of the scheme to avoid costly repetitive civil works; • the need to construct ducts using high quality materials to specified standards in order to avoid costly remedial works; • the need to avoid nuisance and disruption to the public arising from repetitive or remedial civil works; • the need to avoid damage to roads and footways arising from repetitive or remedial civil works: • the need to avoid damage to existing underground services infrastructure during the installation work; 1 All schemes where the road is opened to provide new infrastructure. Page 4 of 53 Recommendations for UG Works Business & Technology Division • the need to provide for the safe and reliable long term operation of both the installed telecommunications infrastructure and other underground services infrastructure. 1.3 Scope of These recommendations are primarily intended to ensure that underground ducting and cable Recommendations chambers provided for telecommunications, will meet the needs for future advanced services in an efficient, safe, harmonised and cost effective way, while avoiding further repetitive or remedial civil works. Such works are costly and can give rise to nuisance and disruption to the public and damage to roads, footways and other buried services. Detailed civil engineering specifications for ducting are not included in these recommendations. 1.4 Other Services Reference is also made to other services such as electricity and gas whose underground cable and pipe infrastructures are frequently run in close proximity to telecommunications cables and service connections. Minimum separations are recommended having regard to safety and longterm access considerations. 1.5 Definitions A glossary of terms and definitions used in this document is set out in Appendix A. 1.6 Liberalisation of Prior to the full liberalisation of the market for the provision of telecommunications services the Market on 1st December 19982, Telecom Eireann (now eircom) was the sole provider of fixed voice telephony services and the dominant provider of cable based telecommunications infrastructure. Well established liaison arrangements existed between Telecom Eireann and the Local Authorities, to provide for telecommunications infrastructure, during the construction of new developments such as roads, factories, offices and residential schemes. This infrastructure consisted mainly of overhead cables on poles and underground cables in ducts to facilitate the provision of telephony and leased line services. The liberalisation of the telecommunications market has resulted in a sharp increase in the amount of construction of new underground telecommunications cable routes, in particular by new entrants to the market. As a result, a more structured and harmonised approach is now needed with regard to the planning, specification and building of new underground cable infrastructure. A further stage of liberalisation will result from Unbundling of the Local Loop. Under Regulation (EC) No. 2887/2000 adopted by the European Parliament and Council on 18th December 2000, network operators designated as having significant market power3 have to meet reasonable requests from other network operators for unbundled access to their local loops4 and related facilities from 31st December 2000. 1.7 Licensing of Tele- Licences for the provision of telecommunications services to the public, including the communications provision of telecommunications infrastructure, are issued by the Office of the Director of Service Providers Telecommunications Regulation (ODTR) under the Postal and Telecommunications Services Act, 1983, Section 111, as amended. The licensing regime provides for two types of licence: 2 The provision of telecommunications infrastructure was liberalised on 1st July 1997. 3 eircom, has been designated as having significant market power in the provision of fixed public telephone networks and services 4 The local loop is the copper cable pair connecting the customer’s premises to the local telephone exchange. Page 5 of 53 Recommendations for UG Works Business & Technology Division Basic Telecommunications Licence and General Telecommunications Licence. Both types of licence permit the provision of telecommunications infrastructure. A modified General Licence is issued for the provision of Public Mobile Telephony services and Fixed Wireless Point to Multipoint services. Telecommunications services which are provided by means of radio require a licence pursuant to the Wireless Telegraphy Act 19265, as amended, unless the specified apparatus has been exempted. Further details on the licensing regimes are available on the ODTR website at www.odtr.ie. A listing of current holders of Basis and General Telecommunications Licences is set out in Annex C. 5 The Department of Public Enterprise is currently engaged in a consultation process in order to update the Wireless Telegraphy legislation. Page 6 of 53 Recommendations for UG Works Business & Technology Division 2. TELECOMMUNICATIONS CABLING PRACTICE 2.1 Network Most telecommunications transmission networks consist of a backbone trunk network and Architecture access networks serving designated areas. Trunk Networks consist of a set of transmission

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