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

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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

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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

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• 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

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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

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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 nodes with interconnecting transmission sections built in a meshed configuration to maximise resilience. The predominant medium used for trunk networks is optical fibre cable. Co-axial, PCM6 and copper pair cable are no longer used for trunk network build. Radio links are the preferred medium on certain transmission sections when the cost and speed of deployment are taken into account.

Access networks provide the connection between the customer’s premises and the local transmission node. In the case of telephony, the local transmission node is the local telephone exchange, remote subscriber unit or concentrator. Access to residential customers is still mainly provided using copper pair cable (telephony) or co-axial cable (cable TV). Pair gain systems are being increasingly deployed to provide typically 2, 3 or 4 telephone lines on a single cable pair. Access to business customers is increasingly being provided using optical fibre cables where cable loops serve a number of Points of Presence (PoP) connecting with one or more local transmission nodes.

Radio based access systems have been used in rural areas and new national licences have been issued by the ODTR for the deployment of Fixed Wireless Point to Multipoint Systems (FWPMA) sometimes referred to as Wireless in the Local Loop (WLL). For public mobile telephony, extensive access networks using mainly short haul radio links have been built, to link base stations with main transmission nodes.

Optical fibre cables are generally run underground7 in UPVC8 ducts. In addition, optical fibre cables run overhead along electricity pylons are beginning to be deployed.

Copper pair and co-axial cables in the access networks are run mainly underground in urban areas (cities and towns), but in rural areas a significant proportion of access network cabling has been run overhead. The proportion of overhead cable is expected to diminish in favour of radio based access systems and underground cabling in the future.

Hybrid cables containing two mediums, e.g., coaxial and paired, have been deployed in access networks in other countries, but so far they have not been generally used in Ireland.

2.2 Trunk Networks Trunk networks consist of a set of transmission nodes with interconnecting transmission sections built in a meshed configuration to maximise resilience. The predominant medium used for trunk networks is optical fibre cable. Radio links are the preferred medium on certain transmission sections when the cost and speed of deployment are taken into account.

6 PCM – Pulse Code Modulation 7 In particular situations, optical fibre cables may be run overhead, e.g. on poles. 8 Unplasticated polyvinylchloride Page 7 of 53

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Optical fibre cables consist of a number of pairs of glass strands and a core strength member (usually metallic but can be non-metallic) encased in several outer protection sheaths and filled with a jelly like substance to prevent the ingress of moisture. High capacity trunk cables typically contain 72 pairs of fibres. For each pair, a separate fibre is used for each direction of transmission.

Transmission equipment is connected to each end of each pair of fibres to multiplex a large number of circuits onto the fibre pair. SDH9 equipment currently deployed enables 1,890, 7,560 or 30,240 Equivalent Voice Circuits (EVCs) to be carried on each pair. So, a 72 pair fibre cable can carry up to 2.1 million EVCs. Still further capacity can be multiplexed onto each pair of fibres by deploying Dense Wave Division Multiplexing (DWDM) transmission equipment.

National backbone networks consist of a network of optical fibre cables (with some radio links) interlinking telecommunications stations serving the main centres of population. The cables are routed along the National Primary and Secondary Roads, and other roads where appropriate.

In addition, the larger centres of population (in particular Dublin) have extensive urban backbone networks which interlink telecommunications stations, including digital telephone exchanges. In the past, copper cable pairs and some co-axial cables were used for these routes (referred to as junction routes) but optical fibre cables have now replaced copper cables.

In the case of telephony services, the local telephone exchange is the central point of connection for customers within its designated area. One or more subscriber units are installed at each local exchange. A cluster of subscriber units are connected to their parent digital exchange (switch) over digital circuits carried over the urban backbone network or the main trunk network.

In the case of cable TV services, the programme channels for re-transmission are fed from a Head End (HE) via a backbone trunk network to distribution points from where the signal is fed to individual subscribers via local distributions networks. Optical fibre cable is now the predominant medium used in the backbone trunk networks but co-axial cable is still extensively used in the local distribution networks.

2.3 Interconnection Each network operators establishes transmission links between two10 or more of their gateway nodes and the corresponding nodes of other operator’s networks in order to send and receive traffic which does not originate and terminate in the same network.

2.4 Access Networks Copper cable pairs are still the preferred transmission medium for providing the connection for Residential from the customer’s premises to the local telephone exchange.

9 SDH – Synchronous Digital Hierarchy 10 A minimum of two diverse interconnections is generally provided to ensure some resilience under failure conditions. Page 8 of 53

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Telephony

In urban areas, large subscriber cables (up to 2000 pair cables in 100mm ducts) radiate out from the local telephone exchange. Along each cable run, bundles of pairs are branched off to serve designated areas such as housing estates. Cable cabinets are provided over-ground to provide some flexibility – cable pairs from the exchange may be cross-connected with cable pairs to the customers’ premises. Further branching is provided as required to serve individual groups of customers. An underground jointing chamber is provided, typically to serve 4 to 6 customers, and directly buried cables are run from the chamber into each customers premises11. Alternatively, a distribution pole and drop wires are used.

In rural areas, a similar branching network approach is used but the cable sizes are smaller and there is significant deployment of overhead cables and final distribution by drop wires. In some rural areas, such as in Donegal , use has been made of radio based access systems. New national licences have been issued by the ODTR for the deployment of Fixed Wireless Point to Multipoint Systems (FWPMA) and it is expected that these systems will be deployed in preference to cable based systems where they are cost effective or where immediate provision of service is required.

Pair gain systems are being increasingly deployed to provide typically 2, 3 or 4 telephone lines on a single cable pair into a customer’s premises. Shortage of cables pairs is the usual reason cited for use of these systems but a frequent reason is the difficulty in providing additional cable pairs between the customers premises and the nearest jointing chamber due to the practice of using direct buried cable rather than cable in duct.

2.5 Access Networks Co-axial cable is still the preferred transmission medium for providing the local distribution for Residential networks for cable TV signals in urban areas. A branched network of co-axial cable, which is Cable TV fed from the backbone trunk network, serves a designated area. Each branch serves a designated number of residences. A spur cable is run from a tee connection with the branch cable into each customer’s premises. In the past, a significant proportion of local distribution networks consisted of overhead cabling run along the facade of buildings, but for more recent developments, the local distribution cables are being run in underground ducts and the service connections (spur cables) consist of directly buried cables12. Cable TV services do not in general seem to be provided to business parks and offices.

2.6 Access Networks As the demands for telecommunications services by businesses increased in recent year, and for Business particularly since the introduction of Direct Dialling Inwards (DDI), the delivery of services Telephony using high capacity digital circuits (2Mb/s) to medium/large businesses has become the norm. The use of optical fibre cable with SDH transmission systems is now the most efficient and cost effective method to deliver telecommunications services to new commercial schemes such as business parks and office blocks. Typically, cable loops serve a number of Points of Presence, and connect back to one or more network transmission nodes. The optical fibre cables are overlaid on the existing access networks and /or urban backbone networks. In the case of new operators, new access networks are built.

11 The use of directly buried cable is not compliant with these recommendations. 12 The use of direct buried cable is not compliant with these recommendations. Page 9 of 53

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2.7 Primary Cable The established practice in Ireland and other European countries is to run underground Ducting telecommunications cables in UPVC13 ducts with circular cross-section and nominal diameter of 100mm (4 ins)14. A trench is dug and ducts are laid in lengths. Each semi-rigid length is typically 6m and is fitted with a connector or socket at one end to join the lengths. Direct burying of cables is not recommended, as such cables are more at risk to damage from working parties. In addition, in the event of a cable fault, the replacement of the section of cable between jointing chambers requires major civil works and a prolonged service outage. A particular method of direct burying is ploughing in the cable. An additional disadvantage of this method is that the location of the cable is uncertain (due to meander and absence of marker tape) and an excessive section of ground run becomes difficult to use for other underground cables and pipes.

2.8 Duct-ways In these Recommendations, the underground sections running beneath roads, hard shoulders, footways, pavements and road verges where cable ducts (and pipes) for the provision of services are laid, are referred to as duct-ways. A telecommunications Duct-way is real property which provides an optimum routing for telecommunications cables, and also provides good protection and work party access. Duct-ways are a limited and valuable national resource and are a critical element of infrastructure in the provision of high quality services to the public. They need to be managed in an optimum way with regard to:

• configuring duct networks to meet different cabling configuration over their lifetime; • providing ducts during the construction phase of schemes so as to avoid further excavations after completion of site works; • configuring duct networks to facilitate sharing between service providers; • providing sufficient duct capacity during the construction phase of the scheme to avoid costly repetitive civil works; • constructing ducts using high quality materials to specified standards in order to avoid costly remedial works; • avoiding nuisance and disruption to the public arising from repetitive or remedial civil works; • avoiding 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; • the need to provide for the safe and reliable long term operation of both the installed telecommunications infrastructure and other underground services infrastructure.

2.9 Sub-ducting Sub-ducting systems are increasingly used to increase the utilisation of primary ducts and to improve the protection provided to individual cables. Each section of sub-duct consists of a continuous length of plastic pipe delivered to site coiled in lengths of typically 800 to 1,000 meters (available in various diameters). Typically, 3 or 4 sub-ducts are drawn into a section of primary duct. This provides for 3 or 4 cables to be pulled in later, with maximum protection afforded to the cables already in situ. Different colours are usually used to identify each sub- duct running in a primary duct15.

13 Unplasticated polyvinylchloride 14 The precise internal and external diameters depend on the material and construction of the duct. 15 Sub-ducts coloured red or yellow should not be used so as to avoid any risk of confusion with electricity or gas services. Page 10 of 53

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2.10 Cable Chambers Underground cable chambers are provided at intervals16 along a cable duct system for the purpose of pulling in, bending and jointing cables. The maximum distance between cable chambers is determined by, inter alia, the requirement to be able to pull the cable through the duct without damaging the cable or duct. Cable chambers are constructed using reinforced concrete or alternatively using concrete blocks (laid flat) with a concrete ring-beam at the top to support the cover. Ground conditions can also be a factor when deciding on the appropriate chamber design. Chambers are fitted with covers which must be capable of withstanding the maximum expected loadings and be resistant to corrosion.

2.11 Other Services Ducts for telecommunications cables frequently share duct-ways with other services such as electricity, gas, water, sewers, drains, public lighting and traffic signals. In order to minimise the risks of electrocution, explosion, flood damage and damage to plant and environment, and to permit reasonable access by working parties without due risk to personnel, minimum separations between services are recommended and utilities must put in place safe systems of work17. The accurate recording of the location of pipes and ducts and the use of accurately positioned marker tapes and colour differentiation between ducts/pipes of different services also facilitate the reduction of these risks.

2.12 Equipment Equipment cabinets are used in telephony access networks to house cable termination Cabinets frames which provide some flexibility in the use of cable pairs. Typically, cable pairs incoming from the local telephone exchange can be cross-connected with pairs outgoing to the customer’s premises or point of service within a building. There is a growing trend to also house some electronic equipment in these cabinets, in particular where optical fibre cable is used in the access network from the local telephone exchange to the cabinet and copper pairs from the cabinet to customer’s premises. Equipment cabinets may be sited outdoors or within a building.

Equipment cabinets are also used by cable TV operators to house equipment to interface backbone trunk network cables (optical fibre) with local distribution network cables (co-axial cable) and also signal amplification and distribution equipment.

16 Typically between 100 m and 500 m. 17 Refer to “Avoiding danger from underground services” – Booklet HS(G)47 published by Health and Safety Executive, UK. Page 11 of 53

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3. NATIONAL PRIMARY AND SECONDARY ROADS

3.1 Scope of The recommendations in this section are primarily intended for application to new road Recommendations schemes and improvement schemes for existing roads. They have been developed to ensure, as far as practicable, that underground ducting will meet the needs for future advanced telecommunications 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, hard shoulders, verges and existing services infrastructure. Detailed civil engineering specifications are not included in these recommendations.

3.2 Requirements for Provision has been made in this section for underground ducting for optical fibre trunk cables Telecomms to interconnect the main cities and towns and to provide backbone networks in the larger Services centres of population.

3.3 Ducts A minimum of four primary ducts with an internal diameter of not less than 90 mm18 should be provided during the construction phase of schemes for National Primary and Secondary Roads to carry optical fibre telecommunications trunk cables.

The ducts should be constructed from unplasticated polyvinylchloride (UPVC) and should be sem-rigid and have a high performance specification with regard to resistance to crushing, deformation and impact damage. Low grade UPVC ducts should not be used. The ducts should have a smooth internal bore to minimise friction.

The Local Roads Authorities or the National Roads Authority may require network operators to lay additional ducts for potential future use to better utilise the duct-way and to reduce the likelihood of further road openings by other operators.

3.4 Duct colour All primary telecommunications ducts should preferably be coloured green or grey. and lettering Ducts coloured red, yellow or blue should not be used so as to avoid any risk of confusion with electricity, gas or water services respectively. It is also recommended that the name of the licensed network operator(s) or authority responsible for the ongoing maintenance of the duct system should be printed in block capitals continuously along its length.

3.5 Bridges and For sections of primary duct run, including: railway lines - over bridges where there is a reduced depth of cover protection, or - under railway lines where above normal loadings must be provided for, it may be necessary to use pipes of a suitable material for the ducting which have a high resistance to deformation and are space efficient, e.g. steel. Such pipes should have a minimum internal diameter of 90mm, and their surfaces should be resistant to corrosion. Alternatively, a solution for running telecommunications cables may be integrated into the design of the bridge or railway underpass.

18 Commonly referred to as 100 mm (4 ins) nominal diameter. Page 12 of 53

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With regard to bridges, it is recommended that the maximum number of ducts be installed in the available duct-way space during construction, renovation or duct laying work19.

3.6 Location of National Primary (including Motorways) and Secondary Roads are constructed where Ducts possible in accordance with section dimensions specified by the National Roads Authority. A summary of these dimensions is set out in Figure 3.1.

Figure 3.1 – Road section dimensions specified by the National Roads Authority Dimensions in meters

Verge Hard Lane(s) Centre Lane(s) Hard Verge Strip or Section Strip or Shoulder Shoulder

Single Carriageway 3.0 2.5 5.0 5.0 2.5 3.0 Wide Single Carriageway 3.0 3.0 3.75 3.75 3.0 3.0 Standard Single Carriageway 3.0 0.5 3.5 3.5 0.5 3.0 Reduced Dual Carriageway 3.0 3.0 7.5 9.0 to 16.0 7.5 3.0 3.0 Motorway Dual Carriageway 3.0 3.0 7.5 9.0 7.5 3.0 3.0 Standard Dual Carriageway 3.0 1.0 7.5 4.5 7.5 1.0 3.0 Reduced

Ducts should not be laid in the lanes or hard shoulders of motorways. It is also recommended that ducts should not be laid in the central sections of motorways and dual carriageways having regard to the proximity of fast traffic lanes as well as potential access difficulties.

Where verges are provided20, the ducts (minimum four) should be laid in one of the verges21. Where no verges are provided, the ducts should be laid under the hard shoulder (strip), and if this is not possible, under the laneway.

When deciding on the location of ducts, account should be taken of: • the existing and planned location of other services; • medium or long term development plans for each section of road, where applicable; • any relevant local considerations.

3.7 Separation In order to provide an acceptable level of public safety and to permit reasonable access by between services: working parties without undue risks to personnel or equipment, the separation distances

19 The layout should comply with minimum permissible separation distances between different services. 20 In the case of a motorway, verges are always provided. 21 Under Part IV, Section 53 of the Roads Act, 1993, the consent of the National Roads Authority (NRA) is required to carry out works along, adjoining, in, on, under or over land comprised in a motorway. The NRA’s current position with regard to the installation of ducts is that it does not give consent to proposals for the provision of underground ducting and cable chambers for telecommunications services on land comprised in a motorway. Page 13 of 53

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Electricity between underground telecommunications and electricity cables should not be less than the minimum clearances specified in Figure 3.222

Figure 3.2 – Minimum permissible clearances between underground electricity and telecommunications cables. Minimum permissible separation distance in mm Low voltage Medium voltage High voltage High voltage 220V and 380V 10kV and 20 kV 38kV 110kV to 400kV

Crossings* 300 mm# 300 mm 300mm 300 mm

Parallels** 300mm# 300 mm 300 mm## 300 mm##

* Where possible, the telecommunications cable should cross above the electricity cable at an underground crossing. Subject to agreement with the Electricity Operator, a reduced clearance with specified additional mechanical protection measures may be implemented for underground crossings. Refer to Appendix D.

** Ducts for telecommunications cables must not be laid over electricity cables or ducts along a duct run.

# This clearance has been increased with respect to previous publications.

## This clearance has been reduced with respect to previous publications.

Telecommunications Network Operators must put in place safe systems of work when undertaking ducting and cabling work in proximity to electric services23.

3.8 Separation In order to provide for subsequent excavation down to and around gas pipes for maintenance between services: or repair purposes, a minimum parallel clearance of 250 mm is recommended between Gas telecommunications ducts and gas pipes.24

3.9 Laying of The alignment of the duct run should be as straight as possible in the horizontal and vertical Primary Ducts directions.

Where the depth of cover to ducts has to be increased or decreased at crossing points, the rate of change in depth should be no greater than one meter in fifteen. Where a slow bend is required in the duct run, the rate of curvature should not be greater than one meter in fifteen and not more than one such bend should be introduced between two cable chambers.

Trenching and backfilling under hard shoulders (strips) or laneways, must be carried out in such a manner so as to avoid interference with the effective working of the drainage system for the roadway.

It is recommended that ducting be laid as late as possible during the road construction programme, in order to minimise the potential exposure to duct damage.

22 In accordance with information provided by the Electricity Supply Board. 23 Refer to “Avoiding danger from underground services” – Booklet HS(G)47 published by Health and Safety Executive, UK. 24 In accordance with National Joint Utilities Group (UK) recommended positioning - Publication No 7/Jan 1997. Page 14 of 53

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3.10 Proximity to trees When installing cable ducts in close proximity to trees, additional precautions are required to avoid damage to the trees and in particular to the roots. Applicable Local Authority guidelines should be complied with, or in the absence of such guidelines, NJUG 10 guidelines25 should be applied.

3.11 Depth of Cover The depth of cover is the vertical distance between the top of the ducts and the ground surface. The minimum depth of cover recommended for telecommunications ducts is 450 mm. This depth of cover facilitate the provision of marker tape at a safe distance above the ducts and exceeds the maximum limit for frost penetration in Ireland26. The maximum depth of cover should not exceed 1000mm except where special local circumstances apply.

The following minimum depths of cover are recommended for the various ground configurations for national primary and secondary roads: Verges 600 mm minimum Road laneways, hard strips and shoulders 750 mm minimum*

*compliant with Office of the Director of Traffic, Dublin Corporation requirements for Non-Estate roads.

Network operators should have regard to the location of other services when deciding on the depth of cover to be used.

3.12 Duct Joints Pipe sections should be jointed together in compliance with the manufacturers jointing system and should result in a continuous smooth internal surface free from sharp edges and protrusions. The jointing system should be sufficient to prevent the ingress of silt or other foreign matter.

3.13 Duct bedding, Bedding, surround and backfill for duct trenches should be specified in accordance with best surround and practice for verges, entrance ways, hard shoulders (strips) and laneways. In this regard, backfill reference should be made to specifications issued by the National Roads Authority and the Local Authorities including the Office of the Director of Traffic, Dublin Corporation.

3.14 Marker Tape Marker tape should be laid directly above each section of duct at a depth of 300 mm above the top of the ducts. The tape should provide full lateral cover over the ducts and should be in vertical alignment with the duct run. For large duct configurations, more than one width of tape may be necessary to cover the extra width of the duct section.

The marker tape should be manufactured from high quality material to an approved international or national standard in order to assure its long-term performance with regard to physical integrity and readability. The marker tape should be not less than 200mm wide and preferably coloured high visibility yellow or orange with the following words printed in large black block capitals continuously along its length:

25 National Joint Utilities Group (UK) - Publication No 10/April 1995. 26 Frost penetration rarely exceeds 1 foot (305 mm) in Ireland. Page 15 of 53

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i) “TELECOMMUNICATIONS CABLE”

ii) The name of the licensed network operator(s) or authority responsible for the ongoing maintenance of the duct system.

______Example: TELECOMMUNICATIONS CABLE EIRCOM TELECOMMUNICATIONS

3.15 Sub-ducting In order to increase the utilisation of primary ducts and facilitate duct sharing, it is recommended that three sub-ducts should be drawn into each primary duct.

Each section of sub-duct consists of a continuous length of plastic pipe delivered to site coiled in lengths of typically 800 to 1,000 meters (available in various diameters). This provides for 3 or more cables to be pulled in later, with maximum protection afforded to the cables already in situ. Different colours are usually used to identify each sub-duct running in a primary duct27.

3.16 Typical four Typical four duct sections for laneways, hard strips, hard shoulders and verges, with marker duct section tape and sub-duct provided are shown in Figure 3.3. ______Figure 3.3 – Typical four duct sections with sub-duct and marker tape provided – National Primary and Secondary Roads

Reinstatement to National/Local Authority Specifications

750 mm

minimum 600 mm Marker Tape cover minimum cover

Marker Tape Back-fill to National/Local 300 mm Authority Specifications

300 mm Four Primary Ducts each containing three sub-ducts

Four Primary Ducts Back-fill each containing e.g. compacted sand, Marker Tape three sub-ducts pea gravel, concrete

Adequate access Marker Tape for compaction

Adequate access for compaction Laneways 27 Verges Sub-ducts coloured red orHard yellow Strips/Shoulders should not be used so as to avoid any risk of confusion with electricity or gas services respectively. Page 16 of 53

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3.17 Cleaning and Ducts should be cleaned with an approved brush in accordance with manufacturer’s testing ducts instructions. Ducts should be tested by drawing a cylindrical mandrel through the entire length of the duct. The diameter of the mandrel should be 10mm less than the inside diameter of the duct and it should have a roping eye on each end to allow it to be drawn through the duct by the rope, and in the process draw in a replacement rope.

3.18 Draw lines Draw lines should be provided in all duct sections between cable chambers. Draw lines should be in one piece with slack and should have a minimum breaking strength of 8kN.

3.19 Duct plugs/caps After fitting draw lines, all open ends of ducts should be capped with purpose made plugs or caps to prevent ingress of water, silt or foreign matter.

3.20 Cable chambers Network operators generally express a strong preference for having exclusive access to General “their” cable chambers so as to eliminate the risk of cable damage by other network operators’ working parties. However, taking account of: • the number of operators now licensed; • the need to optimise the utilisation of duct-ways along national primary and secondary roads; • the need to reduce the likelihood of further road openings and minimise nuisance and disruption to the public, and damage to roads and footways; • the need to keep chamber cover clutter down to an acceptable level; it is no longer realistic for network operators to expect chamber exclusivity for trunk network cables along national primary and secondary roads.

3.21 Cable Chambers Cable chambers should be constructed using reinforced concrete or alternatively using Construction concrete blocks (laid flat) with a concrete ring-beam at the top to support the cover. All reinforcement material should comply with the relevant BS/EN standards.

It is recommended that the minimum internal dimensions of cable chambers for trunk networks along national primary and secondary roads should be 1070 mm by 650 mm. For high capacity routes, larger chambers are provided with a typical length of 1700 mm. The depth of the cable chambers from the floor to the top of the chamber wall should be sufficient to accommodate jointing enclosures mounted vertically and should be at least 900 mm. Requirements for road crossings should also be taken into account when deciding on the depth of chambers. Refer to Appendix B.

Ground conditions can also be a factor when deciding on the appropriate chamber design. The specification for the chambers should include the provision of a sump, and where necessary, step irons, handholds and cable anchor irons. The surfaces of all metal fittings should be treated by hot dip galvanising or other equivalent means to prevent corrosion.

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Chamber covers and frames in the road, hard shoulder (strip) and verge of national primary and secondary roads should carry BS/EN 124 Group 4 loading. Chamber covers and frames should be designed so as to incorporate a permanent non-rocking feature.

Cable chambers must not be constructed directly over gas pipes or electricity cables or ducts.

3.22 Spacing between The spacing between cable chambers along duct ways for trunk network cables varies Cable Chambers between 250 m and 500m. The greater the spacing between chambers, the greater the risk of difficulties when pulling in the sub-ducts and cables and the greater the consequential risk of damage to ducting or cables, including existing cables in situ.

It is recommended that for ducts for trunk networks along national primary and secondary roads, a spacing of 250m between cable chambers be used in order to minimise potential difficulties when drawing in sub-ducts and cables.

Another factor in recommending a 250m spacing is that the amount of cable jointing activity at each chamber should be reduced (when compared with 500m spacing), and it may be possible to designate alternate chambers to particular operators for cable jointing.

3.23 Recording of The location of all primary ducts should be recorded before the trench is backfilled. Special works features such as crossings and pinch-points with other services should be included in the record. The location of all cable chambers should also be recorded. The format of the records should be compliant with harmonised specifications for the supply of mapping information to Local Authorities.

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4. COMMERCIAL SCHEMES – BUSINESS PARKS AND OFFICES

4.1 Scope of The recommendations in this section are primarily intended for application to new Recommendations commercial schemes such as business parks, industrial estates and office centres. They have been developed to ensure, as far as practicable, that underground ducting will meet the needs for future advanced telecommunications 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 access roads, footways and existing buried services. Detailed civil engineering specifications are not included in these recommendations.

4.2 Requirements for With the increase in demands for telecommunications services by businesses in recent years, Telecomms and particularly since the introduction of Direct Dialling Inwards (DDI), the delivery of Services services using high capacity digital circuits (2Mb/s) has become the norm. In addition, nearly all PABX switches now being installed require external telephone calls to be delivered on ISDN Primary Rate lines over high capacity 2Mb/s access circuits.

The use of optical fibre cable with SDH transmission systems is now the most efficient and cost effective method to deliver telecommunications services to new commercial schemes such as business parks, industrial estates and office centres. Typically, cable loops serve a number of Points of Presence (PoPs) and connect back to one or more network transmission nodes. The loop configuration enables protection switching to be provided in order to maintain service in the event of a line fault.

4.3 Current ducting Figure 4.1. is a schematic representation of the most commonly used underground ducting practice and cabling practice for access networks for a business park scheme. Two alternative access duct runs (one on each side of the access road) connect the distribution network in the park to the Network Operators’ Trunk Networks. The distribution network of primary ducts in the park are run in loops28 with reference to the access ducts, and pass by each potential customer’s premises. Each section of primary duct is fitted with three sub-ducts.

Cable chambers are provided at the service connection point for each building or group of buildings.

A radio station is also provided, and it is possible to configure network loops that originate and terminate at the radio station.

28 Minimum four primary ducts per loop. Page 19 of 53

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______Figure 4.1 – Typical current cabling practice for business park schemes for telecommunications services

AEC

______

4.4 Recommended When designing a ducting plan for a business park, industrial estate or office centre, it is design recommended that the following provisions be included in the plan: provisions a) to provide for diversity, at least two alternative access duct runs should be provided to connect the distribution network in the park or centre to the Network Operators’ Trunk Networks29. A minimum of four primary ducts should be provided in each access duct run; b) the distribution network of primary ducts in the park should be run in loops with reference to the access ducts, rather than a simple branch configuration, and should pass by each potential customer’s premises. A minimum of four primary ducts should be provided in each distribution duct run. If an area has been designated for a radio tower to also serve the park or centre, the distribution network should also pass by the radio site; c) additional bridging sections between cable chambers should be provided to allow for general flexibility, and in particular to allow for sub-loops to be configured; d) in the event of a radio station being provided, it should be possible to configure network loops which originate and terminate at the radio station; e) three sub-ducts should be drawn into each section of primary duct; f) cable chambers should be provided at bends to assist in drawing in and bending the cables and for connecting sub-ducts;

29 Ideally they should be routed along different access roads but if only one access road is available, they should be run one on each side of the access road. Page 20 of 53

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g) cable chambers should be provided at the service connection point for each building or group of buildings; h) the cable chambers at service connection points should be large enough to accommodate coiled slack cable from which pairs of fibres may be run into the adjacent building at a later date; i) service connection cables into the customer’s premises should always be run in plastic pipes to facilitate replacement of cable. Polythene pipes with a nominal ID of 90 mm are recommended. Direct buried cables should not be used; j) the overall configuration of ducts, cable chambers and service connections chosen should facilitate the provision of additional cable capacity or replacement of existing cables; k) provision should be made for Access Equipment Cabinets (AECs) adjacent to service connection points if required; l) the overall design of the ducting plan should, as far as practicable, take account of possible enlargements to the park or centre in the future.

4.5 Service It is recommended that a service connection point be provided for each building which may Connection have one or more occupants. The service connection(s) may consist of one or more optical fibre pair looped through the customer’s premises or through an external Access Equipment Cabinet (AEC), in which case, copper cable pairs are likely to be used to provide the connection from the AEC into the customer’s premises. In the case of buildings with more than one occupant, both configurations may be used.

It is recommended that the configuration chosen for each service connection should be capable of providing for reasonable additional access capacity to meet future needs and should not restrict the future choice of services or service providers.

4.6 Service It is recommended that the service connection cables into the customers’ premises are run in Connection plastic pipes, typically polythene pipes with a nominal ID of 90 mm, to facilitate the provision Ducts of additional or replacement cables. It is strongly recommended that the use of direct buried cables for service connections be avoided. Consideration should also be given to providing for physical diversity.

4.7 Communications It is further recommended that an area within the building be made available by the Rooms landlord/occupant(s) as a Communications Room to provide for Network Operators to terminate their optical fibre cable pairs with transmission equipment and cross-connect to the feeder cables serving the building. The Communications Room should: • be on the ground or basement floor; • have minimum floor dimensions of 2m by 3m; • be as near as possible to the service connection point; • be secure from unauthorised access; • have reasonable access for delivery of equipment; • be dry and well ventilated; • be accessible with regard to feeder cable runs.

The Communications Room should be shared by Network Operators providing services to occupant(s) within the building. In some large buildings it may be necessary to provide more than one Communications Room.

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New products are being developed to facilitate the distribution of access fibres within buildings using fibre-blowing techniques. Micro-conduit is pre-installed from the AEC or Communications Room to the service point and fibre pairs are blown through the conduit as required.

4.8 Access In the event of a Communications Room not being made available, it will be necessary to Equipment provide ground space outside the building to locate Access Equipment Cabinets (AECs). In Cabinets this situation, it is likely that each operator serving the building will provide a cabinet specified to meet its particular equipment requirements.

Cases may also arise where all occupants in a building do not have an entitlement to use the Communications Room for access, and in such cases external AECs may have to be used. It is also possible to provide space within a building for AECs but this in effect is equivalent to providing a Communications Room.

When sited outdoors, planning permission will be required for the erection of external AECs and they should be included in the initial planning applications for the development.

4.9 Ducts A minimum of four primary ducts with an internal diameter of not less than 90 mm30 should be provided in each access and distribution duct run.

The ducts should be constructed from unplasticated polyvinylchloride (UPVC) and should be sem-rigid and have a high performance specification with regard to resistance to crushing, deformation and impact damage. Low-grade UPVC ducts should not be used. The ducts should have a smooth internal bore to minimise friction.

The Local Roads Authorities may require network operators to lay additional ducts for potential future use to better utilise the duct-ways and to reduce the likelihood of further road openings by other operators.

4.10 Duct colour All access ducts and service connection ducts should be coloured green or grey. Ducts and lettering coloured red, yellow or blue should not be used so as to avoid any risk of confusion with electricity, gas or water services respectively. It is also recommended that the name of the licensed network operator(s) or authority responsible for the ongoing maintenance of the duct system should be printed in block capitals continuously along its length.

4.11 Location of Where a suitable verge is provided, the distribution ducts (minimum four) should be laid in Ducts the verge. The existing or planned location of other services and relevant local considerations should be taken into account when deciding the lateral position of the duct run in the verge.

30 Commonly referred to as 100 mm (4 ins) nominal diameter. Page 22 of 53

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Where no verge is provided, the ducts should be laid under the pavement or footway, and if this is not possible, under the roadway.

Medium or long term development plans for the park or estate, where applicable, should also be taken into account when deciding on the location of ducts.

4.12 Ducts for Cable Replacement of distribution and service connection cables may be required for, inter alia, the Replacement following reasons: • replacement of faulty or damaged cable • provision of additional capacity • network reconfiguration for new/additional services • provision of unbundled access capacity It is recommended that sufficient spare cable ducts are provided in the distribution network for the provision of replacement cables. To avoid excessive interruptions to service, it is generally necessary31 to have the new cables available for service before the old cables can be off-loaded and recovered.

It is also recommended that service connection cables into the customer’s premises are always run in plastic pipes, typically polythene pipes with a nominal ID of 90 mm, to facilitate replacement of cable. Direct buried cables should not be used.

4.13 Separation In order to provide an acceptable level of public safety and to permit reasonable access by between services: working parties without undue risks to personnel or equipment, the separation distances Electricity between underground telecommunications and electricity cables should not be less than the minimum clearances specified in Figure 4.232

Figure 4.2 – Minimum permissible clearances between underground electricity and telecommunications cables. Minimum permissible separation distance in mm Low voltage Medium voltage High voltage High voltage 220V and 380V 10kV and 20 kV 38kV 110kV to 400kV

Crossings* 300 mm# 300 mm 300mm 300 mm

Parallels** 300mm# 300 mm 300 mm## 300 mm##

** Ducts for telecommunications cables must not be laid over electricity cables or ducts along a duct run.

# This clearance has been increased with respect to previous publications.

## This clearance has been reduced with respect to previous publications.

31 In the event of a major cable fault, an existing cable may have to be replaced before service is restored. 32 In accordance with information provided by the Electricity Supply Board. Page 23 of 53

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Service connection cables into the customer’s premises run in plastic pipes, typically polythene pipes with a nominal ID of 90 mm, should be spaced a minimum distance of 100mm from electricity cables.

Telecommunications Network Operators must put in place safe systems of work when undertaking ducting and cabling work in proximity to electric services33.

4.14 Separation In order to provide for subsequent excavation down to and around gas pipes for maintenance between services: or repair purposes, a minimum parallel clearance of 250 mm is recommended between Gas telecommunications ducts and gas pipes.34

4.15 Laying of The alignment of the duct run should be as straight as possible in the horizontal and vertical Access Ducts directions.

Trenching and backfilling under roadways, must be carried out in such a manner so as to avoid interference with the effective working of the drainage system for the roadway.

It is recommended that ducting be laid as late as possible during the construction programme, in order to minimise the potential exposure to duct damage.

4.16 Proximity to trees When installing cable ducts in close proximity to trees, additional precautions are required to avoid damage to the trees and in particular to the roots. Applicable Local Authority guidelines should be complied with, or in the absence of such guidelines, NJUG 10 guidelines35 should be applied.

5.17 Depth of Cover The depth of cover is the vertical distance between the top of the ducts and the ground surface. The minimum depth of cover recommended for telecommunications ducts is 450 mm. This depth of cover facilitate the provision of marker tape at a safe distance above the ducts, and exceeds the maximum limit for frost penetration in Ireland36. The maximum depth of cover should not exceed 1000mm except where special local circumstances apply.

The following minimum depths of cover are recommended for the various ground configurations for parks, estates and office centres: Footways/Pavements 450 mm minimum*

33 Refer to “Avoiding danger from underground services” – Booklet HS(G)47 published by Health and Safety Executive, UK. 34 In accordance with National Joint Utilities Group (UK) recommended positioning - Publication No 7/Jan 1997. 35 National Joint Utilities Group (UK) - Publication No 10/April 1995. 36 Frost penetration rarely exceeds 1 foot (305 mm) in Ireland. Page 24 of 53

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Verges37 450 mm minimum Estate/Park roads 600 mm minimum* Non-Estate/Park roads 750 mm minimum*

*The above minimum depths are in line with those required by the Office of the Director of Traffic, Dublin Corporation.

Network operators should have regard to the location of other services when deciding on the depth of cover to be used.

4.18 Duct Joints Pipe sections should be jointed together in compliance with the manufacturers jointing system and should result in a continuous smooth internal surface free from sharp edges and protrusions. The jointing system should be sufficient to prevent the ingress of silt or other foreign matter.

4.19 Duct bedding, Bedding, surround and backfill for duct trenches should be specified in accordance with best surround and practice for verges, footways, pavements and roadways. In this regard, reference should be backfill made to specifications issued by the National Roads Authority and the Local Authorities including the Office of the Director of Traffic, Dublin Corporation.

4.20 Marker Tape Marker tape should be laid directly above each section of duct at a depth of 300 mm above the top of the ducts. The tape should provide full lateral cover over the ducts and should be in vertical alignment with the duct run. For large duct configurations, more than one width of tape may be necessary to cover the extra width of the duct section.

i) “TELECOMMUNICATIONS CABLE”

ii) The name of the licensed network operator(s) or authority responsible for the ongoing maintenance of the duct system.

______Example: TELECOMMUNICATIONS CABLE EIRCOM TELECOMMUNICATIONS

4.21 Sub-ducting In order to increase the utilisation of primary ducts and facilitate duct sharing, it is recommended that three sub-ducts should be drawn into each primary duct.

37 Within business parks, industrial estates and other business centres. Page 25 of 53

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in situ. Different colours are usually used to identify each sub-duct running in a primary duct38.

4.22 Typical two Typical two duct sections for roads, footways, pavements and verges with sub-ducts and duct section marker tape provided are shown in Figure 4.3

______Figure 4.3 – Typical four duct section with sub-duct and marker tape provided – Business Parks and Estates

Reinstatement to National/Local Authority Specifications

Back-fill Marker Tape to National/Local 450 mm Authority Specification minimum cover 300 mm 600 mm minimum 300 mm 750 mm cover Marker Tape minimum cover

Four Primary Ducts each containing 300 mm three sub-ducts

Back-fill Adequate access e.g. compacted sand, for compaction pea gravel, concrete

Adequate access for compaction

Adequate access for compaction Footways, Non-Estate/Park Estate/Park Pavements, Roads Roads Verges

38 Sub-ducts coloured red or yellow should not be used so as to avoid any risk of confusion with electricity or gas services respectively. Page 26 of 53

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4.23 Cleaning and Ducts should be cleaned with an approved brush in accordance with manufacturer’s testing ducts instructions. Ducts should be tested by drawing a cylindrical mandrel through the entire length of the duct. The diameter of the mandrel should be 10mm less than the inside diameter of the duct and it should have a roping eye on each end to allow it to be drawn through the duct by the rope, and in the process draw in a replacement rope.

4.24 Draw lines Draw lines should be provided in all duct sections between cable chambers. Draw lines should be in one piece with slack and should have a minimum breaking strength of 8kN.

4.25 Duct plugs/caps After fitting draw lines, all open ends of ducts should be capped with purpose made plugs or caps to prevent ingress of water, silt or foreign matter.

4.26 Cable chambers Network operators generally express a strong preference for having exclusive access to General “their” cable chambers so as to eliminate the risk of cable damage by other network operators’ working parties. There is some merit in adopting this approach in the distribution networks for business schemes, as the frequency of cable jointing work in cable chambers is higher (but not significantly higher) than for trunk networks. However, taking account of: • the number of operators now licensed; • the need to optimise the utilisation of duct-ways under pavements/footways; • the need to reduce the likelihood of further ground openings and minimise nuisance and disruption to the public, and damage to roads and footways; • the need to keep chamber cover clutter down to an acceptable level, cable distribution networks for business schemes need to be designed in such a way as to avoid excessive proliferation of cable chambers and to use shared ducts and cable chambers where appropriate.

4.27 Cable Chambers Cable chambers should be constructed using reinforced concrete or alternatively using Construction concrete blocks (laid flat) with a concrete ring-beam at the top to support the cover. All reinforcement material should comply with the relevant BS/EN standards.

It is recommended that the minimum internal dimensions of cable chambers in distribution networks should be 1310 mm by 615 mm. The depth of the cable chambers from the floor to the top of the chamber wall should be sufficient to accommodate jointing enclosures mounted vertically and should be at least 900 mm. Requirements for road crossings should also be taken into account when deciding on the depth of chambers. Refer to Appendix B.

Chamber covers and frames in the road or other areas subject to vehicular traffic should carry BS/EN 124 Group 4 loading. Chamber covers and frames in the pavement/footway and not

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subject to vehicular traffic should carry BS/EN 124 Group 2 loading. Chamber covers and frames should be designed so as to incorporate a permanent non-rocking feature.

Chambers should be positioned clear of the kerb line. Cable chambers must not be constructed directly over gas pipes or electricity cables or ducts.

4.28 Spacing between The spacing between cable chambers in business parks, industrial estates and office centres is Cable Chambers primarily determined by the layout of the scheme including the layout of roads and business units. The spacing should not exceed 250 m, in order to minimise the risk of difficulties when pulling in the cables, and the consequential risk of damage to ducting or cables, including existing cables in situ.

4.29 Recording of The location of all primary ducts should be recorded before the trench is backfilled. Special works features such as crossings and pinch-points with other services should be included in the record. The location of all cable chambers and Access Equipment Cabinets should also be recorded. The format of the records should be compliant with harmonised specifications for the supply of mapping information to Local Authorities.

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5. RESIDENTIAL SCHEMES

5.1 Scope of The recommendations in this section are primarily intended for application to new residential Recommendations schemes. They have been developed to ensure, as far as practicable, that underground ducting will meet the needs for future advanced telecommunications 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 existing buried services. Detailed civil engineering specifications are not included in these recommendations.

5.2 Requirements for The majority of existing residential schemes have been cabled by eircom and the cable TV Telecomms company39 to provide telephony and cable TV services using copper cable pairs and co-axial Services cable respectively. The liberalisation of the telecommunications market and changes in the profile of services required by residential consumers will require a more flexible and future proof approach to the provision of cable infrastructure for residential schemes.

Residential housing densities in urban areas are also increasing significantly, with an increasing number of apartment blocks and other in-fill developments. 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 power40 have to meet reasonable requests from other network operators for unbundled access to their local loops41 and related facilities from 31st December 2000. Increasing housing densities and Unbundling of the Local Loop should also be taken into account when applying these recommendations.

5.3 Current ducting Figure 5.1 is a schematic representation of the most commonly used underground ducting and practice cabling practice for access networks for the provision of residential telephony services. Large subscriber cables (up to 2000 pair cables in 100mm ducts) radiate out from the local telephone exchange. Along each cable run, bundles of pairs are branched off to serve designated areas such as housing estates. Cable cabinets are provided over-ground to provide some flexibility – cable pairs from the exchange may be cross-connected with cable pairs to the customers’ premises. Further branching is provided as required to serve individual groups of customers. An underground jointing chamber is provided, typically to serve 4 to 6 customers, and directly buried cables are run from the chamber into each customer’s premises42. Alternatively, a distribution pole and drop wires are used.

Figure 5.2 is a schematic representation of the most commonly used underground ducting and cabling practice for access networks for the provision of residential cable TV services. A branched network of co-axial cable, which is fed from the backbone trunk network, serves a designated area. Each branch serves a designated number of residences. A spur cable is run from a tee connection with the branch cable into each customer’s premises. In the past, a significant proportion of local distribution networks consisted of overhead cabling run along the facade of buildings, but for more recent developments, the local distribution cables are

39 Licensed to provide radio and television re-broadcasting services in the area. 40 eircom, has been designated as having significant market power in the provision of fixed public telephone networks and services 41 The local loop is the copper cable pair connecting the customer’s premises to the local telephone exchange. 42 The use of directly buried cable is not compliant with these Recommendations - see section 5.4 i). Page 29 of 53

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being run in underground ducts and the service connections (spur cables) consist of directly buried cables43. ______Figure 5.1 – Typical current cabling practice for residential schemes for voice telephony service.

Local Telephone Exchange

Cabinet

______Figure 5.2 - Typical current cabling practice for residential schemes for cable television service.

Head End

43 The use of direct buried cable is not compliant with these recommendations - see section 5.4 i). Page 30 of 53

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Cabinet

5.4 Recommended When designing a ducting plan for a residential scheme, it is recommended that the following design provisions be included in the plan: provisions a) the overall configuration of ducts, cable chambers, manipulation boxes and service connections chosen should facilitate the provision of services requiring the different service connection configurations – see section 5.6; b) the overall configuration of ducts, cable chambers, manipulation boxes and service connections chosen should facilitate the provision of additional cable capacity or replacement of existing cables; c) the network of main distribution ducts serving the residential scheme should be run in loops rather than a simple branch configuration, and should pass by each potential customer’s premises; d) a minimum of two main distribution ducts should be provided in each duct run. For network operators who have been, or are likely to be designated as having significant market power44, and have to provide unbundled access to their local loops, sufficient ducts in excess of the minimum should be provided; e) cable chambers should be provided at appropriate locations to serve service connection groups, but excessive proliferation of cable chambers should be avoided; f) cable chambers should be provided at bends to assist in drawing in and bending the cables; g) additional bridging sections between cable chambers should be provided to allow for general flexibility, and in particular to allow for sub-loops to be configured; h) manipulation boxes should be provided for each customer’s premises or group of customers premises and each should be connected by duct back to the main distribution cable duct; i) service connection cables into the customer’s premises should always be run in plastic pipes to facilitate replacement of cable. Polythene pipes with a nominal ID of 50 or 90 mm are recommended. Direct buried cables should not be used; j) provision should be made for Access Equipment Cabinets (AECs) at appropriate locations in the main distribution network; k) if diversity is required, at least two alternative access duct runs should be provided to connect the main distribution network to the Network Operators’ Trunk Networks. Ideally they should be routed along different access roads but if only one access road is available, they should be run one on each side of the access road; l) the overall design of the ducting plan should, as far as practicable, take account of possible enlargements to the residential scheme in the future.

5.5 Providing for Residential housing densities in urban areas are increasing significantly, with an Apartment Blocks increasing number of apartment blocks and other in-fill developments. The duct network should facilitate the provision of overlay capacity e.g. optical fibre cable, to enable service to be provided to apartments and in-fill developments. Access Equipment Cabinets (AEC) may also be required to facilitate service provision and may be sited externally or internally. See section 5.28.

44 In the provision of fixed public telephone networks and services Page 31 of 53

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New products are being developed to facilitate the distribution of access fibres within buildings using fibre blowing techniques. Micro-conduit is pre-installed from the AEC or Communications Room to the service point and fibre pairs are blown through the conduit as required.

5.6 Service The majority of service connections used in residential schemes fall into one of three Connection configurations: Configurations Branch connection Loop and Tee connection Full Loop connection

5.6.1 Branch Where a Branch connection is used, a spur cable is branched off the main Connection distribution cable and run into the customer’s premises. See Figure 5.3. An example is a copper cable pair, branched off from the main subscriber cable, and run into the customer’s premises to provide telephony services.

5.6.2 Loop and Tee Where a Loop and Tee connection is used, a loop of the main distribution cable passes the Connection customer’s premises, and a spur cable is run from a tee connection with the main cable into the customer’s premises. See Figure 5.3. An example is a co-axial cable, teed off the main cable and run into the customer’s premises to provide cable television services.

5.6.3 Full Loop Where a full loop connection is used, part or all of the main distribution cable is looped Connection through the customer’s premises. See Figure 5.3. An example is a pair of optical fibres looped into a house (which has been changed from residential to commercial use) to provide Primary Rate ISDN services.

______Figure 5.3 – Service Connection Configurations

Customer’s Customer’s Customer’s Premises Premises Premises

Boundary Boundary Boundary

Branch Loop and Tee Full Loop Connection Connection Connection

______

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5.7 Recommended Having regard to the recommended design provisions set out in section 5.4, the use of one of Service the following two service connection configurations is recommended for residential schemes. Connection Configurations Configuration One is particularly suitable for loop and tee connections used to provide cable TV services. The co-axial distribution cable is fed from the nearest cable chamber via a main distribution duct fitted with swept-tees and short branch ducts to the Manipulation Boxes (MBs). Tee connections are made with each loop of distribution cable in the MBs and run into the customers’ premises in plastic pipes45 (typically 50 mm nominal ID polythene). Additional distribution ducts are provided as required to carry distribution cables serving other service connection groups. Configuration One can also be used for branch connections and full loop connections to provide telephony and other services.

Configuration Two is particularly suitable for branch connections used to provide telephony services. Cable pairs from the distribution cable(s) passing through the nearest cable chamber are fed via plastic pipes46 (typically 50 mm nominal ID polythene) to each Manipulation Box from where they are extended into the customers’ premises in similar plastic pipes. Configuration Two can also be used for loop and tee connections and full loop connections to provide cable TV and other services.

______Figure 5.4 – Service Connection Configuration One – Ducting Plan for Residential Schemes

Customer’s Customer’s Customer’s Customer’s Premises Premises Premises Premises

MB MB MB MB Boundary

Cable Cable Chamber Chamber

MB – Manipulation Box This diagram is a schematic and is not to scale.

______Figure 5.5 – Service Connection Configuration Two – Ducting Plan for Residential Schemes

Customer’s Customer’s Customer’s Customer’s Premises Premises Premises Premises

45 Pipes coloured red or yellow should not be used so as to avoid any risk of confusion with electricity or gas services. 46 Pipes coloured red or yellow should not be used so as to avoid any risk of confusion with electricity or gas services. Page 33 of 53

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Boundary MB MB MB MB

Cable Chamber

5.8 DuctsMB – Manipulation Box A minimum of two main distribution ducts with an internal diameter of not less than 90 mm47 This diagram is a schematic and is not to scale. should be provided in each duct run. The ducts should be constructed from unplasticated polyvinylchloride (UPVC) and should be sem-rigid and have a high performance specification with regard to resistance to crushing, deformation and impact damage. Low grade UPVC ducts should not be used. The ducts should have a smooth internal bore to minimise friction.

5.9 Duct colour All distribution ducts and service connection ducts should be coloured green or grey. Ducts and lettering coloured red, yellow or blue should not be used so as to avoid any risk of confusion with electricity, gas or water services respectively. It is also recommended that, for distribution ducts, the name of the licensed network operator(s) or authority responsible for the ongoing maintenance of the duct system should be printed in block capitals continuously along its length.

5.10 Location of Where a suitable verge is provided, the distribution ducts (minimum two) should be laid in the Ducts verge. The existing and planned location of other services and relevant local considerations should be taken into account when deciding the lateral position of the duct run in the verge.

Where no verge is provided, the ducts should be laid under the pavement or footway, and if this is not possible, under the roadway.

Medium or long term development plans for each residential scheme, where applicable, should also be taken into account when deciding on the location of ducts.

5.11 Ducts for Cable Replacement of distribution and service connection cables may be required for, inter alia, the Replacement following reasons: • replacement of faulty or damaged cable • provision of additional capacity • network reconfiguration for new/additional services

47 Commonly referred to as 100 mm (4 ins) nominal diameter. Page 34 of 53

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• provision of unbundled access capacity

It is recommended that sufficient spare cable ducts are provided in the distribution network for the provision of replacement cables. To avoid excessive interruptions to service, it is generally necessary48 to have the new cables available for service before the old cables can be off-loaded and recovered.

It is also recommended that service connection cables into the customer’s premises are always run in plastic pipes, typically 50 mm nominal ID polythene, to facilitate replacement of cable. Direct buried cables should not be used.

5.12 Separation In order to provide an acceptable level of public safety and to permit reasonable access by between services: working parties without undue risks to personnel or equipment, the separation distances Electricity between underground telecommunications and electricity cables should not be less than the minimum clearances specified in Figure 3.249

Figure 5.6 – Minimum permissible clearances between underground electricity and telecommunications cables. Minimum permissible separation distance in mm Low voltage Medium voltage High voltage High voltage 220V and 380V 10kV and 20 kV 38kV 110kV to 400kV

Crossings* 300 mm# 300 mm 300mm 300 mm

Parallels** 300mm# 300 mm 300 mm## 300 mm##

** Ducts for telecommunications cables must not be laid over electricity cables or ducts along a duct run.

# This clearance has been increased with respect to previous publications.

## This clearance has been reduced with respect to previous publications.

Service connection cables into the customer’s premises run in plastic pipes, typically polythene pipes with a nominal ID of 50mm, should be spaced a minimum distance of 100mm from electricity cables.

Telecommunications Network Operators must put in place safe systems of work when undertaking ducting and cabling work in proximity to electric services50.

5.13 Separation In order to provide for subsequent excavation down to and around gas pipes for maintenance between services: or repair purposes, a minimum parallel clearance of 250 mm is recommended between

48 In the event of a major cable fault, an existing cable may have to be replaced before service is restored. 49 In accordance with information provided by the Electricity Supply Board. 50 Refer to “Avoiding danger from underground services” – Booklet HS(G)47 published by Health and Safety Executive, UK. Page 35 of 53

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Gas telecommunications ducts and gas pipes.51

5.14 Laying of The alignment of the duct run should be as straight as possible in the horizontal and vertical Ducts directions.

Trenching and backfilling under roadways, must be carried out in such a manner so as to avoid interference with the effective working of the drainage system for the roadway.

It is recommended that ducting be laid as late as possible during the construction programme, in order to minimise the potential exposure to duct damage.

5.15 Proximity to trees When installing cable ducts in close proximity to trees, additional precautions are required to avoid damage to the trees and in particular to the roots. Applicable Local Authority guidelines should be complied with, or in the absence of such guidelines, NJUG 10 guidelines52 should be applied.

5.16 Depth of Cover The depth of cover is the vertical distance between the top of the ducts and the ground surface. The minimum depth of cover recommended for telecommunications ducts is 450 mm. This depth of cover facilitate the provision of marker tape at a safe distance above the ducts, and exceeds the maximum limit for frost penetration in Ireland53. The maximum depth of cover should not exceed 1000mm except where special local circumstances apply.

The following minimum depths of cover are recommended for the various ground configurations: Footways/Pavements 450 mm minimum* Verges54 450 mm minimum Estate roads 600 mm minimum* Non-Estate roads 750 mm minimum*

*The above minimum depths are in line with those required by the Office of the Director of Traffic, Dublin Corporation.

Network operators should have regard to the location of other services when deciding on the depth of cover to be used.

51 In accordance with National Joint Utilities Group (UK) recommended positioning - Publication No 7/Jan 1997. 52 National Joint Utilities Group (UK) - Publication No 10/April 1995. 53 Frost penetration rarely exceeds 1 foot (305 mm) in Ireland. 54 Within residential schemes. Page 36 of 53

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5.17 Duct Joints Pipe sections should be jointed together in compliance with the manufacturers jointing system and should result in a continuous smooth internal surface free from sharp edges and protrusions. The jointing system should be sufficient to prevent the ingress of silt or other foreign matter.

5.18 Duct bedding, Bedding, surround and backfill for duct trenches should be specified in accordance with best surround and practice for verges, footways, pavements and roadways. In this regard, reference should be backfill made to specifications issued by the National Roads Authority and the Local Authorities including the Office of the Director of Traffic, Dublin Corporation.

5.19 Marker Tape Marker tape should be laid directly above each section of duct at a depth of 300 mm above the top of the ducts. The tape should provide full lateral cover over the ducts and should be in vertical alignment with the duct run. For large duct configurations, more than one width of tape may be necessary to cover the extra width of the duct section.

i) “TELECOMMUNICATIONS CABLE”

ii) The name of the licensed network operator(s) or authority responsible for the ongoing maintenance of the duct system.

______Example: TELECOMMUNICATIONS CABLE EIRCOM TELECOMMUNICATIONS

5.20 Typical two Typical two duct sections for roads, footways, pavements and verges, with marker tape duct sections provided, are shown in Figure 5.7

______Figure 5.7 – Typical two duct sections with marker tape provided – Residential Schemes

Reinstatement to National/Local Authority Specifications 450 mm Marker Back-fill minimum Tape 600 mm to National/Local minimum cover Authority Specification cover 300 mm

750 mm 300 mm minimum Two cover Primary Ducts 300 mm

Adequate access Page 37 of 53 for compaction Back-fill e.g. compacted sand, Adequate access pea gravel, concrete for compaction

Adequate access

Recommendations for UG Works Business & Technology Division

5.21 Cleaning and Ducts should be cleaned with an approved brush in accordance with manufacturer’s testing ducts instructions. Ducts should be tested by drawing a cylindrical mandrel through the entire length of the duct. The diameter of the mandrel should be 10mm less than the inside diameter of the duct and it should have a roping eye on each end to allow it to be drawn through the duct by the rope, and in the process draw in a replacement rope.

5.22 Draw lines Draw-lines should be provided in all duct sections between cable chambers. Draw-lines should be in one piece with slack and should have a minimum breaking strength of 8kN.

5.23 Duct plugs/caps After fitting draw-lines, all open ends of ducts should be capped with purpose made plugs or caps to prevent ingress of water, silt or foreign matter.

5.24 Cable chambers Network operators generally express a strong preference for having exclusive access to General “their” cable chambers so as to eliminate the risk of cable damage by other network operators’ working parties. There is some merit in adopting this approach in the distribution networks for residential schemes, as the frequency of cable jointing work in cable chambers is higher (and sometimes significantly higher) than for trunk networks. However, taking account of: • the number of operators now licensed; • the need to optimise the utilisation of duct-ways under pavements/footways; • the need to reduce the likelihood of further ground openings and minimise nuisance and disruption to the public, and damage to roads and footways; • the need to keep chamber cover clutter down to an acceptable level, cable distribution networks for residential schemes need to be designed in such a way as to avoid excessive proliferation of cable chambers and to use shared ducts and cable chambers where appropriate.

5.25 Cable Chambers Cable chambers should be constructed using reinforced concrete or alternatively using Construction concrete blocks (laid flat) with a concrete ring-beam at the top to support the cover. All reinforcement material should comply with the relevant BS/EN standards.

It is recommended that the minimum internal dimensions of cable chambers in distribution networks should be 1310 mm by 615 mm. The depth of the cable chambers from the floor to

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the top of the chamber wall should be sufficient to accommodate jointing enclosures mounted vertically and should be at least 900 mm. Requirements for road crossings should also be taken into account when deciding on the depth of chambers. Refer to Appendix B.

Chamber covers and frames in the road or other areas subject to vehicular traffic should carry BS/EN 124 Group 4 loading. Chamber covers and frames in the pavement/footway and not subject to vehicular traffic should carry BS/EN 124 Group 2 loading. Chamber covers and frames should be designed so as to incorporate a permanent non-rocking feature.

Chambers should be positioned clear of the kerb line. Cable chambers must not be constructed directly over gas pipes or electricity cables or ducts.

5.26 Spacing between The spacing between cable chambers in residential schemes is primarily determined by the Cable Chambers layout of the scheme including the layout of roads and residential units. The spacing should not exceed 250 m, in order to minimise the risk of difficulties when pulling in the cables, and the consequential risk of damage to ducting or cables, including existing cables in situ.

5.27 Location of Manipulation boxes should be located close to the boundary between the customer’s premises Manipulation and the public footway, pavement, verge or roadway. This helps to avoid long cable Boxes distribution runs and consequential signal degradation when using loop and tee connections. It also helps to avoid further excavations of public footways and pavements to access service connections.

5.28 Access Access Equipment Cabinets (AECs) are used in telephony access networks to house cable Equipment termination frames that provide some flexibility in the use of cable pairs. Typically, cable Cabinets pairs incoming from the local telephone exchange can be cross-connected with pairs outgoing to the customers’ premises or points of service within a building. There is a growing trend to also house some electronic equipment in these cabinets, in particular where optical fibre cable is used in the access network from the local telephone exchange to the cabinet, and copper pairs are used from the cabinet to customers’ premises. AECs are also used by cable TV operators to house equipment to interface backbone trunk networks cables (optical fibre cable) with local distribution networks (co-axial cable), and also signal amplification and distribution equipment.

AECs may be sited outdoors or within a building. When sited outdoors, planning permission will be required and should be included in the initial planning applications for the

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development. It is likely that each operator serving the residential scheme will need to provide AECs to meet their particular requirements.

5.29 Recording of The location of all distribution ducts should be recorded before the trench is backfilled. works Special features such as crossings and pinch-points with other services should be included in the record. The location of all cable chambers and Access Equipment Cabinets should also be recorded. The format of the records should be compliant with harmonised specifications for the supply of mapping information to Local Authorities.

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APPENDIX A

TERMS AND DEFINITIONS

In this document, the following terms and definitions apply:

Access Equipment An equipment cabinet used in access networks to house cable termination frames and Cabinets electronic equipment. They are usually sited outdoors.

Access Networks The networks which provides the connections between the customers’ premises and the national or urban backbone networks.

Basic A licences issued by the Office of the Director of Telecommunications Regulation for the Telecommunications provision of public telecommunications networks, services and systems other than those that Licence either require a General Licence or are exempted under section 4A of the Telegraph Act, 1869 as amended.

Branch connection A service connection where a spur cable is branched off the main distribution cable and run into the customer’s premises.

Cable chambers An underground chamber fitted with an access cover and provided for the purpose of pulling in, bending and jointing cables.

Depth of cover The vertical distance between the top of buried ducts and the finished surface, e.g. road surface.

Digital exchange An automatic public telephone exchange equipped with a digital switch.

Dense wave division A method for transmitting more than one high speed digital signal (each containing many multiplexing (DWDM) voice equivalent circuits) along an optical fibre.

Direct dialling inwards A service feature that provides for direct dialling to a private extension telephone without the assistance of an operator.

Duct-ways In these Recommendations, the underground sections of real property running beneath roads, hard shoulders, footways, pavements and road verges where cable ducts (and pipes) for the provision of services are laid, are referred to as duct-ways.

Equivalent voice circuit A circuit equivalent to 64 Kbits/s, which is the industry standard for digital transmission of voice telephony in fixed networks.

Optical fibre cable An optical fibre cable consist of a number of pairs of glass strands and a core strength member (usually metal) encased in several outer protection sheaths and filled with a jelly like substance to prevent the ingress of moisture.

Fixed wireless point to A radio point to multi-point system operating between terminal equipment at fixed locations multipoint systems and base station(s) at fixed locations, and where such base station(s) may be connected to a telecommunications network.

Footpath A way or means of passage over which there is a public right of way for pedestrians only, not being a footway.

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Footway That portion of any road associated with a roadway, which is provided primarily for use by pedestrians.

Full loop connection A service connection where part or all of the main distribution cable is looped through the customer’s premises.

General A licences issued by the Office of the Director of Telecommunications Regulation for the Telecommunications provision of public telecommunications networks, services and systems as specified in Licence Section 111 of the Postal and Telecommunications Services Act, 1983, as amended.

Head end The network node where cable TV signals are assembled and fed into the network.

Information society Transformation of the ways people live and do business by the use of information and communications technologies.

Interconnection The physical and logical linking of telecommunications networks used by the same or a different organisation in order to allow the users of one organisation to communicate with users of the same or another organisation, or to access services provided by another organisation.

Local loop The pair of copper wires which provides the connection between a telephone terminal and the local telephone exchange.

Local telephone The premises to which telephone customers within a designated area are connected by cable. exchange

Loop and tee connection A service connection where a loop of the main distribution cable passes the customer’s premises, and a spur cable is run from a tee connection with the main cable into the customer’s premises.

Manipulation box An overground box close to the customer’s premises that provides a point of flexibility for establishing one or more service connections.

Marker tape A tape laid directly above a section of ducting to indicate the presence of buried ducts, their location and other information.

Office of the Director of The Office of the Director of Telecommunications Regulation was established in June 1997 Telecommmunications under the Telecommunications (Miscellaneous Provisions Act) 1996 and is the National Regulation Regulatory Authority for the telecommunications sector in Ireland.

Pair Gain System A system comprising of two electronic devices, fitted at the ends of a copper cable pair, at the customer’s premises and at the local exchange respectively, to provide two or more telephone lines on a single cable pair.

Point of presence An established pre-cabled presence in a premises or access equipment cabinet to serve a local cluster of customers.

Road A way for vehicles and other types of traffic.

Roadway: That portion of a road which is provided primarily for the use of vehicles.

Service connection The connection between the local distribution cable and an individual premises to provide service to one or more customers.

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Synchronous digital The system for multiplexing many equivalent voice circuits into a high speed digital signal for hierarchy transmission along an optical fibre or other transmission medium which is currently in common use.

Telecommunications The transmission equipment and, where applicable, switching equipment and other resources Network which permit the conveyance of signals between defined termination points by wire, by radio, by optical or by other electromagnetic means.

Telecommunications Services whose provision consists wholly or partly in the transmission or routing of signals on Services a telecommunications network or both transmission and routing.

Trunk network A trunk networks consists of a national backbone network that interlinks stations which serve main centres of population, and urban backbone networks that interlink telecommunications stations within a designated area.

Unbundling of the The provision by notified operators (e.g. eircom) to other operators of the use of cable pairs Local loop in their access networks with facilities equivalent to those provided for their own services and on terms that are not bundled.

UPVC Unplasticated polyvinylchloride.

Verge The unpaved area flanking a roadway, forming part of the roadway and substantially at the same level.

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APPENDIX B

Recommended minimum internal dimensions for Cable Chambers

National Primary and Secondary Roads Optical fibre cables for trunk networks

Surface Level

1070 mm Minimum cover 650 mm minimum minimum Marker 750 mm for Laneways, Tape Hardstrips/Shoulders

300 mm 900 mm 600 mm for Verges minimum

Commercial Schemes - Business Parks and Offices Mainly optical fibre cables for access networks

Surface Level

1310 mm 615 mm Minimum cover minimum minimum

Marker 750 mm for Non-Estate Tape Roads,

300 mm 900 mm minimum 600 mm for Estate Roads,

450 mm for Footways, Pavements and Verges

Residential Schemes Copper pair, co-axial and optic fibre cables for access networks Surface Level

1310 mm 615 mm Minimum cover minimum minimum

Marker 750 mm for Non- Tape Estate Roads,

300 mm 600 mm for Estate Roads,

450 mm for Footways, Pavements and Verges

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Note The above schematics of cable chamber elevations are not to scale. The depth of the cable chambers should be sufficient to accommodate jointing enclosures mounted vertically.

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APPENDIX C1

List of holders of General Telecommunications Licences issued by the Office of the Director of Telecommunications Regulation

Company Address

AUCS Communications Services 2 Village Weir, Main Street, Lucan, (Ireland) Ltd. (name change from Co. Dublin. AT & T – Unisource Communications Phone No: +46 8 6868268 (Sweden) Services (Ireland) Ltd) Aurora Telecom C/o Bord Gais, D’Olier Street, Dublin 2. Phone No. 01-6021212 Budget Telecommunications Ltd. Unit 1, Courtyard Business Park, Orchard Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin. Phone No. 01-2143700 Cablelink (Acquired by NTL) 10 Pembroke Place, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4. Phone No. 7998400 Cable Management Ireland This licence was originally granted to Cable Management Ireland on 01/12/98 and was surrendered to the ODTR as of 24/11/00 Cable & Wireless Services Airton Road, Tallaght, Dublin 24. Phone No. 01-4040400 Carrier 1 AG Militärstrasse 36, CH-8004, Zürich, Switzerland. Phone No. +41 1 297 2600 Chorus (trades as Irish Corporate House, Multichannel) Mungret Street, Limerick. Phone No. 061 410400 Cignal Global Telecommunications C/o Mason Hayes & Curran, Ltd. 6 Fitzwilliam Square, Dublin 2. Phone No. 6145000 Colt Telecom Ireland Ltd. Colt Telecom Ireland Ltd, Segrave House, 19/20 Earlsford Tce, Dublin 2. Ph: 634 5900 Concert Global Networks Limited Castle River House, 14/15 Parliament Street, Dublin 2. Phone No: + 44 20 7728 4089 Eircell Unit 9, Richview Office Park, Clonskeagh, Dublin 14. Phone No. 01 - 2037777 eircom St Stephen's Green West, Dublin 2. Phone No. 01-6714444 Esat Digifone Digifone House, 76 Lower Baggot Street, Dublin 2.

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Phone No. 01-6095000

Esat Inland Limited 16. Esat Inland Limited, South Block, The Malt House, Grand Canal Quay, Dublin 2. Phone No. 01-672 4001 (transferred from PostGEM Ltd as of 24 Mar 00) Esat Net The eCentre, Unit 2, Dundrum Business Park, Dublin 14. Phone No. 01- 2166300 Esat Telecom The Malt House, Grand Canal Quay, Dublin 2. Phone No. 01-6616010 Formus Communications Ireland AIG House, North Wall Quay, Ltd. Dublin 1. Phone No: 01-887 8200 GTS GTS House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4. Phone No. 01-6315000 IDT Europe BV Ltd. Telephone House, 69-77 Paul St, London EC2A 2NQ, England. Phone No. +44 171 5496000 Interoute 3rd Floor, Hambledon House, Lr. Pembroke, Dublin 2. Phone No. 01-6617360 Irish Multichannel (see Chorus)

ITG Group (IRL) Ltd 4 Heather Road, Sandyford Industrial Estate, Dublin 18. Phone No. 01- 2076000 IXC Communications Services 26/28 Mount Row, 4th Floor, Europe London, W1Y 5DA, England. Phone No. +44 171 629 9293 LCN-Ireland Lrd. 105 Executive Drive, Suite 100A Sterling,Virginia 20166-9558, USA. Phone No. +1 703 709 7902 LDMI (previously known as 8801 Conant Street, Hamtramck, Vianvi) Michigan 48211, USA. Phone No. +1 313 8735500 Mastercall 4a South Cork Industrial Estate, Pouladuff, Co. Cork. Phone No. 021-961126 Meridian 15/16 Georges Place, Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin. Phone No. 01- 2021300 Nasc Teoranta This licence was originally granted to Nasc Limited t/a Ireland On-Line on 25/06/99 and was surrendered to the ODTR as of 27/03/00. Nevada Tele.com Hogan Place, Grand Canal Place, (previously known as Stentor) Dublin 2. Phone No. 01-2487300 Page 47 of 53

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NTL NTL Communications (Ireland) Ltd, Building P2, East Point Business Park, Dublin 3. Phone No. 01- 8674226

Ocean OCEAN Communications Ltd, Grand Canal Plaza, Upper Grand Canal Street, Dublin 4. Phone No. 01-2424000

Primetec 21-24 Millbank, Millbank Tower, London SW3P 3QP, England. Phone No. +44 171 8028400 Primus Nioc House, 4 Victoria Street, London, SW1H 0GT, England. Phone No. +44 171 6696000 RSL Communications (Ireland) Grange House, 60 Beaumont Ave, Churchtown, Ltd. Dublin 14. Phone No. UK No. +44 1483457300 Sigma Telecom Limited McKee Avenue, Finglas, Dublin 11. Phone No. 01 8640888 SM Communications Gardiner House, 64 Lower Gardiner St, Dublin 1. Phone No. 01-8552560 Smart Telecom Limited 116 Baggot Street Lower, Dublin 2. Phone No: 01-662 0260 Startec Global Communications York House, Empire Way, Wembley, HA9 0PA, (UK) England. Phone No. + 44 171 8876090 Suir Nore Relays This licence was originally granted to Suir Nore Relays on 29/12/99 and was surrendered to the ODTR as of 24/11/00. Swiftcall 294 Merrion Road, Dublin 4. Phone No. 01- 2830709 Tele2 C/o Mason Hayes & Curran Solrs, 6 Fitzwilliam Square, Dublin 2. Phone No. 01-661 1788 Teleglobe Ireland Ltd. Suite 9, Silbury Ct., 3rd Floor, 418 Silbury Blvd. Milton Keys, MK9 2AF, England. Phone No. +1 908 544300 Transaction Network Services Dunluce House, Block F3, East Point, Dublin 3. Phone No. 01-8550809 Vartec Telecom (UK) Ltd. No. 1 Greyfriars, 2nd Floor, Belgrave House, Northampton, NN1 2LQ, England. Phone No: +44 0 1064 548000 Viatel (I) Ltd. Parnell House, 25 Wilton Road, Victoria, London, SW1V 1LW, England. Phone No. +44 171 802 9000 Page 48 of 53

Recommendations for UG Works Business & Technology Division

Worldcom Lower Erne Street, Dublin 2. Phone No. 01-6790404 WTI Telecom (Ireland) Ltd. Parnell House, Clonshaugh Industrial Estate, Dublin 17. Phone No: 01-618000 Yac.Com IDA Industrial Estate, Dangan Galway. Phone No: 091 583181

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APPENDIX C2

List of holders of Basic Telecommunications Licences issued by the Office of the Director of Telecommunications Regulation

Company Address

Alord Holdings (T/A SwitchCom 3050 Lake Drive, Citywest Digital Park, Ltd.) Co. Dublin. Phone No. 411 2233 AT & T Global Network Services 2 Burlington Road, Ireland Ltd Dublin 4. Phone No. UK No. +44 171 925 8265 Broad Band Communications Unit 15, The Enterprise Centre, Crag Industrial Limited Estate, Clondalkin, Dublin 22. Phone: 01-457 8188 Cargo Community Systems Ltd. 2 St. John's Court, Santry, Dublin 9. Phone No. 01- 8428255 Casey Cablevision Youghal Road, Dungarvan, Co. Waterford. Phone No. 058- 41845 Conduit Enterprises Ltd. Conduit House East Point Business Park, Dublin 3 Phone No. 01- 8190000 Crossan Cable 52 Main Street, Longford, Co. Longford. Phone No. EGN BV Equant, Garryard House,25-26 Earlsfort Terrace, Dublin 2. Phone No. 01-4025903 Energis (Switzerland) AG (name Industriestrasse 21, CH-8304 Wallisellen, change from Unisource Carrier Switzerland Services AG) Phone No. +411 839 3211 Genesis Internet Service Provider Enterprise House, Centre Park Road, Limited Cork. Phone: 021-318036 Genuity International Inc., (name 3 Van de Graaf Drive, Burlington, change from GTE Internetworking Massachusetts 01803, USA. International Corporation as from Phone No: + 1 781 262 4000 6/4/00) Global Crossing Ireland Limited Sweepstakes Building No. 3, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4. Phone No: 01-618 8700 Global One Communications Ltd Rosewood, Crockford Lane, Chineham Business Park, Basingstoke, Hants RG24 8UT, England. Phone No. +44 1256 418000 GTS Network (Ireland) Limited GTS Network (Ireland) Limited, 2 Custom House Plaza, Harbourmaster Place,

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Dublin 1. Phone No. 01 631 5000 Hibercall (previously known as 58 Upper George's St, Dun Laoghaire, HiberNet Ltd) Co. Dublin. Phone No. 01-2843388 IDirect C/o Arthur Cox, Earlsfort Centre, Earlsfort Terrace, Dublin 2. Phone No. 01 6180000 Indigo Services Ltd Unit B2, East Point Business Park, Fairview, Dublin 3. Phone No. 01-701 0022 Iridium Communications Germany This licence was originally granted to Iridium GMBH Communications Germany GMBH on 01/12/98 and was surrendered to the ODTR as of 07/08/00 IXNET UK Ltd 67-73 Worship St, London EC2A 2DU, England. Phone No. +44 207 979 7000 Kpn Quest B.V. c/o Kpn Quest, N V Wilhelmina van Pruisenweg 78 2595 An The Hague, The Netherlands. Phone No. +31 70 3793602 LAKE Communications Systems Beech House, Greenhills Road, Ltd Dublin 24. Phone No. 01-4031000 MediaNet Ireland Ltd. 26 Upper Fitzwilliam Street, Dublin 2. Phone No. 01- 6763600 Metromedia Fibre Network Ireland Metro Media Fibre Network Ireland Ltd, 1st Floor Ltd. Fitzwilliam House, Wilton Place, Dublin 2. Phone No. 01-639 5000 Next Telecom Hanover House, 85-89 Hanover St, Cork. Phone No. 021- 212244 QoS Networks Limited QoS Networks Limited, 13 Adelaide Street, Dunlaoire, Co. Dublin. Phone No. Radianz Connect Services Fleet Place House, 2 Fleet Place, (previously known as Reuters London EC4M 7RY, England. Connect Services) Phone No. +44 207 5425100 Rillbank Ltd 24 Ranelagh, Dublin 6. Phone: 01-497 8951 Savvis Europe B.V. C/o Bridge Information Systems, Winchmore House, 15 Fetter Lane, London EC 4A IBW, Eng. Phone No: + 44 207 832 8000

Société Internationale de Tour Norma, 20-22 rue Jean Jaures, Télécommunications 92807 Puteaux Cedex, France Aéronautiques (SITA EQUANT JV) Phone No. +33 1 4641 2149 Page 51 of 53

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Sonic Telecom Ltd 65 Cliff Road, Tramore, Co. Waterford. Phone No: +1 703 818 0057

Telecommunications & Computer 31 Valeview Avenue, The Park, Cabinteely, Services Ireland Ltd. Dublin 18. Phone No. 01-2847202 Tele Media International Ltd. 15 Harbour Exchange Square, South Quay, London E14 9GE, England. Phone No: + 44 171 333 2993 Timas Ltd (T/A Galileo Ireland) Palmerston House, Fenian Street, Dublin 2. Phone No. 01-6020444 Torc Telecom St Martins House, Waterloo Road, Dublin 4. Phone No. 6671600 Universal Access Ireland Limited C/o William Fry Solicitors, Fitzwilton House, Wilton Place, Dublin 2. Phone No. 01 6395111 Valuetel Ltd. The Centre, Clonee, Co. Meath. Phone No. 01-8253333 Web-Sat Ltd. Unit 3, Bluebell Industrial Estate, Bluebell, Dublin 12. Phone No. (01) 450 1711

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APPENDIX D

Underground Crossings with Electricity Cables – Minimum Clearances55

A minimum radial clearance of 300mm between the outer surfaces of the telecommunications duct or pipe and the Electricity Supply Board (ESB) duct or cable should be provided at underground crossings. The backfill material between the two elements of plant should be sand, well tamped. Where possible, the telecommunications cable should cross above the electricity cable.

Where it is difficult to provide the minimum clearance of 300mm, a reduced separation may be agreed with the ESB on the basis that mechanical protection overlaid with marker warning strip shall be inserted between the two crossing elements of plant.

This mechanical protection may be a slab of concrete having a minimum thickness of 50mm. Alternatively, this mechanical protection may be in the form of 100 mm thick concrete blocks or tiles with a minimum thickness of 50mm or steel plating (treated by hot dip galvanising) with a minimum thickness of 6mm. The protecting slab, blocks, tiles or plate shall have a minimum area of 300mm x 300mm.

The inserted protection must not be laid directly against a cable, duct or pipe, and must be bedded in sand, well tamped.

The overall physical configuration of the protected crossing should be such that the electric cable can be easily withdrawn and replaced.

Telecommunications Network Operators must put in place safe systems of work when undertaking ducting and cabling work in proximity to electric services56.

Telecomms Duct Standard minimum Telecomms radial clearance Duct = 300mm

Slab, blocks, Sand tiles or plate Electric Cable Electric Cable

Standard Non-Standard Clearance Clearance Configuration Configuration

55 The recommendations in this Appendix were provided by the Electricity Supply Board (July 2001). 56 Refer to “Avoiding danger from underground services” – Booklet HS(G)47 published by Health and Safety Executive, UK. Page 53 of 53