MetroFibre Networx says it has installed fibre infrastructure in the Port Elizabeth suburb of Summerstrand using micro-trenching.<\/p>\n
Micro-trenching is a fibre-laying technique that uses specialised machines to cut a narrow and shallow trench into a road\u2019s surface, alongside the pavement where the curb and the tarmac meet, rather than traditional fibre laying techniques which require much larger trenches to be dug.<\/p>\n
\u201cA micro-trench is typically 30-50 millimetres wide and can be up to 400 millimetres deep, although usually about 200 millimetres for fibre purposes,\u201d said the company.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe fibre conduit and cable are then placed in this micro-trench and the area is then backfilled and sealed with a specialised trench grout which restores the road back to its original surface.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to Henry Wilkens, Project Manager at MetroFibre Networx, deployment time when using micro-trenching is reduced by up to 80% compared to traditional methods, and the chance of damaging surrounding infrastructure is also greatly reduced.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor residents of Summerstrand in Nelson Mandela Bay, the council\u2019s decision to test the micro-trenching process has been an absolute win,\u201d said Wilkens.<\/p>\n
MetroFibre Networx said it completed the process of covering a 5km area in Summerstrand in under two weeks, resulting in significantly reduced levels of disruption to residents.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are looking at deploying this methodology more widely in our national operations,\u201d said Wilkens.<\/p>\n