FEATURE: FIBRE & 5G 5G


FUELLED BY FULL-FIBRE DIET


A look at how the kind of full- fibre infrastructure that will be essential to support 5G can be realised in line with roll-out targets


KEELY PORTWAY


R


eaders of this magazine do not need to be told about the benefits of full-fibre. Or, indeed how the buzzword-that-is 5G can only provide the kind of exciting


benefits everybody is so looking forward to – such as higher speed or lower latency – with the assistance of a reliable network infrastructure to support the many thousands of devices. We also all know that fibre deployment is


ramping up – even during the unprecedented situation we faced in quarter 1 of 2020, the recognition of fibre engineers as key workers demonstrated perfectly the importance and reliance that is afforded to fibre broadband throughout the world. But we are not there yet, and the demands


likely to be placed on fibre infrastructure from 5G mean that deployment must continue. Tis is certainly the message from most governments, which have set up ambitious but much-needed targets for full-fibre adoption. In the UK, for example, just 10 per cent of


premises have access to full-fibre, and this is up 4 per cent on the number reported by Ofcom at the end of 2018. While this continued momentum does show signs that the UK is moving in the right direction, the rate of growth suggests the UK could significantly miss its target. Sajid Javid, former UK Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced an additional £5bn of investment for the UK’s roll-out of full-fibre, 5G and gigabit capable networks, but a plan for delivery of this network infrastructure overhaul remains to be seen.


12 FiBRE SYSTEMS n Issue 27 n Spring 2020


Dark fibre could be key to the levels of fibre deployment required for 5G


Challenging times In late 2019 the UK’s Prime Minister, Boris Johnson also announced his plan to achieve ‘full-fibre for all’ by 2025, dismissing his predecessors’ target of 2033 as ‘laughably unambitious.’ While this announcement was welcomed, for the many UK public sector organisations still relying on legacy connections, the thought of access to full-fibre or fibre-to- the-premise (FTTP) connectivity, in a litle more than five years, probably seems challenging. Andrew Shilton, solutions director at network


provider, MLL Telecom believes that change is particularly needed in the public sector to help deliver significant and much needed transformation. He explained: ‘With the rise of the altnets


– companies like CityFibre and Hyperoptic – full-fibre for the public sector is becoming reality, as their open access models provide local authorities with methods to build and light their own fibre networks. NHS Digital is also driving change with HSCN, under the Internet First initiative, transitioning public healthcare


networking away from outdated systems like N3.’ Much of the public sector, according to Shilton, believes there is a lack of options or guidance in terms of accessing the connectivity services appropriate for its businesses. What’s more, it would be impractical for new fibre networks to be built for all public sector organisations.


Construction costs Te biggest cost associated with puting fibre networks in the ground is actually digging up roads. So, organisations laying fibre have historically, said Shilton, ‘buried as much as possible into the ground, even when not all of it was required.’ Tis ‘unlit’ fibre is widely referred to as ‘dark fibre’. Dark fibre is unique in that organisations can lease the underlying infrastructure to run their privately-owned networks. ‘Taking the dark fibre route presents


a huge number of advantages for public sector organisations keen to pursue digital transformation to improve efficiency and leave frustrating, outdated and redundant


www.fibre-systems.com @fibresystemsmag


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