FTTH Business Guide - AWT.be

show that it is better to achieve good penetration in a limited area then to have
lower penetration over a bigger area.
Housing density is so significant an element of cost that low density rural areas are
unlikely to be viable candidates for fibre networks unless some form of
government subsidy is available.
Potential improvements:
� duct renting if available
� aerial fibre – attaching fibre to poles
� façade fibre – stapling the fibre to the front of buildings, where allowed
� reducing the digging costs – train local contractors to do the work
� optimisation of network topology
Final drop
In addition to connecting along the streets, connections need to be made from the
street to individual homes. The cost per customer will be dependent on the type
of residences – whether stand-alone houses or MDU. Although MDUs are cheaper
on a per customer basis, they also present specific challenges.
The costs of in-building cabling in MDUs can vary substantially depending on the
availability of technical shafts (or otherwise), the ease of access to the basement,
and ease of access inside the apartments; this can have a big impact on final costs.
The cost of handling keys and difficulty in gaining access to apartments is often
underestimated, particularly in cases where access to multiple apartments is
required on the same day. When writing contracts, it is important to address the
issue of access. It must be clear who has the responsibility if access is denied.
The cost also varies according to the approach. You probably do not want to
connect up every property with fibre on day one, unless it is a new build area.
However, it may be more cost-effective to put micro-duct to every apartment in
an MDU, allowing fibre to be blown in later as and when required.
There is also a cost for negotiating customer contracts. The worst case is where
you have to agree terms with individual residents. This creates problems of getting
everyone together at once or having to carry out several visits to gain agreement.
This would be the case in some apartment blocks with particular types of joint
care agreements in place.
The opposite extreme occurs where there is potential to negotiate with either a
tenant’s association or landlord who can make decisions on behalf of tens or
hundreds of occupants. The scope of these negotiations may be greater than for
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