FTTH Providers Have Choice of Installation Methods
The Charles Machine Works, Inc., manufacturer of Ditch Witch® underground construction equipment, has made a strong case for the use of its horizontal directional drilling (HDD) equipment for installing fiber to the home (FTTH). But the company's pedestrian trenchers and vibratory plows can be equally effective for installing fiber-optic cable quickly, cost-effectively, and with minimal turf disturbance—benefits that are of the utmost importance in the race to bring FTTH to the millions of households across the land that are clamoring for this ultra-high-speed technology.

For decades, Ditch Witch pedestrian trenchers and vibratory plows have been the choice of communications, utility, and landscape companies for installing power lines, communications cable, and natural gas, water service and sprinkler-system pipe. FTTH is a natural application for these machines.

"One of the perceived negatives of FTTH technology has been the cost of installing it," says Senior Product Manager Brent Bolay of The Charles Machine Works, Inc., a charter member of the FTTH Council. "Trenching and vibratory plowing provide two of the most economical methods for installing fiber to the home." Vibratory plows such as the Ditch Witch 255sx and 410sx, for example, provide an efficient one-two punch by plowing the service (up to two feet deep) and laying the fiber with a pull or feed blade. The operator then simply drives back over the raised earth to smooth it out—no backfilling necessary.

In tougher soils or in new housing editions where disturbing a lawn is not a big issue, pedestrian trenchers such as the Ditch Witch 1030, 1230, 1330, and 1820 can provide the additional power and greater trenching depth an installation crew may need.

Bolay says Verizon, the first among the four Bell Companies to begin connecting fiber directly to homes, has begun adding Ditch Witch trenchers and plows to its fleet of Ditch Witch HDD equipment. The company recently purchased several Ditch Witch 410sx models for installing FTTH in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and even purchased a Ditch Witch SK500 mini skid steer—which offers attachments for vibratory plowing, trenching, and backfilling—for its projects in Florida.

"Trenchers and vibratory plows are a smart choice for efficiently installing fiber in established neighborhoods," says Bolay. They're more maneuverable in confined spaces, like in between houses."

In these early days of FTTH, one of the most important communication breakthroughs in years, it is essential for service providers to consider all of the alternatives.