The Palo Alto FTTH Trial Status Updates:
(FAC: This sequence should probably be read in reverse order to that shown)
Wednesday, June 27, 2001
The utility crews are out on Hopkins Ave. today installing the home run cables from Corning. What a glorious day! Its been a bit over three years since I was infected with this Optical bug. I can't wait for things to get lit up (next month?). The crews are really nice folks and love doing this groundbreaking utility work. I suppose the real work (and fun!) begins next month. I've already had two immediate neighbors beg to be included in this trial, but signups are closed for now. It seems that no one considers this a technology trial. This is a business trial, and the initial numbers are encouraging. The roads for the next century will indeed be paved with fiber optics.
posted by Peter Allen at 9:34 AM
Tuesday, June 26, 2001
From Tues, 26 Jun 2001 PA-Comnet.org/PA-Fiber.net Mailing List Post by Marvin Lee:
A City crew has been installing fiber on the poles on Parkinson one block north of Rinconada Park all day.
posted by Bennett Smith at 6:28 PM
Wednesday, June 20, 2001
From Wed, 13 Jun 2001 PA-Comnet.org/PA-Fiber.net Mailing List Post by Marvin Lee:
FTTH cables are being pulled into carriers on poles in the trial area. Currently the trucks and workers are at the corner of Harker and Harriet.
From Mon, 4 Jun 2001 Post by Marvin Lee:
According to the latest report from the City staff they will begin installing to the homes this week and they expect to have the system up and operating by the 1st of August. There are delays in equipment which is holding up the process. But bringing the Fiber to the homes should begin this week. They will get to my house the following week. As I understand it, there will be 144 Fibers from the Fiber ring, 44 Fibers to Community Center sub areas and two Fibers to each home.
Last week I had an electrician in to run CAT5e wiring from the City's intended Fiber switch box in my garage to my computer and 2 coax, 2 CAT5e, and 2 telephone lines in one bundled cable from the City's intended site of their Fiber switch box to near my cable and telephone connection or boxes. All that has to be done now is for the City crews to bring Fiber to the house and then to hook it to their main system.
From Thu, 10 May 2001 PA-Fiber.net Mailing List Post by Marvin Lee:
As I understand it there are three Trunk lines in the trial area. The City is now completing the installation of the fiber optic carriers visible as large lines below the electrical lines at the top of the poles.
The City crews are now installing in the carriers on Truck 1, on Harriet and Hopkins, the fiber optic cable containing 144 fibers. They will then move on to trunks 2 an 3 in the trial area.
The next step will be to deliver 2 fibers from the trunk lines to each of the 70 homes signed up for the trial.
Is your home ready? These guys are moving right along.
From Mon, 30 Apr 2001 PA-Comnet.org/PA-Fiber.net Mailing List Post by Marvin Lee:
The City has installed much of the carrier cable and replaced a few weak poles in the trial area. The carrier cable is plainly visible on the poles in the Community Center area below the electrical service lines at the top of the pole.
They have also scheduled appointments with FTTH customers to locate placement in their garages or similar indoor locations near a power source for a City Fiber connections box. My guess is that they have completed about a third or more of those FTTH house surveys.
The Staff has also encouraged all FTTH trial participants to install in their homes the CAT 5e wiring to their computers and where and if appropriate to have connections available for telephone and TV hook ups.
The City Staff is in the process of sending out another letter to those people in the trial area they have not heard from so that in the event they are no longer interested in obtaining FTTH the City Staff may choose replacements for the trial from others in the area who would now be interested in participating in the trial.
I have been told that the June date, which is when the City Staff thought that they would have the installation complete, has now been put forward about a month due to delays in delivery of necessary equipment.
We are still waiting to hear from the Staff the options available to people in the trial area such as 10 Mbps and 100 Mbps service, the choice of an ISP and if appropriate other service providers.
From Sat, 21 Apr 2001 PA-Fiber.net Mailing List Post by Marvin Lee:
The City Utility Department is currently scheduling appointments with FTTH trial signup homes to locate an in-house site for installation of their Fiber connection.
As the City Staff requested at our meeting the other evening, I am in the process of hiring an electrician experienced with FTTH to install Cat.5e and a new breaker switch and outlet in my garage. He will also be looking at potential hook ups for coax TV and telephone.
I have an appointment with the City staff midweek to show them a preferred location in my garage for their equipment and my tie-in.
From Fri, 6 Apr 2001 PA-Comnet.org/PA-Fiber.net Mailing List Post by Marvin Lee:
Several people have asked for information about the meeting with the City Utility Department Staff the other evening. It was a very interesting and lively meeting with Leo Creger, Telecommunications Manager and Manuel Topete, FTTH Project Director, providing the information and leading the discussions. They have promised to post information on their FTTH web site. However here is my take on what they are at present planning. Perhaps others might care to comment as well.
The City Utility Department Staff is now considering using the Marconi passive optical network (PON) design to deliver 20 Mbs split between 4 homes in the trial area with a projected 6.4 Mbs per home service to support data, video and telephone via FTTH.
The staff's previously announced plan to offer 100 Mbs delivered with two fibers per home apparently ran into technical problems with video and the City Staff is convinced that a combination of data, video and telephone offered by independent providers over the City FTTH net will give the FTTH trial its best chance for both technical and financial success.
So far no effort has been made to determine how many people are interested in using all three services. Presumably that will be one aspect of the trial itself. For those in the FTTH trial area who may still want 100 MBS service the City will offer to provide a special hookup with special fees. For trial participants the City will provide hook up in their garages and the homeowners should wire their homes now to use the service which the City Staff plan to have available by June.
There were quite a few questions about the adequacies of a PON system for future upgrade to higher bandwidth. It is clear that that discussion will be of continuing interest to many.
The City has not yet chosen an ISP but are currently considering several options.
posted by Bennett Smith at 10:40 PM
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