Fort Worth signs agreement for in-sewer deployment of fiber optic network
CityNet Telecommunications Inc., a provider of last-mile broadband infrastructure, announced that the city of Fort Worth has become the first city in Texas to approve a license agreement for the in-sewer deployment of an advanced fiber optic network.
Fort Worth is the sixth U.S. city to approve this type of revolutionary deployment, where fiber optic cable is installed through underground sewer pipes without trenching streets, disrupting traffic or destroying valuable urban infrastructure. Other cities that have signed similar license/access agreements with CityNet include Indianapolis, Albuquerque, Omaha, St. Paul, and Scottsdale. In addition, the company signed an agreement with its first European city last month -- Vienna, Austria. CityNet is currently negotiating with more than 20 other cities, including several in Texas.
CityNet Telecommunications, Inc., of Silver Spring, Md., uses robotic technology to install fiber optic cable through existing sewer lines directly into buildings, bridging the so-called "last mile." The last-mile gap separates individual buildings from the larger "beltway" fiber optic networks that circle around and through cities. By building that last, but most critical piece of fiber optic transmission infrastructure, CityNet helps its carrier and network service provider customers meet the skyrocketing demand for bandwidth and speed in high-density metro areas.
As a wholesale, carrier's-carrier, CityNet installs its fiber optic networks and then leases them to telecommunications carriers, Internet and network service providers. For larger man-accessible sewer pipes (36 inches and bigger), CityNet uses an innovative and patented in-sewer deployment technology developed by its technology partner Cable Runner N.A. For smaller non-man-accessible pipes, CityNet uses high-tech robots made exclusively for CityNet by its technology partner Ka-Te Systems AG, a Swiss sewer robotics company. CityNet's engineering and construction partner is the Fort Worth firm of Carter & Burgess, a design, engineering and construction firm.
The robot, known as S.A.M. (Sewer Access Module), is equipped with cameras to install stainless steel rings to support the fiber optic cables inside of the sewer pipes. The conduit that encases the fiber is made of the same stainless steel alloy that protects the fiber from corrosion and cuts. Alcatel, a global provider of fiber optics, telecommunications and networking, is CityNet's partner that provides the special conduit, fiber cables and connectivity solutions for the sewer environment.
About CityNet:
Founded in 1999, CityNet is a broadband infrastructure company that builds carrier-class last-mile fiber optic networks. For more information, visit www.citynettelecom.com.