Telecom News Issue 2 - Flipbook - Page 15
Openreach
awards
Magdalene
FTTC expansion
programme
Magdalene has been awarded a contract by
Openreach to increase the capacity of its Fibre
to the Cabinet (FTTC) estate.
Under the terms of the contract, Magdalene will
install pod extensions on the side of existing
Openreach cabinets which house electronic
equipment, termed VDSL Side Pods.
The contract is for a turnkey solution whereby
Magdalene will survey the sites, install the side
pods and associated electronics, provide power
and fibre optic connections and then connect
the equipment to the Openreach network with
copper tie cables.
The two-year contract is to install these on
a national basis when Openreach requires
additional capacity as existing cabinets become
full.
In addition, a trial is underway that will see
Magdalene complete the VDSL OCR work and
test/repair the network, between the exchange
and the aggregation node serving the VDSL
side pod, for 100 sites to ensure there is a light
path (‘find and fix’). If successful, Magdalene
will be awarded this work for the entire VDSL
programme.
Magdalene Sales Director Andy Hudson
commented: “VDSL Side Pod extensions
are a new technology solution developed by
Openreach and Magdalene is the first and only
supplier to install these. A key consideration in
awarding the contract to Magdalene was our
top-class performance in delivering Openreach’s
G.Fast programme which is very similar to the
VDSL expansion. The first phase of works will
see 2,300 cabinets upgraded in the next six
months and the contract is for two years, so we
are expecting many more in future months.”
Magdalene Head of VDSL Delivery John Law commented: “It is encouraging to see
that Magdalene’s performance in delivering the G.Fast programme over the last two
and a half years, with every customer milestone achieved, has been recognised by
Openreach with the award of the VDSL contract. This is a reflection of the hard work
of all members of the delivery team who will be using the experience gained on G.Fast
to deliver VDSL in the same way, working in close co-operation with the Openreach
VDSL delivery team.”
15
