Launceston City Council Inner City Fibre Network Project

Recently, the Launceston City Council (LCC) approached the TECC Clever Networks Project Officer, Mark Carrington, seeking information  about possible federal funding opportunities to help Council explore the use of optic fibre.

In discussions with the Department of Economic Development and Tourism (DEDT), a proposal by the Tasmanian Broadband Development Project (TBDP) team was submitted under the “Building on Broadband” element of the Australian Government’s Clever Networks program. The $100,000 in funding would be conditional on matching funds being provided towards the project from the Tasmanian Government and the LCC.

The combined funds were used to leverage the LCC’s feasibility study into utilisation of redundant and disused buried assets to create a conduit system capable of supporting an inner city fibre network. Once constructed, the LCC plans to use the network to connect up a number of Council facilities within the Launceston inner city area. Council  proposes to use a range of technologies via this network to improve management of its assets, increase security monitoring using CCTV and to enable business continuity arrangements to be implemented for a number of Council systems and services.

Subject to capacity requirements of the conduit system and final cable configuration it is anticipated that there could be future capability to offer third party access across the network infrastructure.

The project will be undertaken in three stages. The first involves finalising the network route and reaching agreements with third parties regarding collocation arrangements for various sections of conduit system.

The second phase involves the construction work necessary to make the conduit network “fit for purpose”. Once complete it will be capable of housing a distributed optic fibre network. This will also involve installation of “lead in” sections to enable connection to the various Council facilities and equipment installed along the network route. The final phase involves testing and then commissioning the conduit network and the installation of the fibre optic cable.

An independent consultant, Robyn Phillips was commissioned to write a case study on the project. A copy of the case study can be found here.

To see an example of how LCC undertook activities for Stage 1,
the following images detail how the LCC works crew utilised high pressure water hoses to minimise environment impacts when locating and exposing old underground assets.

The old water main has been located, using accurate LCC asset records. The LCC infrastructure group can draw on  information about the City’s asset location from  original works diaries, stemming from the 1890’s!

The section of road is then removed.

High pressure water hoses are used to minimise any environmental factors such as dust, noise and heritage damage.

The water main (laid in 1903) is now fully exposed,

A section of the old pipe is removed, ready for the optic fibre underground camera to be inserted.

The operator now feeds the optic fibre containing the camera into the pipe. Camera images can now be received and recorded.

Although there has been a build up in the disused water main, the fact that the camera can be fed through indicates that scouring the pipe is achievable to allow optic fibre cable to be inserted.

The LCC has advised the TBDP office that all inspection activity is now complete and the next step to draw up the specifications for the remedial works has commenced. This is expected to be completed and approved by the TBDP office in January 2009 so that field works can commence in early February.

Negotiations have commenced between the LCC and the State government’s strategic telecommunications partner Aurora Energy Pty Ltd
(Aurora Telecommunications Group) to examine ways to incorporate the project into a wider fibre optic network for the greater Launceston City area.

For further information on the project, please contact Mark Carrington
on Ph 03 6211 0401 or David Anderson on Ph 03 6233 5781

This project is supported by funding from the Australian Government under the Clever Networks Program

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