Terminal Splitters in a Cabinet December 2008

2 Terminal Splitters in a Cabinet The purpose of this presentation is to share our findings around the terminal splitter product. We will show that there is terminal splitter that can physically be fitted into the cabinet. We will share our areas of concern which require further investigation, which are: supply; agreement of technical standards; and the environment in which splitters would be housed.

3 Card Mounted Splitters – Cables & Jumpers These schematics show how cables and jumpers are used to connect the Voice services to the Line, where the voice services are delivered from an external source.

4 Terminal Mounted Splitters – Cables & Jumpers These schematics show how cables and jumpers are used to connect the Voice services to the Line, where the voice services are delivered from an internal source

5 Cable Mounted Splitters – Cables & Jumpers These schematics show the case when the voice services are delivered by an internal source but the splitter is mounted in the connection cable. Note that all these schematics show that if voice services are provided from within the cabinet then they are cabled to the Terminal Splitter. If flexibility is required and the voice services are cabled to a block in the cross connect area and then jumpered to the terminal splitter, additional terminal capacity will be required.

6 Primary Voltage Protection In lightning prone areas, primary voltage protection is added to protect the equipment in the cabinet. This is required primarily in rural areas and is designed to protect against lightning entering the cabinet via the distribution cable. The protection is provided by a plug-on unit which fits to the front of the Krone module. It is currently mounted on the equipment blocks. If a terminal block is introduced that cannot accommodate the protection, we will have to mount the protection on the line side blocks. This means we will have to install about three times as many protection units as currently. These units not only have a capital cost but an ongoing maintenance requirement.

7 Terminal Splitters We have held discussions with 4 manufacturers of terminal blocks with splitters: 3 M TM; ADC Krone; SunSea; and Corning. At this stage the discussion has centered around: the physical footprint and density; and general discussion on availability and specifications available We have NOT tested the splitters provided nor evaluated their suitability for the New Zealand network.

8 3M TM Integrated Splitter Block BRCP The splitter module plugs into the back when swung open; Can use a bridging module; Can mount primary voltage protection on the front of the block; Is problematic to mount in the cabinet because of the width required to allow the block to open to access the splitter modules.

9 ADC Krone – BroadWire PLUS TM 8 port splitter card with the VDSL connection on the rear of the card; Primary voltage protection can be mounted on the front; Voice services and line side are jumpered to the front; Because of its width, there will be difficulties mounting it without interfering with the cable and jumper corridors; This product is likely to require the space across two verticals, leading to an overall loss in terminal capacity.

10 Corning Splitter-EVs 96 line Block with splitter 8 port splitter card with the VDSL connection on the rear of the card; Primary voltage protection cannot be mounted on the front; Voice services and line side are jumpered to the front; It is a very high density card which gives a doubling of density compared to the use of IN and OUT ports; While it uses a different mounting than the current Krone blocks, the footprint is very similar.

11 SUNSEA xDSL Module 8 port line modules with a pluggable splitter; Without the splitter inserted the Voice service is connected to the line side; Primary voltage protection cannot be mounted on the front; All cables and jumpers are connected on the front; Has a wider footprint then the current Krone module but can probably be managed; There is about a 10% increase in density when compared to the use of IN and OUT ports; We currently have some practical concerns which would have to be further investigated.

12 Terminal Splitter availability One of three major areas of concern around terminal splitters is availability/supply. Does low New Zealand demand allow suitable terminal splitters to be obtained? Will a product decided upon now be available in a similar footprint in 12 months’ time? Discussions with suppliers show that the development to date has been driven by a Telco proposing to do a major roll out working with a DSLAM provider and a connector company to design a terminal splitter specifically for that situation and specification. We are likely to find that we are having to assess a new product every 12 months, not only from a physical footprint but a also technical specification perspective. This could lead to delays in installing equipment reliant on terminal splitters Alternatively, equipment may only be available at a premium price.

13 Terminal Splitter Availability - continued Our concern is that if we identify a terminal splitter, get agreement on specification and go through the necessary testing, we may have an identified product but unknown demand. Chorus will either have to purchase on a just-in-case basis or wait until a demand is identified. If the demand comes, it is possible that the product tested will not be available and the process has to be revisited, with associated cost and time delay.

14 Splitter technical specifications This is the second major area of concern. No testing or detailed investigation has been undertaken into the technical specifications of the splitters associated with the terminals. As the splitters would have to serve a variety of equipment types, agreement will be needed between customers as to the specifications that must be met. Cost and specification usually go hand in hand Once specification has been agreed on and a supplier identified, comprehensive testing would be required to ensure that all likely suppliers’ equipment performs satisfactorily.

15 Environmental Conditions The third area of concern is environmental The cross connect chamber is a sealed chamber, but with no heat or humidity control, with a level of solar gain. As one end of the chamber is formed by the heat exchanger there is a level of conduction based heating – but very low. It is quite likely that the cross connect chamber may not meet the environmental operating conditions required by the manufacturer. One supplier quotes ETSI EN class 3.3 We will have to establish what the class of the cross connect chamber is, in this case it is either 3.3 or 3.4. The 3.4 class is more severe than 3.3. Besides the actual operating temperature the environmental stress has also to be taken into account. This is the cycling of the temperature over a reasonable range

16 Fitting into the Cabinet The cross connect chamber is part of cabinet design that is aimed at minimising the physical intrusion on the road side. Consequently it is a compact design based around Krone type blocks. We have indicated in earlier slides whether we believe it is possible to physically fit the terminal splitter blocks. A splitter block in such a compact area generally results in a loss of flexibility. The fitting of terminal splitters at the time of cabinet manufacture would be the preferred method. To retro-fit in the field (once cabinets have been installed) will be difficult and disruptive. Grooming may be required to clear a suitable space Any necessary removal of existing mounting frame, resizing and reinstalling risks causing accidental disconnections.

17 Summary We have potentially identified some terminal splitter blocks that we believe can be physically mounted in a cabinet without comprising the number of terminations. However, we have several major concerns, as to: a)the supply and hence costs of delivery of these blocks to the small New Zealand market; b)the need to reach agreement on the technical standards and then securing the splitter blocks at a reasonable cost; and c)around the environmental conditions that these will be operating in. While fitting them at the time of cabinet manufacture would be straight forward, retro-fitting them to cabinets will be difficult, disruptive and expensive. Determining the right mix of splitters and standard blocks at cabinet manufacture would be a complex process involving all current and potential access seekers. Even then, it is unlikely to lead to a perfect solution.