Survey & Certification services



Installation, augmentation, decommissioning and other proactively coordinated works typically involve access to one or more deployment locations (Inside Plant and Outside Plant). Each worksite has its own challenges, especially outside plant locations. Challenges can include access related issues, space utilization challenges, interface challenges, etc. Prior to performing outside plant and inside plant works, TPS perform a desktop study of the work site, investigating all known information and then typically proceed to perform a physical site survey. Typically, these surveys make us aware of challenges that need to be overcome.
Most of the challenges identified cannot be overcome “on the fly” and require time to “work around” and plan/implement a resolution to. Some recent challenges identified through our auditing and survey works have included.


FTTP Video Survey
When a terrestrial television antennae and satellite dish is to be installed, it is necessary to plot the location from the antennae site to the transmitter site to ensure that geography will allow for line of site to be attain and a quality signal can be received.
First, we conduct a desktop audit to identify suitable placement. In this example, we can see that line of site appears to be unimpeded by land mass.


We then attend site and “certify” the planned installation location. When doing this, we seek the most suitable location on the structure to attach our antennae and identify any obstacles that may be present. In the case of this specific survey, we identified that line of site was not blocked by other buildings and structures. Our auditors conducting the site survey produced a “mud-map” indicating a preferred location for the new antennae and dish to be placed.


This survey information allowed our designers to work with structural engineering and produce detailed installation and design schematics which were used to construct metalwork and associated mounting hardware. Without having conducted this site survey, then we would need to conduct multiple truck-roles, and would suffer from delays in installation, waiting for design work to occur and metalwork to be manufactured.
Installation route survey works
Often, our clients engage us to perform a route survey and customer survey so they can provide a new data service to a commercial or enterprise customer. This service typically involves the installation of new fiber optic cables between an exchange located network switch and a new switch within the customer premises. Designers plan a cable route that utilizes as much existing capacity as possible. However, this existing capacity often needs to be extended. The survey we conducted will both check assumptions (e.g. are access points located where indicated, are the conduits clear, are the fibers free from traffic, etc).
Also, the survey will identify requirements for lead-in conduit to the customer premises including PEP (Property Entry Point), BEP (Building Entry Point) and lasty location for new equipment inside the nominated building. In this example here, the customer is decommissioning an existing service at one property on the street and having a new service installed several doors down. Desktop analysis shows that a new fiber cable needs to be run from FAP (Fiber Access Point) EU into the property.


When performing our site survey, we test the cable path in the street by pushing a fiberglass rod through the conduit, attached a “pull cord” and verify the pathway. Once outside the customer premises, we test the suitability of the existing lead-in conduit and if found to be unsuitable, we plan for a new one to be installed, suggesting the requisite method.
In this example, the LIC was not suitable, it was a damaged and fully occupied conduit running to a small pit located outside the adjacent property. In conjunction with the designers, the survey staff produced a design which featured a new LIC and a new access pit (to be installed in a way which picks up the existing duct network in the street).


In this instance, the customer wanted to install a network router into their “server room”. To do this it was necessary to plan for a “tie cable” to be installed from the planned OFTU position in the MDF, through to the server room. Survey staff have planned this route, identified a location for the new router and lifted the “false ceiling”, to ensure that a suitable pathway for the tie cable exists.

