Optical Transport Solutions for Utilities

Utilities have long had fiber routes in their networks for their own internal communications needs. Early utility implementations involved architectures utilizing Optical Ground Wire (OPGW). Some utilities have even sold excess capacity to other users. The bandwidth demands of these utilities are increasing due to growth in supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) networks and other high bandwidth demands such as video surveillance. These increasing demands combined with low-count fiber routes have created and ideal opportunity for technologies such as WDM, CWDM and DWDM. Some lengthy fiber entrance lengths to sub-stations or generating facilities can benefit from reach extension.