BT fixed line subsidiary Openreach teamed with CommScope to boost its fiber build, tapping the vendor to supply a range of outside plant terminals and closures which have been specially designed to enable speedy deployment.
Specifically, CommScope will provide Openreach with gear from its NOVUX platform, which was unveiled earlier this month and comprises hardened terminals, compact closures, SRC closures and SEC closures. The company stated in a press release the product line allows operators to “use 75% fewer components than existing solutions while delivering fifty times the number of configurations.”
CommScope added in its latest release the NOVUX platform was “specifically constructed for Openreach’s build program,” and will enable site visits to be completed much faster than before. A company representative told Fierce the range’s ability to simplify deployments is a “a key benefit for Openreach’s fiber deployment initiative.”
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“Ultimately, the new NOVUX range will allow Openreach to maximize its network and respond quickly to changing market conditions and high-volume demand,” the representative said.
To help meet Openreach’s needs, CommScope is hiring 30 to 50 new manufacturing engineers in Wales to assemble connectorized block terminals. The CommScope representative told Fierce the company will pay for the new employees itself.
Kevin Murphy, Openreach MD for fiber and network delivery, said in a statement “the NOVUX technology manufactured in Wales will empower our engineers to overcome complex engineering challenges across the U.K.”
Openreach connected its first fiber customers in February, and recently upped its long-term deployment target to 25 million premises by 2026. To get there, the company said it plans to push fiber to 4 million locations each year, which figures out to around 15,000 new locations per working day.