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OCN SHELTERS: the roll-out of optical fibre networks benfits SEIFEL

The Very High Speed Broadband Project for Brittany (FTTH*), which aims to bring fibre networking to 100% of Brittany, required the construction of new networks starting in 2015 over 3 phases. The Brittany project is a regional segment of the national plan and is being managed by MEGALIS BRETAGNE (joint territorial cooperation syndicate).

In this context, SEIFEL has won the contract for the deployment of OCN (Optical Connection Node) shelters from MEGALIS, covering phase 2. SEIFEL has already delivered 19 shelters for the first phase, representing a turnover of €500k.

By the end of the 2nd phase, which will start in 2019 and should run to 2023, 400,000 additional homes will be connected to the fibre network, almost twice as many as in the first phase.

Public bodies for Inter-municipal Cooperation (EPCI) have already committed to financing this significant investment. The Brittany Region and the Departments are also financial partners of Brittany THD, as are the State and the European Union.

The third phase is scheduled post-2023 and is already eagerly anticipated in under-served areas, representing nearly 5% of households, businesses and public sites in Brittany, that are not eligible for broadband by the end of the 2nd phase.

On the product side, the OCN shelter is a turnkey solution and comes pre-wired according to the customer’s specifications. They are delivered ready for installation. It should be remembered that optical connection nodes (OCN) are bottlenecks for optical fibre networks. The shelters, or telecom cabinets, contain the equipment connecting the subscribers in a connected zone to the operator’s network. The housing protects the equipment from external elements.

SEIFEL, which designs and manufactures the shelters, delivers to all construction sites in Brittany, a service which is included in the contract.

The SEIFEL product incorporates a hot-dip galvanized steel welded frame manufactured by DERVAUX DISTRIBUTION, another example of successful inter-subsidiary collaboration.

SEIFEL is also working on other ongoing FTTH projects including Ariège, Gers, Loire Atlantique. Other projects in the provinces are also well underway: Seine-Maritime, Vienne, Deux-Sèvres and Marti- nique. This suggests that the outlook for the short and medium term is good, both for France and the export market.

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