GOVERNMENT
Siemon’s OptiFuse™ Splice-On Connectors Save Time and Ease Installation for Alabama’s Poarch Band of Creek Indians
Download PDFThe Poarch Band of Creek Indians (PBCI), descendants of a segment of the original Creek Nation that once covered almost all of Alabama and Georgia, recently developed a new Tribal Council Chamber and multi-story administration building as part of an expansion of facilities on their campus in Atmore, Alabama. Taking the existing campus architecture into consideration with elements such as timber-framed entrances, the single-story, 17,000 square foot Tribal Council Chamber features a state-of-the-art 100-seat auditorium, new offices and a private conference area. Each floor of the three-story administration building encompasses approximately 24,000 square feet, with the third floor allocated for future growth.
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Location: Atmore, Alabama
Application: Voice, Data and Wi-Fi Backbone and Horizontal Network Infrastructure
The new facilities also feature the latest technology, from audiovisual, security and high-efficiency LED lighting systems, to a high-performance network infrastructure supporting voice, data and Wi-Fi systems. To connect telecommunications spaces and end devices throughout both buildings, G&H Systems, a local Native American-owned and operated low-voltage systems integrator, utilized Siemon’s high quality copper and fiber cabling solutions. For the singlemode fiber backbone infrastructure, this included the use of Siemon’s new OptiFuse pre-polished splice-on fiber connectors that provide a reliable, high-performance fiber connection, while saving time, reducing material requirements and conserving space within fiber enclosures.
Within the administration building, G&H Systems utilized the OptiFuse connectors to terminate 12 strands of fiber from the main equipment room to each of the five telecommunications rooms throughout the facility, as well as 24 strands of fiber from the main equipment room to the server room. The main equipment rooms in both buildings are also connected via 24 strands of fiber, with another 24 strands of fiber connecting to existing campus facilities.
“We’ve been using fusion splicing as our main fiber termination method of choice for a while now, because it offers the best performance and lets us know right away if we’ve got a good termination or not. Fusion splicing also allows us to terminate incoming 250-micron loose-tube fiber to premise 900-micron tight-buffered fiber, which is a big draw,” says Tristan Gehman, Vice President of G&H Systems (www.g-hsystems.com), a long-standing Siemon Certified Installer (CI). “While we had been using splice-on pigtails, newer splice-on connectors were something we were keen on trying. When Siemon introduced OptiFuse, the timing was right to give them a try for this project, and we’re glad we did.”
Siemon OptiFuse fiber connectors leverage the superior low insertion loss of a fusion splice combined with the ease of installing a connector, eliminating the need for splice trays, pigtails and protective heat-shrink splice sleeves used in traditional splicing applications. Using third-party automated splicer equipment, OptiFuse connectors provide a high-quality connection with the splice point internally protected within the connector housing to ensure high reliability. Because one side of the splice point is integrated into the connector ferrule assembly, fiber technicians only need to cleave and prepare one end of the iber, essentially cutting splice prep time in half for an overall 30% faster installation time.
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