Chandler Site: Aerial Fibre Between Three Buildings for Uhaul Australia

This aerial fibre optic installation linked three buildings at Uhaul Australia’s Chandler site without trenching. We ran two 6 core OM4 indoor/outdoor cables overhead on aerial catenaries. Then we fusion spliced every cable, terminated it onto LC panels, and tested it with an OLTS light/loss test before handover.

The Job

Uhaul Australia needed fibre between three buildings on its existing Chandler site. However, trenching on an existing site means cutting and reinstating the ground between buildings.

So the brief was to link the buildings without digging. In addition, we installed the cabling ourselves.

Why We Chose Aerial Fibre Optic Installation

Digging was the problem. Instead, aerial catenaries were the fix.

The catenaries carry the cable overhead along its route, so the site needs no excavation between buildings. As a result, each building gets a direct run from Rack A.

• No excavation between the buildings
• Cable carried overhead on aerial catenaries
• Direct runs from Rack A to Rack B and Rack C

What the Aerial Fibre Optic Installation Delivered

We installed two 6 core OM4 indoor/outdoor fibre cables:

• Cable 1 from Rack A to Rack B
• Cable 2 from Rack A to Rack C
• Fusion splicing of every cable
• Termination onto LC panels in the racks
• OLTS light/loss testing before handover

Why Indoor/Outdoor Rated Cable

Normally, we have to join outdoor cable to indoor cable where it enters a building. Also, each joint is another place for loss to creep in and for a fault to hide.

What should happen instead is a single length, building to building. Indoor/outdoor rated cable allows that. Because there is no transition joint at the building entry, there are fewer joints and fewer points of failure.

Fusion Spliced, Terminated, and Tested

We fusion spliced every cable, and we never use mechanical splicing.

Next, we terminated each cable onto LC panels in the racks. Then we tested every link with an OLTS light/loss test before handover. That way, we measure the result instead of assuming it.

The Aerial Fibre Optic Installation Outcome

Two fibre cables from Rack A now link three buildings. Aerial fibre optic installation meant the site needed no trenching. Overall, we installed, fusion spliced, terminated, and tested both links.

Related projects: Minnippi Golf & Range and Griffith University Village.

Specialist Fibre Installation in Brisbane

Total Fibre & Data is a licensed electrical and communications contractor with 30+ years of experience. Our work covers fibre optic and structured cabling across Brisbane and South East Queensland.

As the installer, not the supplier, we design, install, splice, and test the network ourselves. That includes:

• Fibre optic installation between buildings, floors, and communications rooms
• Fusion splicing, never mechanical
• Termination onto LC panels
• OLTS light/loss testing before handover
• White-label support for electrical, IT, and security contractors

FAQ

Can fibre be run between buildings without trenching?
Often, yes. Where the site allows it, aerial catenaries carry the cable overhead instead of underground. At Chandler, this aerial fibre optic installation avoided trenching between three buildings.

Why use indoor/outdoor rated fibre cable?
It lets us run a single length from building to building. As a result, there is no transition joint at the building entry, so there are fewer joints and fewer points of failure.

Why does TFD use fusion splicing?
Fusion splicing joins fibre cores into one continuous strand. For that reason, we use it on every cable and never use mechanical splicing.

What testing does TFD do before handover?
We test every link with an OLTS light/loss test before handover. At Chandler, we also tested both cables this way.

Does TFD install fibre between buildings across Brisbane?
Yes. In fact, we install fibre between buildings across Brisbane and South East Queensland. We can also look at your route and advise on aerial or underground.

Need to Link Buildings Without Digging?

Contact us to discuss certified design, installation, and commissioning for your site.

On your site, what decides aerial versus underground for your fibre runs?