The Cubis STAKKAbox ULTIMA proved to be a natural fit for a telecommunications infrastructure replacement project in Ottawa, Canada, owing to its ease of installation, flexibility to site conditions, and ability to install the pit without outages to the existing fibre optic cables.
Telecommunications providers use draw pits to splice fibre optic cables and store additional cable slack. Over time, pull boxes deteriorate and need replacing, both to protect components and allow more room for cable storage and additional fibre lines to meet the ever-increasing demand.
In this replacement project for Rogers TV in Ottawa, Canada, existing fibre optic lines and ducting were run through three sides of a splice box. Typically, to replace such a box without a break in service, a large ‘mouse-hole’ is cut into the new box on any side where it is being placed over the existing cables. Adding these large holes usually compromises the integrity of the access pit and causes it to fail prematurely.
In addition, such projects frequently come with a degree of uncertainty, since it is often not known exactly how deep the replacement box will need to be, leading to unnecessary guesswork.
Cubis Solution
For this installation, Oldcastle Infrastructure provided one 915mm x 1500mm x 1370mm STAKKAbox ULTIMA access pit with AX-S composite covers. The unit was delivered flat-packed and then constructed on site.
The installation was extremely straightforward, beginning with an excavator being used to dig the hole and remove the existing access pit. The ground was then levelled for placement of the new pit assembly. The ULTIMA access pit was built from the ground up, using components and connecting pegs, one layer at a time. As the rising walls of the pit approached ducting or fibre optic lines, the pit components were easily cut with a saw to allow for building around the obstructions. The layers were built to the required final grade. The frame was placed and screws were used to secure the composite covers to it.
The total time for installation was approximately 4 hours (one half-day).
“We foresee substantial time and cost savings when replacing or upgrading pull/splice boxes – quickly and with minimal impact,” said product manager Chris Schultz.
Customised depth
The Cubis STAKKAbox ULTIMA Connect system gave Rogers TV the flexibility to dig the hole and place the pit at the required depth without worrying about the pit’s final height. During the building process, the number of layers could be easily adjusted to bring the pit’s final height to grade level – a huge advantage over the typical installation.
No interruption in service
Since the Cubis STAKKAbox is constructed around the existing infrastructure, it minimises outages when upgrading or replacing a current draw pit.
Workers simply drill or cut holes in the ULTIMA Connect layers where necessary as the box is built. This process allows existing fibre optic cables and ducting to pass through the sides without affecting any lines currently in service.
This feature is especially important in confined urban environments that often have deteriorating equipment/ infrastructure and high demand due to the population density.
No impact on pit integrity
The Cubis layered system for integrating existing cable does not impact the integrity of the pit, unlike the large holes that must be cut in typical replacement boxes. The STAKKAbox can be customised to meet the unique site requirements while ensuring a load resistance well above the ANSI/SCTE Tier 22 standard.
Speedy and cost-effective installation
The Cubis STAKKAbox ULTIMA provides huge advantages in installation time, ease and labour effort. In as little as four hours, the pit can be built and installed on site with lightweight components following a straightforward assembly process.
The Rogers TV crew was extremely impressed with the innovation of the STAKKAbox. They foresee substantial time and cost savings when replacing or upgrading pull/splice boxes in future – quickly and with minimal impact.
