MetroFibre Uses Micro-trenching Technology To Install Fibre in Port Elizabeth

MetroFibre Networx has announced the successful use of micro-trenching technology, for their fibre installation in the Port Elizabeth suburb of Summerstrand.

Micro-trenching, unlike traditional fibre installation, involves the cutting of a very narrow and shallow trench on the road surface, using specialized machinery. “A micro-trench is typically 30-50 millimetres wide and can be up to 400 millimetres deep, although usually about 200 millimetres for fibre purposes,” the company said.

“The fibre conduit and cable are then placed in this micro-trench and the area is then backfilled and sealed with a specialised trench grout which restores the road back to its original surface.”

Traditional methods require much larger trenches be dug.

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The advantage of this method is the speed of delivery. Deployment time is reduced by up to 80%, and the likelihood of damaging other infrastructure is minimal.

“For residents of Summerstrand in Nelson Mandela Bay, the council’s decision to test the micro-trenching process has been an absolute win,” Henry Wilkens, Project Manager at MetroFibre Networx stated.

This pilot programme covered a 5km area, and was completed in under 2 weeks. MetroFibre is now looking to deploy this method nationally.

Watch below how micro-trenching works.