The need for infrastructure sharing

With the privatization and expansion processes that the Brazilian telecommunications market has undergone in recent years, numerous companies have entered the sector. This represented important growth, but brought new infrastructure problems. The space that providers currently compete for to install cables is not enough to meet existing demands, and with the increasing need to expand network capacity, comes the debate about sharing poles.

In practice, this sharing involves energy distributors, which own the infrastructure, and telecommunications service providers. It is important to understand that this is not just a question of reducing costs and making the services provided viable. The irregular occupation of poles is a safety problem, both for the companies involved and for the population in general.

Excess wires and cables in a disorderly occupation can create difficulty in accessing the electrical network, just as companies with unauthorized projects can have wires cut by inspections, causing the risk of accidents and great visual pollution.

Therefore, it is important to always be aware of the legislation. According to current regulations, below the electrical cables, there is a designated space of 500 millimeters (half a meter) with five fixing points for internet, telephone and pay TV cables. It is clear that this space does not accommodate the installation of dozens of companies that often operate simultaneously in the same region, so how can the problem be solved?

Technology should help solve companies’ impasse

Sharing poles is viable as there are microducts capable of supporting up to seven fiber optic microcables. In other words, in theory it is possible for providers to occupy the same space on the posts. However, in practice there is still some resistance for the agreements to take place, mainly due to concerns that employees from other companies will make mistakes that could harm the service of others. Just as there are rules that regulate the implementation of networks, it will certainly be necessary to establish guarantees so that the relationship between all parties is stable and lasting.

Organized infrastructure sharing can considerably reduce costs for expansion and universalization, anticipating the implementation and improvement of telecommunications services. And providers need to be aware of this.

As already pointed out in the text about expanding the capacity of your optical network in 2020, technologies such as IoT and the accelerated growth in the percentage of households with internet access require that there be a genuine concern with good network implementation and maintenance of a stable structure.

And what are the steps to follow to make sharing posts viable?

1 – Provider Licensing

First of all, you need to legalize your activities as a provider of telecommunications services with the National Telecommunications Agency. In addition to accreditation or granting by the agency, it is also necessary for the provider to be registered with the CREA (Regional Council of Engineering and Agronomy) or the CFT (Federal Council of Industrial Technicians). To find out more about Anatel's entire accreditation and license approval process, simply access the official site.

2 – Contact with the electricity distributor

As providers generally run cables through electricity poles, having a contract with the responsible concessionaire is also necessary to use them. The first step here is to prepare a project to know which posts will be used and how your network will be structured. Having a good understanding of the details of the network is essential for a good project to be created, after all, several calculations are required to describe the reality of the implementation as closely as possible.

And be aware of how contracts with your local dealership work. Even though Anatel has released small providers from the grant, requiring only accreditation to operate, some energy companies may request the grant to share poles.

3 – Complete and organized network registration

Having organized planning is essential, before and after the network installation process. Detailed and accurate mapping makes technicians' work easier, saves the provider's time and resources, and is essential when carrying out any maintenance.

Well-documented processes make problems easily resolved, and make it easier if you need to report to any of the regulatory bodies. This is the time to start thinking strategically to perform your functions with maximum efficiency. Understanding the importance of network mapping will help in the qualitative growth of your provider.