Zimbabwe Institute of Engineers (Zw.I.E.)
Technical Project Report
Telecel National Optical Fibre Transmission
Backbone:
Harare to Gweru.
Prepared by:
Wellington Guta: Specialist Engineer: Transmission Network Planning & Optimisation
Table of Contents
Table of Contents .............................................................................................................. ii
1 Abbreviations ............................................................................................................ 1
2 Executive summary ................................................................................................... 2
3 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 3
4 Project stakeholders.................................................................................................. 4
4.1.1
NRZ............................................................................................................... 5
4.1.2
Contractor (CCS) .......................................................................................... 5
4.1.3
Huawei .......................................................................................................... 5
4.1.4
Telecel procurement department................................................................... 5
4.1.5
Telecel commercial department: finance & legal ......................................... 5
4.1.6
Telecel Acquisition and construction department......................................... 5
5 Project detail.............................................................................................................. 7
5.1 Business case ........................................................................................................ 7
5.1.1
Microwave CAPEX and OPEX .................................................................... 7
5.1.2
Fibre CAPEX ................................................................................................ 9
5.1.3
Fibre vs. Microwave conclusion ................................................................. 10
5.2 Project design ..................................................................................................... 10
5.2.1
Feasibility study .......................................................................................... 10
5.2.2
RFP & RFQ preparation ............................................................................. 11
5.2.3
Fibre, duct & material specifications .......................................................... 13
5.2.4
Vendor selection and contract negotiation .................................................. 14
5.2.5
Route Survey & Familiarization ................................................................. 15
5.2.6
Equipment delivery ..................................................................................... 16
5.3 Project initiation, implementation and completion ............................................ 17
5.3.1
Termination equipment ............................................................................... 17
5.3.2
Civil works and supervision........................................................................ 18
5.3.3
PAT, commissioning and handover ............................................................ 19
5.4 Project Challenges .............................................................................................. 20
5.4.1
Over budget ................................................................................................. 20
5.4.2
ROW applications ....................................................................................... 20
5.4.3
Chegutu – Kadoma rodents ......................................................................... 21
5.4.4
Vandalism on NRZ locations ...................................................................... 21
5.5 Project lessons & recommendations .................................................................. 21
6 Conclusion ............................................................................................................... 22
7 Appendix A- Sample BOQ ...................................................................................... A
8 Appendix B – NRZ locations................................................................................... C
9 Appendix C – Telecel Sites ...................................................................................... D
10 Appendix D – Implementation schedule ................................................................ D
ii
1 Abbreviations
LD
OFC
OSP
NRZ
CCS
OFC
GSM
RFP
RFQ
BOQ
EMA
MOT
SDH
ADM
IP
STM
MGW
CAPEX
OPEX
ISP
ZINARA
ZETDC
GI
PO
PAC
DDP
WDM
CWDM
DWDM
ODF
PAT
OTDR
FAC
Long Distance
Optical Fibre Cable
Outside Plant
National Railways of Zimbabwe
China Communications Services
Optical Fibre Cable
Global System for Mobile communication
Request For Proposal
Request for Quotation
Bill Of Quantities
Environmental Management Agency
Ministry Of Transport
Synchronous Digital Hierarchy
Add and Drop Multiplexer
Internet Protocol
Synchronous Transport Module
Media Gate Way
Capital Expenditure
Operational Expenditure
Internet Service Provider
Zimbabwe National Road Administration
Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission & Distribution Company
Galvanised Iron
Purchase Order
Provisional Acceptance Certificate
Delivery Duty Paid
Wavelength Division Multiplexing
Coarse Wavelength Division Multiplexing
Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing
Optical Distribution Frame
Provisional Acceptance Test
Optical Time Domain Reflectometer
Final Acceptance Test
1
2 Executive summary
This document is a report on the 3.5 million dollar optical fibre rollout project between
Harare and Gweru. This was a partnership between Telecel Zimbabwe, National
Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) and China Communication Services (CCS). The project
involved installation of an Optical Fibre Cable (OFC) and terminal equipment from
Harare to Gweru connecting intercity Telecel backbone sites and NRZ sidings and Power
Remote Control (PRC) points.
2
3 Introduction
Telecel Zimbabwe is one of the major telecommunications company in Zimbabwe that is
committed to providing its customers with cutting edge technology, products and
services. With the evolution of mobile technologies from GSM to 3G and now to 4G
there has been an increase in demand of capacity for data enabled services. This has
seen Telecel Zimbabwe embarking on projects to expand its network capacity by
installing high capacity base stations meaning an increase in backhaul capacity. Telecel
backbone transmission medium is predominantly microwave and an increase in
microwave capacity meant an increase in operational expenditure through spectrum
costs thus the need for an optical fibre cable for the backbone was prudent as it would
offer reliable backhaul transmission at any desired capacity.
The National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) is a parastatal in Zimbabwe that offers rail
transportation for bulk goods and to passengers. NRZ operates a single track that runs in
two directions (Up and Down) and trains travelling in opposing directions cross at a
siding. A siding is a place where two trains moving in opposite directions can effect a
crossing. NRZ also has PRCs that are dotted along the railway corridor. PRCs are a
telemetry system that is used to monitor and control remote substations feeding NRZ’s
overhead catenary system that provides the tractive power to locomotives. There are
concerns of reliability and availability that have to be well thought-out when coming up
with such systems. This requires a reliable backhaul communication system that will
provide accurate information about the status of equipment on the sidings and PRCs to
the control centers. This saw the need for a fibre backhaul infrastructure to cater for
NRZ communication requirements.
CCS is a leading telecommunications service provider with interests in OSP Optical Fibre
Cable deployment including design, construction, project management and supervision.
They have deployed major optical fibre cable projects in African countries such as
Ghana, Angola and Mozambique. With the need by most telecom operators to deploy
fibre cable in, CCS set up an office in Zimbabwe so as to seek partnerships with telecom
operators to deploy Optical Fibre Cable.
It is in this regard that Telecel Zimbabwe and NRZ entered into a project agreement to
deploy an optical fibre cable along the NRZ servitude from Harare to Bulawayo with the
initial phase being from Harare to Gweru. Telecel was to provide all the technical details,
i.e., planning and implementation of the project providing 4 fibre cores to NRZ sidings
and PRCs.
3
4 Project stakeholders
The Optical Fibre Cable rollout project to be undertaken by Telecel Zimbabwe was given
to the Transmission planning department as owners of the project. I was tasked as the
project engineer responsible for the end to end project management of the whole
project. This included;










Cost benefit study for the fibre project
Terminal equipment planning for fibre termination for both NRZ and Telecel.
Issuance and floating of RFP & RFQ to service providers/vendors
Participate in tender bids by vendors
Vendor selection and contract agreements
BOQ preparation and validation
Equipment procurement
Project initiation and implementation supervision
Testing and commissioning
Acceptance and handover to operations department
The above activities included participation and alignment from all business entities
within Telecel including NRZ and the contractor of the project. Figure 1 which shows the
stakeholder linkage.
Local Authorities, EMA
& MOT
NRZ
Huawei
Telecel Acquisition &
Construction Department
Transmission Planning &
Optimisation Department
Contractor (CCS)
Telecel Commercial
Department
Finance & Legal
Telecel
Procurement
Department
Figure 1. Project stakeholder linkage
4
In addition to the roles above I was also responsible for all the communication between
all stakeholders holding weekly progress meetings as instructed by my superiors.
4.1.1 NRZ
As the owners of the servitude that was going to be used to rollout the fibre project,
NRZ provided personnel whom we would work with for initial route sidings and PRC
surveys to help us prepare an RFP and RFQ for fibre materials. The NRZ personnel would
also work with us during project implementation and the final testing and
commissioning of the optical fibre cable.
4.1.2 Contractor (CCS)
CCS as the contractor who was awarded the tender for rolling out the optical fibre cable
was responsible for the rolling out of the OFC as well as providing fibre civil materials as
designed by Telecel transmission planning department and as agreed in the BOQ with
the Telecel finance and procurement department. CCS was also responsible for
providing expert labour required for optical fibre installation, splicing and termination.
CCS participated in the final route survey providing the detailed layout report as well as
the final as built layout diagram
4.1.3 Huawei
Harare to Gweru intercity Telecel backbone sites are connected through SDH Microwave
radios and Huawei ADMs. To accommodate optical fibre transmission these ADMs
needed to be upgraded to transmit IP traffic hence Huawei had to provide BOQs and
recommendations for packet license and transmission as required by the transmission
planning department.
4.1.4 Telecel procurement department
The procurement department played a major role in assisting the transmission planning
team with tender evaluation and vendor selection, BOQ validation, material
procurement and delivery for the project to kick start.
4.1.5 Telecel commercial department: finance & legal
After receiving a business case analysis from transmission planning on the need for
optical fibre transmission to cater for the network expansion a budget was allocated and
approved by the finance team. The finance and legal team also played a major role in
tender evaluation and vendor selection as well as having the final say on contract
agreements.
4.1.6 Telecel Acquisition and construction department
Telecel intercity sites are located off the railway line and from the planning perspective
this meant the fibre routes from the railway servitude to connect Telecel sites passed
through farms, council land, Highways, bridges etc. To connect these sites ROW were
sort from local authorities and MOT by the acquisition department. The ROW gave us
5
permission to rollout our optical cable through these areas. Acquisition department also
sort permission from EMA after assessing the damage the project would have to the
environment.
The construction team was responsible for monitoring the contractor’s civil works if
they adhered to the plans as set by the transmission planning department.
6
5 Project detail
This section seeks to explain the project in detail from inception, implementation,
evaluation and closure.
5.1 Business case
A cost benefit analysis was conducted to see the benefits of an optical fibre network.
Building an Optical Fibre network will allow Telecel to expand its network and services
without recurrent expensive swaps. Telecel Transmission Network will offer the
necessary robustness and flexibility to sustain the growing subscriber base. The current
microwave backbone from Harare to Gweru was 4xSTM-1. As transmission planning
department our aim is to plan transmission systems according to radio planning and
core planning department. According to these respective departments, their capacity
projections between Harare to Bulawayo and Harare to Mutare indicated that the
current 4xSTM-1 would not meet their traffic demands. Below are a four year traffic
projection that was used.
5.1.1 Microwave CAPEX and OPEX
Core Transmission Needs
2013
Ha – Bu MGW (E1) 143
Ha – Mu MGW (E1) 72
2014
162
82
2015
170
86
2016
193
98
2013
2
2014
2
2015
4
2016
6
2013
3
2
2014
3
3
2015
4
3
2016
6
3
2013
65
32
2014
75
44
2015
80
52
2016
90
60
Data Transport
Ha – Bu - Plumtree
(VC3: 42M)
Iub 3G Transport
Ha – Bu (VC3:42M)
Ha – Mu (E1)
2G Abis Transport
Ha – Bu (E1)
Ha – Mu (E1)
7
Total Capacity Evolution
Addition of all traffic contributions on the main backbone sections.
2013
2014
2015
Ha – Bu (STM-1)
4
4
5
Ha – Mu (STM-1)
3
3
3
4xSTM-1
2016
6
4
5 x STM-1
Exceeded
The traffic projections above show an increase from 4xSTM-1 to 6xSTM-1 in backbone
traffic from Harare to Bulawayo thus there were two options, i.e., increasing the
Microwave capacity or implementing a fibre backbone network. Below were the
microwave and fibre CAPEX and OPEX evaluations that were carried out from Harare to
Gweru.
Harare-Gweru Microwave CAPEX
Item
Price
QTY
Total
7+1 MW trunk system (or equivalent)
including installation
$55,000.00
9
$450,000.00
OSN upgrade
$5,000.00
9
$54,000.00
Shelters to transform indoor systems
to outdoor
$15,000.00
9
$135,000.00
Replacing Gweru Tower (60 Tower
cost + CW)
$120,000.00
1
$120,000.00
Replacing Kadoma with a 60m heavy
duty Tower (60 Tower cost + CW)
$120,000.00
1
$120,000.00
Needs a structural analysis, current
towers are medium duty.
Total
$879,000.00
Harare-Gweru Microwave OPEX
An increase in Microwave capacity requires an increase in frequency channels to be
used meaning that the OPEX incurred would be from spectrum costs to the regulator.
Upgrading the microwave backbone also requires extra frequency channels which are
limited as most of the frequencies have been assigned to other operators.
8
5.1.2 Fibre CAPEX
We gathered information from other operators and various vendors who had rolled out
fibre projects. Initial estimates were based on the route length from Harare to Gweru
along the national highway.
Item
Vendor
Operator
QTY
Total Vendor
CW (Per km)
$12,000.0
0
$2,200.00
$8,000.00
270
$3,240,000.00
Total
Operator
$2,160,000.00
$2,000.00
270
$594,000.00
$3,834,000.00
$540,000.00
$2,700,000.00
Fibre
Total
5.1.2.1 Fibre possible incomes
Rolling out of fibre is a capital intensive project but with potential high returns. With
infrastructure sharing regulations by the operator, Telecel is already leasing capacity on
Microwave to ISPs, CDMA and WiMax operators who are requesting more capacity.
With the installation of fibre, possible revenue streams from leasing capacity can be
realized. We could also barter trade our capacity with other operators to create
redundancy for our critical traffic. Over the years our income projections were as below,
i.e.
Projected Yearly income = Number of E1s x monthly rate x 10 months
Number of E1s
leased
Yearly Income
2013
15
2014
30
2015
40
2016
50
$150,000.00
$300,000.00
$400,000.00
$500,000.00
9
5.1.3 Fibre vs. Microwave conclusion
Below are findings from the transmission planning business case analysis.
Item
Capacity Upgrade
Spectrum
CAPEX
OPEX (Yearly)
Lifespan
Incomes (Yearly)
MW
Need to swap to a trunk system when
exceeding 4STM1.
Maximum capacity of the trunk system
is 7STM1
2 STM1 needs 1 channel using XPIC
Telecel Zimbabwe has severe problems
to secure spectrum for the backbone
due to unavailability of frequencies
0.9M USD
50K USD
5 years due to technology changes
None
Fibre
Unlimited
None
3.8M USD
None
20 – 25 years
Approx. 300k
5.2 Project design
5.2.1 Feasibility study
Initially the plan was to lay optical fibre cable along the Harare to Gweru national
highway. On seeking approval from MOT, concerns were raised on the road expansion
project that was being carried out by ZINARA. On the other hand ZETDC was rolling out
overhead optical fibre cable with LIQUID telecommunications thus this led to Telecel
Zimbabwe engaging NRZ. The timeframe of this project was set to six months. The fibre
optical cable would create a logical network for Telecel as shown below;
Harare HQ
Banganyemba
Makwiro
Chegutu
Kadoma
Mkoba 7
Gweru
Thema
Kwekwe
Water Tanks
Munyathi
Figure2 Network overview
10
5.2.2 RFP & RFQ preparation
From a high level perspective Telecel required a 48 core duct buried optical fibre, 4
cores being used by NRZ for their PRC and Siding connectivity.
For the purposes of creating an RFP & RFQ to float to vendors for tendering the
following assumptions were made about the route.






The route length estimate along the NRZ line to be 310km
The optical fibre cable will be installed in the excavated land
Along the cable route, normal soil accounts for 20%, hard soil accounts for 10%,
gravelly soil accounts for 50%, soft rock accounts for 12%, hard rock accounts for
8%.
Along the route, plain terrain accounts for 55%, hill terrain accounts for 35% and
mountain terrain accounts for 10%.
Timeframe to complete the project was 6 months
Telecel Zimbabwe will be responsible for the agreement with NRZ as well as seek
approvals from other municipalities, local councils and other interested parties.
In tender submissions, prospective contractors of the project were supposed to indicate
in their proposals and quotations the following technical and commercial guidelines as
well as compliance to Telecel proposals
Target price and payment terms as set by commercial and negotiations from acquisition
departments. This included supply of OFC, materials, delivery, civil works,
implementation and project management
Duct burried cable + One Empty Duct in same Trench
Unit Price per KM (USD)
Telecel Target
$13,447
Technical guideline for civil works for trenching as advised by the Telecel construction
team were as shown below and as highlighted in the cross section for excavation in
figure3 for both normal land and concreted land.
Soil Type
H (m)
Bottom Width (cm)
Normal soil
1m
30cm
Hard soil
0.8
30cm
Gravel soil
0.8
30cm
Soft rock
0.7
30cm
Hard Rock
0.4
30cm
11
Figure3: Cross section for excavation requirements for normal and concreted land
Vendors were also supposed to consider;
 Providing labour and machinery for excavation as well as experts with track
records in splicing and termination.
 Splice Losses were set to 0.03 per splice
 giving solutions and cost for termites and rodents in their proposals.
 Consider constructing manholes after every 3km and in addition construction of
manholes at all road and rail crossings, PRCs and Sidings and where fibre cable
meet.
 Consider construction of fibre along bridge crossings, river crossings, culverts,
pavements in cities.
 Consider placing stone marks every 3km and where a manhole is located.
 Fibre blowing to be used when installing fibre into the HDPE ducts
 Installation of GI pipes for all rail and road crossings
Commercial guidelines as instructed by the finance department as below
Telecel Target Payment Terms & Conditions
1) 20% down payment within 15 days after PO issuance.
2) 20% of the contract price shall be paid immediately after obtaining the PAC.
3a)60% of the contract price shall be paid within one year period after obtaining the PAC,
3b) During that 1 year, 15% of the contract price should be paid every 3 months.
4) The price should be based on DDP to Harare.
5) The price should be exclusive of VAT.
6) The price should be exclusive of ROW.
12
5.2.3 Fibre, duct & material specifications
The fibre specifications adopted were supposed to satisfy requirement analysis of both
NRZ and Telecel Zimbabwe current and future needs as well as projected leasing
capacity within the availed budget. 48 core duct buried single mode hybrid fibre was
selected which comprised of ITU-T 16 G656 + 32 G652D. A combination of G652D and
G656 has the following advantages;



G652D single mode fibre can support up to 10Gbps capacity depending on
terminal equipment. G656 single mode fibre can support up to 100 Gbps
capacity.
G652D offers respectable attenuation coefficients thus reducing loss budgets
significantly. G656 are optimized to support long haul transmission and show no
attenuation losses at single mode transmission.
G652D supports WDM and CDWM whilst G656 supports DWDM.
This type of fibre positioned Telecel to transmit any desired capacity in the future.
Duct specifications set were
 Able to be buried underground
 Two 32/26mm diameter HDPE ducts one to be used for future use
 Able to withstand rodents and termites as the cable route was passing through
farms and rodent infested areas.
2 way 48 core Joint boxes were considered. In addition the boxes were to meet the
following conditions. A sample of the Joint box had to be provided by the contractor for
approval. Joint boxes had to meet the following conditions




Water proof
Rigid in structure
Easy to work with for splicing and termination
Should have all accessories used for splicing and termination
ODF specifications were as follows.



96 Core ODF with FC connections at Telecel intercity backbone sites
4 Core ODF with FC connections at NRZ sidings and PRC sites
To provide FC-LC patch cables for connection between ODF and ADM.
The ODFs had to be of good strength, with the cable line flexible, meeting the
requirements of the radius of curvature when the fibre is coiled and bended. The ODF
13
had to adopt the epoxy electrostatic spray, corrosion-resistant appearance with a
lifespan equivalent to that of the optical fibre cable. A picture of a sample of an ODF tray
is shown in figure 4
Figure4: ODF tray
ADM control cards and line cards
Huawei provided recommended specifications for Telecel to enable a hybrid of packet
transmission of up to 10Gbps and SDH transmission of STM-16. The recommendations
were within the allocated budget thus the terminal equipment was procured.
5.2.4 Vendor selection and contract negotiation
After receiving tender bids from various vendors and suppliers, we sat in presentations
were a panel from Telecel and NRZ were looking for the following pointers for
adjudication;







Compliance with technical specifications
Compliance with commercial specifications
Ability to complete such a project
Traceable references where equipment has been used satisfactorily
Inclusion of all necessary support documents in the form of detailed technical
data sheets, diagrams, dimensions, type test results, catalogues and brochures.
Valid ISO Certificate
Company Profile to be submitted with the bid and to include copies of Certificate
of Incorporation, Memorandum & Articles of Association, CR14, and CR6.
After awarding the contract to the winning bidder, CCS who met all the requirement, a
site survey was conducted so as to enable BOQ preparations and equipment
procurement.
14
5.2.5 Route Survey & Familiarization
Telecel Zimbabwe, NRZ and CCS then conducted a detailed route survey so as to
quantitate the materials needed for the project and to validate the locations for both
Telecel sites and NRZ. Appendix A, B and C show sample BOQ covering all aspects of the
project, NRZ locations and Telecel site locations respectively. The survey also assisted
Telecel acquisition team to identify areas that needed authorization first from Local
authorities and interested parties before trenching commenced. From the survey a
Google earth network diagram, figure 5, depicting all the captured data was compiled
and was adopted as the working document for the project. The conclusion of the survey
initiated
 ROW applications from local authorities and MOT.
 BOQ validation as well as Equipment and material procurement.
Figure5.Google Earth Network diagram
15
5.2.6 Equipment delivery
On delivery of all materials, a Cable Reel Test of the fibre cable was conducted to ensure
no defects occurred due to shipping. This was a fibre quality assurance test with the
results being compared to factory test results. The tests were conducted at both
1310nm and 1550nm according to IEC 60793 specifications
16
5.3 Project initiation, implementation and completion
The project comprised of two main parts. The termination equipment which was to be
done by Telecel and Huawei and then the fibre laying.
5.3.1 Termination equipment
Huawei provided additional line cards to install on our ADMS at all the backbone sites
between Harare and Gweru. Each site was to be installed with
 Packet control card: this card enabled Telecel to transmit 10Gbps IP traffic over
the fibre
 2x STM-16 line cards: this enabled Telecel to transmit 2x STM-16 capacity
between Harare and Gweru over 4 cores of fibre
Installation of these cards meant downtime, thus affecting all the backhaul traffic
between Harare and Gweru. Telecel MW backbone is made of rings as depicted below
that are used to protect critical traffic.
Figure6: Telecel backbone network
All the critical traffic was rerouted before the cutover of new line and control cards was
done. Control cards and the new line cards were to be installed
 During Telecel window period where there is minimum traffic, i.e., 12am – 3am.
This would minimize revenue losses to Telecel Zimbabwe.
 One site a day starting from Gweru monitoring performance of the installed
cards during the day.
17
5.3.2 Civil works and supervision
Civil works started after the issuance of a PO from the Telecel Zimbabwe procurement
department and payment by Telecel Zimbabwe Finance department. This part of the
project was split into three sections and was supervised by Telecel transmission
planning department i.e. Harare to Chegutu, Chegutu to Kwekwe and Kwekwe to
Gweru. Appendix D shows the proposed schedule timeline and the below diagrams
show some of the civil works along the route, i.e., the manhole type used, bridge
crossing using GI pipe , warning tape in a trench and ODF equipment at Telecel site.
Figure7: Part of the civil works
Sectional progress reports were compiled every week which led to the following final
report. This report was to be used as a guide for PATs
Section
Harare - Banganyemba
Banganyemba - Makwiro
Makwiro - Chegutu
Chegutu - Kadoma
Kadoma - Munyati
Munyati - kwekwe
Kwekwe - Thema Farm
Thema Farm - Mkoba 7
Mkoba7 - Dabuka
Redcliff (NRZ)
Total
Telecel Fibre Project progress
Joint
Fibre testing
Digging
splices
distance (km)
works (km)
(pcs)
56.652
57.365
22
49.305
36.677
16
39.55
38.563
13
39.203
37.314
13
62.527
59.294
20
32.611
29.198
10
57.101
53.379
19
26.612
21.16
9
11.265
5.946
3
8.99
8.625
2
383.816
347.521
127
Manholes
(pcs)
Hard
rock(m)
24
15
17
15
24
12
24
10
3
2
146
2850
1900
900
2900
1026
350
2660
2220
0
850
15656
18
5.3.3 PAT, commissioning and handover
After completion of all civil works and termination of all fibre equipment to all Telecel
backbone sites and NRZ sidings & PRCs, PATs were conducted separated into two parts;
the civil PATs and the link PATs per section. PATs would then lead to issuance of a PAC.
In the Civil PATs the following were used as guidelines to accept if the contractor had
met Telecel requirements as prescribed in the initial plan;
 Random tests to measure depth of the trenches along the route
 Manhole installation and strength
 Backfilling properly done
 Correct labelling of manholes, fibre cable, stone marks and routes
Figure 8 shows some Telecel personnel conducting civil PATs with the contractor
Figure8: Civil work PATs
The link PATs were done using an OTDR and a pocket visual tracer testing all the hops
along the route. Link losses were measured and these were supposed to be within the
link budgets of the hops. All fibre cores were tested and had to conform to +/-1dB loss
of equation 1
Equation1: a = (Lx0.25) + (No. S x 0.08) + (No. C *0.5)
Where a = link attenuation
L = the length of the route with a factor of 0.25)
No. S = number of splices along the link
No. C = No of connectors
19
Figure9: OTDR tests
After PATs were done the fibre link from Harare to Gweru was commissioned and the
following services were tested
 Kwekwe 3G traffic to Harare RNC
 Gweru Gb traffic to Harare SGSN
 Battlefields 2G traffic to Harare
After monitoring the link performance which was rendered satisfactory over a month’s
period, and FAT was conducted which led to the fibre network being accepted and
handed over to Telecel operations team for their daily maintenance and monitoring.
5.4 Project Challenges
There were problems encountered during the course of the project and some saw the
project being delayed and not meeting the set timeframes.
5.4.1 Over budget
The initial budget for the project was for 310km but on conducting a detailed survey and
connecting all the required locations, the route length was 347km.Approvals from
Telecel Zimbabwe finance department were needed for the project to go ahead. For us
to get the approval we had to wait for the management meeting on projects which took
place every quarter. We asked for an emergency consultation to avoid stalling the
project
5.4.2 ROW applications
We had areas where we passed through Local council land and highway crossings.
Getting way leaves from these authorities took three to four months. Seeing that they
would affect the project timeframes the affected areas were the last to be connected.
20
Figure10: Banganyemba route
One particular case to note was connecting Telecel backbone site, Banganyemba, shown
in figure 10 above. This site is located between Harare and Norton and its route from
the railway line servitude passes through the Harare – Bulawayo Highway and a farm to
the site. MOT granted permission to trench along the highway after highway upgrades
were done. The owner of the farm granted us permission after he had finished
harvesting his crops.
5.4.3 Chegutu – Kadoma rodents
The area between Chegutu and Kadoma is infested with rodents. Concrete encasement
of the buried duct and fibre along the whole route was advised. This meant an increase
in the Telecel budget which was rejected. A temporary solution of using rodent
repellents is being implemented.
5.4.4 Vandalism on NRZ locations
NRZ’s PRC and sidings have over the years been vandalized and most have been
neglected with no security so most of the cable installed into their shelters was stolen as
it was mistaken for copper wire. We decided not to install any cable into the shelters,
rather leave it in manholes next to the shelter until such a time when round the clock
security is availed.
5.5 Project lessons & recommendations
Despite the project eventually being a success there are areas that could have been
done differently. Projects of this magnitude needed an internal detailed survey before
issuance of RFPs and RFQs. Estimates made from RFP and RFQ saw the final project over
budget. An internal detailed survey could also assist the Acquisition teams to seek ROW
well in time.
It is highly recommended that Telecel Zimbabwe continue with the fibre expansion
along their backbone network to create a world class transmission backhaul network
21
6 Conclusion
Despite the challenges faced, the first phase of the implementing a national optical fibre
cable between Harare and Gweru was a success. Capacity requirements that were
projected from the different department are now being provisioned on the fibre
network as well as creation of redundant links for the Microwave backbone offering
great resilience and protection to the Telecel traffic. Telecel Zimbabwe is now engaging
ISPs and the business community with of capacity lease proposals for their connectivity
along Harare and Gweru on Telecel fibre.
22
7 Appendix A- Sample BOQ
1
1.1
1.2
1.3
2
2.1
2.1.1
2.1.2
2.1.3
2.1.4
2.1.5
2.1.6
2.2
2.2.1
2.2.2
2.2.3
2.3
2.3.1
2.3.2
2.3.3
2.4
2.4.1
2.4.2
2.4.3
2.5
2.5.1
2.5.3
2.5.4
3
3.1
3.1.1
3.1.2
3.1.3
3.1.4
3.2
3.2.1
3.2.2
3.2.3
3.3
3.3.1
3.3.2
3.4
3.4.1
Right Of Way Acquisition
Right of Way acquisition from the Authority/private land owners.
Right of way from Irrigation department in case crossing of rivers
ROW Acquisition for Railway Crossing from NRZ Railway
Supply of Material (Cable, Accessories & Ducts)
Fibre Cable
4F Standard Direct buried cable as per technical specification
4F Duct buried cable as per technical specification
48F Standard Direct buried cable as per technical specification
48F Duct buried cable as per technical specification
36F Standard Direct buried cable as per technical specification
36F Duct buried cable as per technical specification
Fibre Cable accessories ( Fibre Splicing Closures)
Sleeves including splicing material with all accessories for 4 FO
Sleeves including splicing material with all accessories for 48 FO
Sleeves including splicing material with all accessories for 36 FO
Optical termination
Pigtail with FC/PC connector G652
Pigtail with FC/PC connector G656
Optical Coupling Unit
Optical Distribution Frame
Optical Distribution Frame (4 fibres)
Optical Distribution Frame (48 fibres)
Optical Distribution Frame (36 fibres)
Ducts
GI-PIPE SUB-DUCTED WITH PVC PIPE
HDPE-pipes
Warning Tape
Civil Works
Digging Works including backfilling
Urban Area
Non-Urban Area
Urban Rocky Area
Non-Urban Rocky Area
Breaking & Reinstatement Road Surface (width: 0.3m).
Concrete road surface (thickness<=0.15m)
Tarmacadam road surface (thickness<=0.15m)
Brick road surface
Ducts (Laying & Installation of HDPE / PVC Pipe direct in an open
trench).
Lay-out & Installation of HDPE Pipes direct in trench
Lay-out & Installation of PVC Pipes direct in trench
Construction of Hand holes and Man holes.
Installation of joint chamber
Meter
Meter
No.
Meter
Meter
Meter
Meter
Meter
Meter
No.
No.
No.
No.
No.
No.
No.
No.
No.
Meter
Meter
Meter
Meter
Meter
Meter
Meter
Meter
Meter
Meter
Meter
Meter
No.
A
3.4.2
3.4.3
3.4.4
3.5
3.5.1
3.6
3.6.1
3.6.2
3.6.3
3.6.4
3.6.5
3.6.6
4
4.1
4.2
4.3
4.4
4.5
4.6
5
5.1
5.2
5.3
Installation of Concrete Pre-cast Manhole
Construction of Brick manhole as per design
Installation of Stone Marker supply and installation
Pulling/Blowing works.
Laying/puling of Cable/duct in trench including protection of cable in MH
with plastic and sealing.
Crossings.
Bridge, Road and Canal Crossing with Galvanized Steel Pipes (including
supply)
Underwater Canal Crossing with two PE endless Pipe (including supply)
Horizontal Directional Drilling with HDPE Pipe (incl. supply)
Crossing by Boring with Galvanized Steel Pipes .(including supply)
Railway crossing with Steel Pipe. (including supply)
Railway crossing Manhole for Boring Machine
Installation
Jointing and Termination 4 FO
Installation and termination of ODF 4 fibres
Jointing and Termination 48 FO
Installation and termination of ODF 48 fibres
Jointing and Termination 36 FO
Installation and termination of ODF 36 fibres
Services
Survey and Design (issuing of construction drawings)
As built drawings and documentation (including maps).
Testing and Commissioning
Project Management
VAT (If Applicable)
No.
No.
No.
Meter
Meter
Meter
Meter
Meter
Meter
No.
No.
No.
No.
No.
No.
No.
KM
KM
Section
B
8 Appendix B – NRZ locations
Siding Name
Dabuka
Kadoma Siding
Latitude
Longitude
S19°31'06.0 29°46'52.0
S18°20'26.3 29°54'52.7
Zaloba Signal 180/181
Zaloba Siding
Willowvale
Umsweswe Siding
Somerby Siding
Sherwood Siding
Shamwari Siding
Selous Siding
Sekope Siding
Rimuka Siding
Redfields Siding
Redcliff
Norton
Ngwena Siding
Nahla Siding
Munyati Siding
Martin Siding
Manyame Siding
Makwiro Siding
Lydiate Siding
Lochinvar
Kwekwe
Kutama Siding
Kintyre Siding
Hunyani Siding
Hunters Road Siding
Harare
Gweru
Gado Siding
Chiwundula Siding
Chigwell Siding
Chegutu Siding
Battlefields Siding
Total Distance
S19°14'57.0
S19°16'08.0
S17°52'15.2
S18°26'05.0
S17°49'55.6
S18°45'00.0
S18°49'41.0
S18°01'06.0
S19°23'49.0
S18°20'11.0
S19°00'32.0
S19°00'32.0
S17°53'19.0
S18°32'03.0
S19°20'28.0
S18°39'29.0
S18°15'31.0
S19°18'08.0
S17°58'00.0
S17°53'18.0
S17°51'47.7
S18°55'54.0
S17°54'03.0
S17°51'49.0
S17°52'54.0
S19°09'24.0
S17°50'00.0
S19°27'33.4
S19°00'01.7
S19°05'50.0
S18°12'02.1
S18°08'06.0
S18°36'16.0
29°44'34.0
29°49'10.0
30°57'58.0
29°48'57.0
30°49'30.2
29°47'00.0
29°49'19.0
30°21'14.0
29°47'21.0
29°49'57.0
29°44'52.0
29°44'52.0
30°04'36.0
29°49'46.0
29°46'17.0
29°46'46.0
29°59'48.0
29°49'50.0
30°25'42.0
30°34'42.0
30°59'21.0
29°49'56.2
30°26'42.0
30°47'27.0
30°45'09.0
29°47'26.0
31°03'17.0
29°48'29.4
29°49'26.5
29°48'38.0
30°03'48.4
30°08'17.0
29°49'21.0
Elevation
1406
1207
1361
1336
1447
1085
1403
1179
1192
1263
1167
1112
1187
1187
1085
1137
1450
1097
1194
1361
1315
1358
1450
1213
1337
1387
1354
1289
1476
1424
1239
1250
1171
1189
1120
C
9 Appendix C – Telecel Sites
Site Name
Latitude
Longitude
Thema Farm
Telecel HQ
Railway Makwiro
Mkoba 7
kwekwe water tank
Chegutu
Munyati
Banganyemba
Kadoma
Total
S19°20'06.4
S17°51'01.3
S17°58'15.3
S19°27'55.7
S18°57'15.4
S18°08'06.2
S18°44'26.9
S17°56'52.5
S18°20'05.5
29°48'05.4
31°03'06.6
30°25'30.4
29°45'52.1
29°47'52.1
30°08'26.8
29°47'58.7
30°40'44.5
29°54'27.5
10 Appendix D – Implementation schedule
D
E