Fiber Build Out Pre-Construction Make-Ready Engineering

About Central Rural Electric Cooperative

Founded in 1938, Central Rural Electric Cooperative (Central) provides power to more than 17,000 members in north-central Oklahoma. Central manages 22,540 total meters and 4,417 miles of line to communities in seven counties which consists of 62 percent residential, 36 percent commercial, and two percent industrial. Centranet, a subsidiary of Central, will be the provider of fiber optic internet across homes and businesses in their service area. Centranet plans to connect their first subscriber in the summer of 2021.

The Situation

As of March 2020, 25 percent of Oklahoma public-school children lack home internet access, according to the Oklahoma State Education Department. One school district within Central’s service area projects that 40 percent of the students within the school district lack internet accessibility. For these students, it’s not a matter of reliability. It’s accessibility. It’s a hinderance for students, and it is imperative that the gap is filled. Central was in the best position to fill it. Central embarked on a five-year, five-phase project to bring high-speed internet to at least 18,000 locations including schools, businesses, and residents. The project consists of more than 4,400 miles of fiber line, 95 percent of which is aerial, and the remaining five percent is underground. Construction began in October 2020 and has a rigourous timeline to stay on track.

The Solution

Osmose provided make-ready engineering services using proprietary pole engineering solution, OsmoVision®. This turnkey approach combines state-of-the-art-mobile multi-sensor data acquisition technology, image processing using the latest artificial intelligence and machine learning tools, and advanced analysis software, O-Calc® Pro Line Design. These Osmose technology innovations create pre-construction directives for construction and fiber crews working on the Central project. By utilizing these technologies, Osmose is able to help Central stay on track with their rigorous project timeline.

Osmose provides make-ready design, pole loading analysis, joint use audits, clearance verification, and network inventories services for several cooperatives embarking on fiber-to-the-home initiatives.

When going into a project of this complexity, having a well-integrated team is critical. Working together with Osmose and Conexon, Central is building complex networks efficiently and effectively.

About Conexon

Conexon works with rural electric cooperatives to bring fiber to the home in rural communities. The company is comprised of professionals who have worked in electric cooperatives and the telecommunications industry, and offer decades of individual experience in business planning, building networks, marketing, and selling telecommunications. Conexon offers its electric cooperative clients end-to-end broadband deployment and operations support, from a project’s conception all the way through to its long-term sustainability. It works with clients to analyze economic feasibility, secure financing, design the network, manage construction, provide operational support, optimize business performance, and determine optimal partnerships.