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Fiber-optic cables can act as fully distributed live sensors, providing owners and operators real-time insights and alerts that improve safety and protect our infrastructure. And that’s not all they can do.
By: Brad Randall, Broadband Communities
From detecting earthquakes to identifying when a construction crew is excavating nearby, fiber-optic sensing provides telecom and utility operators the chance to proactively alert, identify, and address a situation before catastrophic failure.
That’s according to Paul Dickinson, the Chairman of the Fiber Optic Sensing Association (FOSA), a Washington based non-profit trade organization whose mission is to increase awareness and provide education regarding the advantages of fiber optic sensing.
With a Ph.D. in polymer science from the University of Connecticut’s Institute of Materials Science, and an extensive background in fiber-optic technology and conduit infrastructure, Dr. Dickinson is also the Director of Business Development for Dura-Line.
In a recent interview with Broadband Communities, Dickinson said leveraging fiber-optic sensing technology on existing and future fiber optic cables installed solely for broadband provides end users with a wide variety of additional use cases.
Use cases include damage prevention, security, situational awareness, operational insight, network mapping, traffic monitoring, and preventative maintenance, according to Dickinson.
Dickinson said the benefits can include perks like increased safety, resilience, minimizing third party interference, and lowering operational and capital expenses.
He said the technology can provide additional ROI justification to network builders and can have the impact of making rural routes more economically feasible.
He also said stakeholders have the additional opportunity to use sensing to further monetize their networks. Here’s some of Dickinson’s own words describing the technology.
Paul Dickinson, Chairman of the Fiber Optic Sensing Association (FOSA) & Director of Business Development, Dura-Line
How does it work?
“Fiber optic cables used for internet and broadband usually contain hundreds of individual optical fibers that carry the signal across our oceans, countries, and throughout our communities.
When underground, they are typically located within a conduit pathway for ease of installation and future expansion. Fiber sensing technology works by using just one of
these available optical fibers in a unique way. By sending rapid pulses of light down the fiber, the fiber becomes the sensor and continuously monitors the return signal (backscatter) for vibrations, strain, and temperature to automatically monitor, detect, locate, and classify activities along and adjacent to the right-of-way.
Activity location is often detected within 10 feet on a GIS map and sensing spans routinely cover 60 miles in one direction, passively – beyond powering the optoelectronic “interrogator” at one end of the span, no other electric power is required.
Vehicles, digging, excavators, manhole entry … all can be detected, located and identified … and alerts can be sent out immediately by text, email, or within existing operating system interfaces.”
Practical applications of fiber-optic sensing
Fiber-optic sensing technology has been used for decades in military applications and for perimeter and border security.
It then grew in popularity in monitoring pipelines for leaks and damage.
Dickinson, along with FOSA, is now on a mission to raise awareness about fiber-optic sensing for emerging infrastructure applications as federal funding for broadband deployment and utility upgrades continues to roll out across the country.
“In the U.S. and globally, to meet bandwidth needs, the conduit and optical fiber network is vast, ever-increasing, and often ideal for adding sensing capability,” Dickinson said. “And that is not the only relevant infrastructure. With rapidly increasing use of artificial intelligence (AI), electric vehicles (EV) and clean energy, the demands on our data centers and utility infrastructure will drive incredible levels of electric utility overbuild and overall revitalization of our aging infrastructure.”
Bridges and roads also need to be upgraded, Dickinson said.
“This provides a tremendous opportunity to design-in fiber sensing capabilities now as we move forward. This optical network can function for our infrastructure in much the same was as our central nervous systems works in our bodies.”
Smart infrastructure for smart cities
According to Dickinson, smarter infrastructure is critical for smarter cities.
He said the very first thing designers and providers should want to do is make sure they’re using modern high optical density micro cables and micro-conduit technology, enabling an
infrastructure which can be flexible and scalable to cost-effectively meet growing bandwidth requirements.
Dickinson added that micro cables and micro-conduit technology gives operators the ability to install additional conduit capacity and “add fiber cable as you grow,” without facing the high cost of future ground excavation.
“Now, instead of just focusing on the end points of the pathways for bandwidth communication needs, let’s design the entire linear route location of the fiber cables and conduits so that the investment value can be optimized with fiber sensing,” he said. “You’re already saving money by using micro cables and micro conduits – what if you deliberately place that conduit route adjacent to other existing or greenfield (new) infrastructure and enabled these unique ROI impacting use cases? The advantages are too important to pass up.”
Proof-of-concept
The topic was the subject of a breakout session at the Fiber Broadband Association’s Fiber Connect 2024 in Nashville, where Dickinson and industry panelists described the concept of “multi-use infrastructure” for existing and future builds.
A proof-of-concept demonstration provided by FOSA was so well-received it was judged and awarded the “Game Changer” award at Fiber Connect 2024.
The presentation included discussion of testing and plans for Texas 811, a free call-before-you-dig service, to implement the technology among member utility companies.
Dickinson said Texas 811 hopes to reduce utility damage by immediately alerting utilities to unauthorized excavation in an area.
QR code for the FOSA’s website
In addition, a representative from open-access provider Underline Infrastructure discussed plans to use sensing to provide value-added services to communities they serve.
With the wide variety of multiple use cases and benefits possible, Dickinson told Broadband Communities that “utility and transportation network builders should include fiber-optic sensing in their design and businesses cases in order to maximize the potential applications.”
He also encouraged end users, engineers, and designers to reach out to the Fiber Optic Sensing Association so their member companies can advise and assist.
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