Electron has completed all of the phases of a Category 5e and fibre installation for Nottingham University on behalf of NTL.
Chosen via a tender process, Electron designed and installed a cabling infrastructure which will enable the universities student population, (just under 5000) that reside in campus accommodation to be able to access both voice and data services from their room.
Students now have the facility to receive incoming calls to their bedrooms from either on the campus or externally, with the added facility of voice mail should they be in lectures. Voice calls within the network to other students and the academic network are free using Diamond Cables ‘Centrex’ features. By purchasing cards from campus shops and student union offices, students can also make external calls in the normal way.
NTL were to install all of their own copper backbone and civil works, Electron planners had to work closely with their team of technicians to ensure that ducting routes were adequate and in-line with the fibre optic backbone that was necessary to link together all of the wiring centres.
A programme of works was drawn up covering a 12 month period and not only was each individual hall of residence completed on schedule, but at least 50% were completed prior to the agreed dates (along with all of the extras! 16 halls of residences/campus in total).
With a total value of just under £900,000 ($1.4m) the cabling was, at the time, the largest value single contract undertaken by Electron.
Commercial Director, Chris Hickling RCDD comments on the success of the project. “From start to finish the installation went without a problem. Apart from working around students, our engineers found themselves having to work in conjunction with the many conference activities that occur during term breaks, all of the hall managers were extremely pleased with the end result we provided for the residents”.
Apart from the vast amounts of Category 5e cable (over ½ million metres) and the wiring centres constructed (over 100), Electron installed over 50km of PVC containment (pathway) which had to involve specialist diamond drilling engineers to construct new riser routes in various buildings.
“Although relatively young on the whole, each building presented its own set of problems for the designers and engineers making the job more … interesting”, commented Pete Saxton, Installation Manager.
