Fibe Optic Process

Fibre Optics are coming to Ontario in cities, towns, and rural areas. Spring Grove is currently working with a telecommunications company that focuses on getting rural areas connected. Areas we have completed include Orange Corners, Omemee, Bailieboro, and Bewdley. Our process includes 4 steps once plans have been handed over to us. These include:

Step 1: Directional Drilling

This involves installing the main fibre lines as well as lines for each home, parallel to the road, within the road allowance area. Drillers are required to dig holes via hydro excavation to safely cross existing utilities (gas, hydro, telecommunications). Pits for conduit drop-off spots & vaults may also be dug at this point. Periodically, our drillers may also need to set up on lawns to complete road crossings as per plans. Our drillers always use heavy plastic mats to ensure minimal damage occurs to lawns.

Step 2: Splicing/Vault Installation

This step is where our crews splice the conduit(s) together as well as install vaults (ground-level boxes) as junction points for the fibre. Our contractor has pre-determined areas for vault placements, and we install as per municipal-approved plans.

Step 3: Fibre to the Homes

At this point, a Spring Grove rep goes out ahead our crews to drop off door tags at each home within the build. At this point, Spring Grove requires each homeowner to contact us via email (installs@springgrove.ca) to give consent to bring the fibre up to your home. Bringing the fibre up to your home within the given time-frame is FREE & once it is there, the homeowner can choose to sign-up for the services or leave it on the side of their home for future use – no obligation to sign up.

If no response is received, a second and final door tag is placed. If no response is received by the date indicated on the tag, a fibre opt-out is assumed. The fibre is then left within the road allowance in a small ground-level casing for future use should a future homeowner choose to sign up.

Spring Grove obtains locates for public utilities that are within our excavation area, which includes gas and some telecommunications lines (excluding Bell as they do not locate their lines). Hydro does not locate their lines in this instance as it is buried at a depth much deeper than our running line. Homeowners are responsible for informing crews of any private utilities that are within the proposed running line. This includes but is not limited to: septic beds, sprinkler systems, invisible fences, lights, and other hydro lines. Homeowners are expected to inform crews of such lines at the point of consent by the date indicated on the door tag. Spring Grove crews do their best to scan the area and hand dig areas where they believe they are crossing a utility, but are not liable for damaged lines not mentioned by the homeowner.

Crews bring the lines up to the home via a stitcher machine. This machine is essentially a mini plow which slices the ground open just enough for the 3/4″ pipe to go in and then the ground folds back overtop. The line is installed at approximately 8″ to 12″ in depth.

Once the conduit is at the house, the crews install a small grey box (approx 10″ x 10″) on the side of the home & coil the fibre inside it. The contractor takes over with the internal process from there.

Step 4: Fibre Pulling & Restoration

Our final step includes pulling the main fibre optic feed in the conduit running parallel to the road to each vault point. As well, crews complete restoration including top soiling holes & cold-patching affected driveways. Typically crews grass-seed as they go as well, however if it is too late in the year, they will circle back in the spring.

Once these steps have been completed, the contractor takes over with splicing the fibre lines & completing the internal installation at applicable homes.