German Residents to Self-Install HUBER+SUHNER Fiber Networks

STOCKHOLM - The German city of Marburg has chosen optical connectivity specialist HUBER+SUHNER, an international manufacturer of components and systems for optical connectivity, to roll out its high-speed broadband services with a unique Home Fibering System (HOFIS), which will enable the town’s residents to self-install their fiber optic home networks, an innovation designed to dramatically speed up FTTH deployments.

Stadtwerke Marburg, the public utilities in the German university town of Marburg, is currently installing fiber optic cabling throughout the city and has chosen HUBER+SUHNER to provide a self-install, plug-and-play solution that enables rapid deployment within homes and apartments.

Residents Receive Free Self-Install Kit
Provided free-of-charge to residents by the utility company, HOFIS is a self-installation system for houses and apartments that can be deployed as soon as buildings are connected to the town’s fiber optic FTTH system. Homeowners and tenants are sent their free HOFIS pack and can complete their home installation when they wish, deciding themselves where they want the junction box mounted and where they want the fiber optic cable laid from the initial home entry point.

"Self-installation really works," said Stefan Koch, project manager at Stadtwerke Marburg. "Everyone benefits from our collaboration with HUBER+SUHNER. We as the local authority do not have to arrange appointments, only to find ourselves in front of locked doors. We don’t have to move furniture or hold long and difficult conversations about the siting of the boxes.”

Plug-and-Play FTTH Installation
HOFIS provides exceptionally easy installation of fiber into the home. The system combines the HUBER+SUHNER optical socket (OTS2) with prefabricated low-bend-installation cables (class G.657 A2). The innovative dust-proof packaging made of recyclable PET plastic not only protects the system during transportation, but also provides a fast and effective method for unrolling the cable and attaching the socket on-site. This "plug and play” system eliminates the need for time-consuming splicing in the home. HOFIS is available with a variety of cable lengths and fiber counts and comes with the FITH-typical connectors BLINK, LC or SC.

“This is an exciting proposition for any operator wishing to speed up its roll-out of FTTH," said Christian Sutter, HUBER+SUHNER’s FMS product manager. "It removes the need for expensive and time-consuming door-to-door installation by the operator by empowering the individual resident with a very simple installation solution. It gives residents the flexibility to choose when and where they locate the FITH he or she wants to achieve.”