Among our sectors, BELGATECH is active in the telecoms industry in Belgium, mainly in network deployment (4G/5G, fiber optic, etc.). Kevin, Consultant at BELGATECH for 3 years, explains us his mission at Proximus regarding the optical fiber technology.
What is your mission as BELGATECH Consultant?
As a Consultant in Network design, I am working on the elaboration of technical files for a design team as part of the network deployment done by Proximus, essentially in the Mons area. My mission is to assure that the Client documentation and the infrastructure are correct and complete in our data center. It consists of adapting the network plans to find the infrastructure via a schematic topography. This job is facilitated by some Proximus Group internally developed tools, for example a complete rework of Autocad by Autodesk.
Another determining element in the infrastructure update is to take into account the feedback from the splicers done on all the work sites of Proximus.
Why is it important to upgrade our network?
The network upgrade is a crucial step for many reasons.
This upgrade will allow significant progress in terms of network performances, which on a national scale is practically mandatory to revive the damaged economy. In a world that is getting increasingly more connected each year, a secure and reliable network is a necessary condition for the foundation for economic growth.
The network of tomorrow, including the optical fiber and 5G, will allow us to catch up with our neighbors like Germany, the Netherlands, France, or even the United Kingdom in terms of digital infrastructure.
Is the optical fiber really reliable and fast?
The fiber is 100% reliable if well installed (cf. link below) and already really fast, it will become even faster in the future.
Not long ago, UCL London just broke a data speed record: 178 Tb/s (Terabits per seconds). This shows we still haven’t exploited the full potential of this technology.
Even though fiber optic is much faster than the copper wires we’re currently using, it also brings it challenges: for example, on construction sites the splicers can’t afford to let any dust into the splices they make between two fibers, because fiber optic requires accuracy on a nanometric scale.
Link: https://sciencepost.fr/fibre-optique-un-nouveau-record-de-vitesse-etabli-sur-internet/
What deployment procedure with fiber optics?
Currently the fiber is deployed step by step in each area. Proximus has the ambition to connect no less than 4.2 million houses by 2028, a significantly higher goal than the previous with 2.4 million houses. This is made possible by partnerships between Proximus and Eurofiber and Deltsfiber, two main actors of the optical fiber deployment at our European neighbours.
Will 5G have any impact on our health?
As of today, there is no study proving any connection at all between exposure to 5G networks and any type of diseases.
The health-related risks of 5G are the same as the risks caused by the 2G and 4G networks we’re living with today. Some studies even suggest that 5G antennas would lower the health-related risks compared to the 4G we’re currently using.
Link: https://www.rtbf.be/info/belgique/detail_sans-avancer-dans-la-5g-on-complique-la-relance-economique-de-la-belgique?id=10519185
