AIM FOR EXTRAORDINARY
Fiber in the Air, Built to Last
Aerial fiber optic installation moves fast when it's done right. Here's how ASI Fiber Group approaches every aerial fiber construction project — from the first make-ready assessment to final network handoff.
Route Survey & Pole Assessment
Every aerial fiber construction project starts with a thorough field walk. Our outside plant (OSP) crews assess each pole along the proposed route — documenting existing attachments, available space, structural condition, and clearance to other utilities. This survey tells us exactly what make-ready work is needed before a single foot of cable goes up, and it's the foundation for accurate project scheduling and cost estimates.
Pole Loading Analysis & Attachment Agreements
Before any aerial fiber construction work begins on the poles, engineering analysis confirms that each structure can safely carry the added load of a new fiber attachment. Applications are submitted to pole owners — typically electric utilities or municipalities — and all required permits are secured. This phase also covers right-of-way coordination for any road or property crossings. Getting this right up front keeps the project moving without regulatory delays mid-construction.
Pole Prep & Hardware Installation
Make-ready is the work required to create space for the new fiber cable on existing poles. This includes transferring or rearranging existing utility attachments, installing new pole hardware such as down-guys, anchors, and brackets, and replacing poles that no longer meet structural requirements. Make-ready is often the longest phase in an aerial project — and the one most directly tied to schedule risk if it isn't scoped carefully from the start.
Strand Stringing & Fiber Lashing
With poles prepped and permits in hand, crews begin the aerial fiber cable installation by stringing the messenger strand — the steel support wire that carries the weight of the fiber — along the approved route. The fiber cable is then lashed to the strand using a lashing machine that wraps a binding wire in a continuous helix as it travels down the span. For routes where self-supporting cable is specified, ADSS (All-Dielectric Self-Supporting) fiber eliminates the need for a separate strand. Proper sag and tension are set at each span to account for temperature variation and wind loading, protecting the cable over its full service life.
Aerial Splicing & Termination
Individual fiber strands are joined at splice points using fusion splicing, which welds two fiber ends together with a precision electric arc to produce a near-lossless optical connection. For aerial fiber optic installations, splice closures are mounted directly on the strand or at pole locations in weather-hardened enclosures built for long-term outdoor exposure. At service endpoints, cables are terminated with connectors that interface with the active network equipment. Every splice is documented and traceable.
Testing, As-Builts & Network Handoff
Every installed fiber strand is tested using an Optical Time Domain Reflectometer (OTDR), which identifies splice loss, connector performance, and any faults against project specifications. No aerial fiber optic installation gets handed off without passing full certification. Final as-built documentation is compiled — including pole-by-pole GPS records, splice logs, and attachment diagrams — giving the network owner a complete picture of what was built and where. That record set is the foundation for any future OSP maintenance or expansion work.
Aerial fiber optic construction moves faster than underground — but speed without discipline creates problems that are expensive to fix at height. The projects that hold up long-term are the ones where make-ready construction is scoped honestly, strand tension is set correctly, and every splice is tested before the crew moves on. That's the standard ASI Fiber Group holds on every route.
