LAYING DOWN THE LANES OF THE INFORMATION SUPERHIGHWAY

LAYING DOWN THE LANES OF THE INFORMATION SUPERHIGHWAY

BY LUCY BODILLY
Special to the Journal

Local engineers are busy retrofitting both the "access ramps" and the "roadway" that will give end users easy access to the Information Superhighway.

Typically, large electrical engineering firms are in charge of the access -- either the "backbone" systems inside a building or between buildings, that most commonly link computers or communications systems together. Specialty firms have close ties to utilities that are designing the "highway", a national fiber optic system.

Whatever the metaphor, utilities and end users are after the same thing. Increased bandwidth, or an increase in the number of channels a system can send and receive on.

Now the uses of an easily accessible worldwide communications system exist mostly in the imagination. But some time soon two-way video communication could be commonplace. The need for cash transactions could disappear. And most employees could stay at home, transmitting completed tasks over fiber optic lines.

A huge customer base awaits access to this roadway that serves the Information Superhighway, and utilities are in a frantic battle to lay the most cable as quickly as possible, according to Ed Solseng of Eclipse Engineering, a firm that specializes in designing nodes, the part of the system that boosts the signals.

At the same time, telephone companies that traditionally used copper wire are in a race to enhance their system. According to communications industry publications, copper systems could be altered to provide higher bandwidth than fiber optic ones. The phone companies are expected to make a decision whether to go this route in about two years.

Both systems have disadvantages. Until phone companies using copper update their system, they cannot offer the bandwidth of fiber optics. And at present, cable companies cannot offer a dial tone.

Eclipse has become expert in designing nodes, the part of the system that boosts the signal, which becomes weaker every time it branches into a group of homes or businesses. It currently works for TCI Cablevision in Washington and Oregon.

Locally, TCI plans to have most of the Puget Sound area on a fiber optic system by 2000, according to Bill Bennett, general manager of the North Seattle office. The total project cost in the Puget Sound area will run into the hundreds of millions of dollars.

The current coaxial cable system offers 330 megahertz. With fiber optics, 750 megahertz will be available, Bennett said.

Cable companies are working with the same intensity nationwide. According to a national trade association, 163 miles of fiber optic lines are placed every day. Utility companies explain that the reason is so they can be poised to meet the future. On a practical level, fiber optic systems are cheaper to design, construct and maintain.

In spite of the fevered pace of design and construction, and the huge capital investment, the current copper system is adequate for most uses, according to Doug Bors, principal in charge of technology at Sparling Inc., a 100-person electrical engineering firm in Seattle. In its telecommunications division, about 20 percent of the revenues come from fiber optic design.

Special cases, such as a company with over one thousand phone users at one location, demand fiber optics, Bors said. But, unless the owner is already embroiled in a serious electrical remodel, present copper systems hold their own, Bors said. Still, in preparation for the future, most companies put in fiber optics, especially for the lines that connect Local Area Networks either in the same building, or between buildings.

Two ambitious projects linking buildings are currently under way locally. One is being undertaken by King County and calls for lines that link all county buildings and schools. TCI, as part of its contract to provide cable services to local residents is building the system at county cost. In Kitsap County, Travis Fitzmaurice is designing a system that will link all the public school facilities.

But, turning to fiber optics can be a difficult decision. Under construction at Edmonds Community College is a three-story computer lab building.

"All the raceways are built, but they are doing the wiring under a separate contract," Travis said. Even though the building is over halfway completed, "They are still deciding if they want to use fiber or copper."

The romance of fiber optics may seem like it is a panacea any type of communications problem. But as in any quickly developing industry, there are difficulties.

One is obtaining reliable parts, especially connectors, Bors said. Manufacturers are reportedly trying to develop performance standards.

Another area is engineer training. In most cases, new personnel are not permitted to be the engineer of record on a project, without several years of on-the-job training. Vendors can also provide invaluable information about products and system updates, Bors said.

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