Project Details:
In 2016, the City of Gold Coast (CoGC) awarded UCG the contract to design and construct a fibre optic wide area network (WAN). UCG installed 21 kilometres of 864-core fibre backbone between Southport to Broadbeach and Helensvale. Following the Commonwealth Games in 2018, UCG was appointed as one of three design and construct contractors to deliver the ‘Central Loop’ fibre project.
In 2019, UCG was awarded the operations and maintenance contract for the City of Gold Coast fibre network, and now delivers planned and reactive maintenance, spares management and minor works services across more than 100 kilometres of fibre, the City of Gold Coast’s 230 Wi-Fi access points and its MPLS switching environment.
Network design and innovation
UCG supplied a high-capacity cable unique to the Australian market, comprising an 864-core Spider Web Ribbon fibre (SWR). SWR fibre is an innovative advancement in fibre density, which reduced the cable diameter by 35%. The smaller diameter increases cable bend performance, resulting in faster pulling speed and more cable per drum for less weight. All these features result in reduced freight and installation costs, storage space, installation time, and vastly reduced space requirements for splicing enclosures.
The network consists of high-capacity backbone cable and fibre access nodes that were used to transmit streaming, high-definition pictures from the 550 security cameras used city-wide during the Commonwealth Games and to run other digital systems such as traffic management and public Wi-Fi. UCG built the network in a busy urban environment and within the light rail corridor, which presented many challenges in dealing with workplace safety and minimising disruptions to the travelling public.
Operation and maintenance
In 2019, UCG was awarded the operations and maintenance contract for the City of Gold Coast fibre network, and now delivers planned and reactive maintenance, spares management and minor works services across more than 100 kilometres of fibre, the City of Gold Coast’s 230 Wi-Fi access points and its MPLS switching environment.
Value of contract
Phase 1: $4.5 million
Phase 2: $1.5 million
Plus ongoing maintenance
Scope of works
Full turnkey, end-to-end solution including:
- Scoping
- Land access, compliance and statutory approvals
- Fibre optic cable design
- Construction and contractor management
- Installation, testing and commissioning
- Ongoing operation and maintenance
