The Next Generation Broadband Friendly Concrete.. Because Monday

How about a “fun” fact of the day? Did you know that when BT and Virgin Media build a new Next Generation Access (NGA) broadband street cabinet then they often need to use special concrete in order to ensure that the service is given adequate electrical protection? Not just any concrete will do.

Granted many of you are unlikely to be kept awake at night by a decision over the choice of concrete but for some it’s a serious matter. Telecoms and broadband services are vulnerable to a variety of problems and some of them, such as nearby lightning strikes, theft or electrolytic corrosion, can be a pain to resolve. But as the saying goes, prevention is better than cure.

In this case it helps to have a special type of conductive concrete, which can enhance the performance of earthing/grounding systems and improve electrical protection of the asset(s) (i.e. low impedance). Apparently normal earth rods and standard backfill don’t always afford the desired resistance of under 10 Ohms but there are a couple of environmentally PH neutral products out there that can (example).

So there you have it, now you don’t have to be kept awake at night while pondering over what type of concrete BT and Virgin Media sometimes use. Not that any of you have ever been kept awake by such things but hay.. now you know *places empty Vodka glass to one side*.