How Much Does it Cost to Lay Fiber? On average, it costs between $1,000 to $1,250 per residential household passed or $60,000 to $80,000 per route mile, to “lay” or bury fiber optic cable. Buying fiber optic installation services involves several cost components, with total price influenced by length, location, and access. The main cost drivers include trenching or aerial deployment, materials, labor hours, and any required permits. Commercial building installations with 100-200 network drops generally range from $15,000 to $30,000. Single-mode fiber costs less per foot than multimode fiber, but it requires more. Fiber optic cable is buried in tubes, known as a conduit, which are placed by means of plowing, trenching, jack and bore, multi-directional bore, or directional bore techniques. As shown below, machinery from manufactures like Ditch Witch, is used to plow, trench, and bore into the ground: Conduits.
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