Tasks performed by telecommunication operators with respect to the maintenance of optical fibre cable networks fall into two categories: preventative maintenance and post-fault maintenance. Preventative maintenance activities consist of surveillance, testing and control. This is the latest revision of a Recommendation that was first published in 1996. This article will explore the three core stages: fiber optic cable selection and installation, usage and maintenance, and aging assessment and replacement. Small oil micro-deposits and dust particles on fiber optic cable optical surfaces may cause a loss of light or degraded signal power which may ultimately cause intermittent problems in the optical connection. However, they are also sensitive to dust, dirt, scratches, and other environmental factors that can. Some people have suggested that fiber optic networks need periodic maintenance, including microscopic inspection of connectors and mating adapters and even insertion loss testing or taking OTDR traces. It could hurt an installer or get them sued by an irate network owner.
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