For: www.wireville.com
"Heard On The Street" Column
Issue: January 2008
By: Frank Bisbee
BISBEE’S BUZZ
What is going to happen in the year ahead?
2008 will include:
- Housing market’s outlook is still bleak. The sale
of existing homes grew slightly at the end of 2007, but prices continued
to fall. The spill over effect of this decline in the construction sector
will be felt in many other sectors.
- This year is the beginning of the end for analog
TV. The nation’s broadcasters will turn off analog TV signals at the
stroke of midnight on Feb. 17, 2009. Cable TV customers probably don’t
need to worry, but about 13 - 21 million viewers rely on the free
over-the-air television service. If you bought your TV before 1998, it is
probably analog. The new all digital TV transmission will free up a great
deal on transmission bandwidth for other services. Whooppee!
- More thieves target construction to steal copper
wiring. Lawmakers are trying to make selling the valuable metal tougher.
The theft of copper wiring from some areas has reached epidemic
proportions. Thieves are selling expensive high performance copper cables
for only scrap value. Earlier in
2007,Mike Rice, Cabling Project Manager for Communication Planning
Corporation (Jacksonville, FL) said there are some new aspects to their
project work that are more important than expected. “First of all, the
copper cable has become the focus of jobsite thieves. Last year, a major
electrical contractor in
- Abandoned cable removal requirement gaining
enforcement. 2008 promises much stronger enforcement of this section of
the NEC (first adopted in 2002). Remember: replace the fire stopping as
required after the cable is removed (http://www.uniquefirestop.com/).
Last year, Abandoned Cable Removal services seems to be more stimulated by
the “recycled copper” dollars than the NEC (National Electrical Code).
There are many important issues before the National Fire Protection
Association in this code cycle and upcoming cycles. You can LEAD, FOLLOW,
or GET OUT OF THE WAY, but you must join the NFPA www.nfpa.org, if want to be part of the
process. We recommend it highly.
- Cabling without labeling isn’t just
stupid. It’s insane. What you need is an affordable, tough, portable
labeling tool with one-touch "hot keys" to save time and money.
Plus the highest quality labels, so they stick and stay stuck. www.rhinolabeling.com How do you sign your
work? Cabling infrastructure is a valuable asset. To maximize the value: select smart, install
properly www.beastcablingsystems.com,
label, test (certify performance www.flukenetworks.com)
and document the cabling system.
- Green is good. Environmental friendly designs and
products are finally getting a much stronger support from the consumers.
Cabling is no exception. RoHS compliant cabling products are available in
most manufacturers’ product lines. Hitachi HCM even has a 100% recyclable
cable box also. www.hcm.hitachi.com
- SMP's Dual Axcess product line has
recently been recognized as green building initiative by the Western North
Carolina Green Building Council and will be featured at the upcoming BICSI
Winter Conference in
- SMP was recently recognized as a
proud sponsor of the Duke/Home Depot Smart Home in
- Most damage to electronic and telephone systems
comes from “commercial power (spikes, brown-outs, & surges). Protect
your investment with UPS. Here is the best website tool for buying right: http://www.sizemyups.com/
- Infrastructure cabling support hardware pays big
dividends downstream. Besides making your installation perform better and
meet the codes and standards, a well-designed support system for the cable
allows the proper administration of future installs and cable removal with
minimal disruption and at a lower cost. Infrastructure cabling support
hardware is more than an asset. It is a “buried treasure”. www.erico.com
- 2008 started off with oil hitting $100/barrel.
This growing cost is going to reverberate into the cabling business in many
ways. Obviously, the price at the gas pump is going to hit budget
immediately. The cost of other materials will also feel profit pinch.
Raise your service call rates today. Could gas prices top $4 per gallon by
the 3rd quarter of 2008?
- Smart practices in the field: Scot Hancock, Sr.
Telephone Technician - CPC www.communicationplanning.com
added the importance of a well-planned infrastructure for 2008, “We know
that a smart cabling system is one of the most important barriers to
downstream costs for MACs (Moves, Additions, &Changes) and repairs.”
He added the properly documented infrastructure that is fully labeled cuts
many hours of hunting for the problem. “All our trucks carry the DYMO
Rhino labelers and a Fluke Networks DTX cable analyzer, and we save the
test records for the customers. We have more than ample data to show how
much cost is eliminated by ‘doing it the right way’. The craft intensive
installation requirement for Cat 6 copper is too delicate to go it alone.
We are using the Beast Cabling System to insure the cable installs are
delivering maximum performance with minimum loss due to cable stress
during the installation. We have used this system for the past two years
and it helps the project flow smoothly.” Michael Shannahan,
VP-Operations said stay focused on safety and code compliance as well,
like fire stops. “The job must be performed in a proper and professional
manner to insure the safety of the installers and the customer.” We use Unique Fire Stop Products (http://www.uniquefirestop.com/)
that we get through CSC (www.gocsc.com).
Never cut corners on safety. The only real problem associated with this
growth in business is lack of well-trained technicians to fill the
expanding job market. We are always looking for cabling and telephone
technicians.”
- Mike Heisler of ANIXTER www.anixter.com told us the shortage of
trained technicians is being felt all over the Southeast. We checked with
Barry Simons (ADS Telecom), Brian Chancey (Area Communications), Steve
Strumlauf (AIC – American International Communications), and Michael Lohr
(Ensource.net). All of these companies have reported outstanding business
growth, but a real shortage in trained technicians to meet their increased
needs. However, we found the fiber optic installer technician resource
growing as more talent passes through the outstanding training programs of
The Light Brigade www.lightbrigade.com,
the Fiber Optic Association www.thefoa.org,
and BICSI www.bicsi.org. Will fiber
eventually replace copper as the primary type of cabling? There will be
many factors driving the outcome, but perhaps the ever-increasing appetite
for bandwidth will give fiber optics the edge.
- SMP's Annual Sales & Marketing Summit will be held this
year at the Mystic Dunes Resort and Golf Club during the BICSI Winter
Conference. Festivities will be kicked off with a Reception and
Dinner on Saturday, January 12th, 2008. Bill Reynolds, VP
and General Manager of SMP will also present awards, for superior achievement
to the SMP Sales and Marketing staff. This year, SMP will be
honoring its sales rep firms from the North East, South Central and
Western regions with an award and recognition for exceptional performance.
In addition, SMP will be presenting and offering training to
its sales staff on many of its new products and pending innovations. www.smpdata.com
- In
2008 some of our cabling comrades may die. We just received news that Jim
Alexander, past President of BICSI has died. He certainly left his mark on
Cabling Industry. Ray Gendron, Joe Flynt, Mike Rice, & Joe O’Brien
passed away in 2007. These men gave of themselves in many ways to make the
industry better.
REMEMBER: SAFETY IS TOO IMPORTANT TO
IGNORE
But that’s just my opinion,
Frank Bisbee
"Heard On The Street" Monthly Column
www.wireville.com
4949 Sunbeam Rd, Suite 16
Jacksonville, FL 32257
(904) 645-9077 office
(904) 645-9058 fax
frank@wireville.com
Women In Transport Systems Industry
(WITSI)
Initial meeting
January 14, 2008
BICSI Winter Conference, Orlando
Hemmingway Room
7:45 - 8:30 pm
After
more than 100 years, the communications cabling industry is finally getting a real
positive shot in the arm. We are referring to the steady increase of women
entering into this important technology sector. It seems that each year
we see a stronger role for the women in our industry. This is a good
thing.
The
vision of a strong community of women within BICSI bringing with them knowledge
and leadership capabilities expand their contributions to the ITS
industry. It is the right time.
A meeting has been organized
in order to discuss the formation of a women’s professional networking
committee to:
§
Develop goals and
strategies for WITSI members involved in the communications industry
§
To help raise
awareness of Women’s valuable contributions within the Communications industry.
§
Identify needs or opportunities within the communications
industry for WITSI members
§
To give WITSI
members within the Communications industry an outlet that supports them through every phase of
their career; RCDD’s, executives, business owners, vendor representatives,
associations’ representatives, students just entering into the Communications
industry
Please come join the
formation meeting of this important group – WITSI.
For further information:
Laura Jirus - laura@wireville.com
or
Cathy Dunn, RCDD - cathy.dunn@kitcofo.com
2008 BICSI Winter Conference
WHEN: January 14-17, 2008
WHERE: Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center,
WHO: BICSI® is a professional
association supporting the information transport systems (ITS) industry with
information, education and knowledge assessment for individuals and companies.
Headquartered in
HIGHLIGHTS
q
"Future
Trends of the Industry" Panel Discussion─ Thursday, January 17, 8:30
a.m., Osceola Ballroom
Unlike any BICSI conference session before, John Adams, Tony Whaley, Chris
Diminico and moderator Don Nelson comprise the panel of industry experts who
will address current trends in the key ITS areas of outside plant, networks and
wireless. The forum will be open so that all conference attendees will have the
opportunity for questions and answers after each expert has spoken about an
area and its current trends.
q Annual Awards Banquet─ Wednesday, January 16,
7:30 p.m., Osceola Ballroom
BICSI’s annual awards program and banquet honors outstanding contributions to
the ITS industry with entertainment by Colin
Mochrie and Brad Sherwood of the hit television series, “Whose Line Is
It Anyway?”.
q Keynote speakers─ Various dates and times,
Osceola Ballroom Nicholas Carr─ Recently named by eWeek as one of the 100 most
influential people in IT. Simon
T. Bailey─ Internationally known speaker, author, consultant and
founder of the Imagination Institute, Inc.
Kevin Carroll─ Former executive at Nike and the
founder of The Katalyst Consultancy.
q Audience consists of more than 3000 conference
attendees and 500 additional exhibit hall visitors, including RCDDs (Registered
Communications Distribution Designers), ITS design consultants, ITS
contractors, facility owners and managers, outside plant (OSP) engineers,
communications resellers and VARs, corporate and government communications
managers, network designers and administrators, cabling infrastructure
installers and technicians, and architects and consultants.
q More than 200 exhibit spaces filled with the latest
ITS products and solutions.
Hope to see you there!
2008 BICSI Winter Conference Happenings
BICSI Cares
BICSI Cares, Inc. is the charity arm of BICSI, which collects donations
at each BICSI conference and gives 100 percent of the contributions to a local
children’s charity. All funds raised from donations during the 2008 BICSI
Winter Conference will benefit Healing the Children of Florida/Georgia Inc.
Additional monies will be raised from players at the Ray Gendron Memorial
Charity Golf Tournament, which begins with a shotgun start at 8 a.m. on Monday,
January 14 at the Eagle Creek Golf Course in
Dedicated to providing healthcare to children in need, this exceptional
charity serves children from all over the world, with the vast majority living
in the
This is your opportunity to take part in fulfilling Healing the
Children's mission of providing donated healthcare to children in need. The
organization envisions a world where every child has access to medical care,
regardless of ability to pay, insurance status and physical location. Donations
will also be accepted at the BICSI Cares Booth during the Conference.
BICSI
Region Breakfast Meetings
(
Wednesday, January 16, 7:30-8:45 a.m.
An excellent networking opportunity for anyone to fuel up with a great
meal and chat with fellow BICSI members who live and work near each other, as
well as hear directly from the BICSI Region Directors about ongoing news and
events that affect the information transport systems industry. For details on
specific meeting locations at the
BICSI Mourns The Passing Of Irving "Jim" Alexander, Past President
Irving "Jim"
Alexander, BICSI’s seventh President (1984-1985), sadly has passed away
recently after a long illness. He was 82.
A WWII Navy Veteran and
38-year employee with Illinois Bell Telephone, Alexander, of Diamond, Illinois,
is remembered by many BICSI members and telecommunications professionals as the
driving force behind the establishment of BICSI’s Registered Communications
Distribution Designer (RCDD®) program.
“Jim saw a need within the
industry and pushed BICSI to fill it with the development of the RCDD
designation,” said David Cranmer, RCDD, BICSI Executive Director. Professionals
who attain this designation have demonstrated their knowledge in the design,
integration and implementation of information transport systems (ITS) and
related infrastructure components.
“Very few people believed
that BICSI could sustain the 1984 break-up that ended the Bell System of affiliated telephone companies,” said Dunn G.
Harvey, RCDD, BICSI Past President (1981). “Yet through Jim’s leadership, the
organization held strong and maintained positive relations with those newly
separated companies.”
Alexander was a beloved
husband of Bernadine; loving father of Barbara (James) Bruno, Diane (Richard)
Warburton, James (Beth) Alexander and Richard (Leah) Alexander; dear brother of
Marion Robinson and Jeanne Maggio; cherished grandfather of 12;
great-grandfather of six.
BICSI extends its heartfelt
condolences to the family and friends of Alexander. A donation to the
Alzheimer's Association in memory of him is appreciated by his family.
Will Technicians ‘Bend’ the Rules of Fiber Management with New Fibers?
By Trevor Smith, ADC and
Larry Johnson, The Light Brigade
Fiber that bends around
pencils and sharp corners without a significant increase in attenuation has
captured the collective imaginations of fiber pundits everywhere. In
discussions on conference floors, in meeting rooms and even around the
proverbial water cooler, these fibers are touted as virtually indestructible –
and therein lie many potential issues.
The new breed of reduced bend
radius fibers can reduce minimum bend radius requirements from the traditional
10 times the outside diameter of the jacketed cable (about 38 mm) to as low as
5 to 10 mm without increasing attenuation. This capability is a monumental
breakthrough in the fiber community and conjures up all kinds of possibilities
for technicians and installers, particularly in fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP)
applications.
Uses for reduced bend radius
fibers have existed for many years, beginning in the 1990s with specialized
applications in optical subassemblies and dense wavelength division
multiplexing (DWDM) systems, including oceanic repeaters where reduced space is
critical. Today the greatest need for these fibers is in high-density cable
management products for FTTP applications. They will also be used in new and
legacy wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) installations, which are also
gaining traction within the access segments of the network, including WDM
passive optical networks (WDM-PONs).
What's new today is the
progression from a controlled laboratory and manufacturing environment, which
use only coated optical fibers, to outside plant, central office, headend and
premises locations where installers and technicians work with cabled fibers. It
is now possible to use reduced bend radius fibers in these settings because
cable structures have evolved to provide physical protection for the internal
fibers and also to maintain their optical performance characteristics for high
signal quality.
It’s Still Glass
The danger is that
technicians may believe these new fibers are impervious to the forces that
increase attenuation or cause optical links to fail. Even the names given to
some of these fibers – bend insensitive, bend resistant, bend optimized – can
lead technicians to make false assumptions about the fiber’s durability and
performance capabilities – assumptions that could have serious impacts on
long-term network performance.
The fact that a fiber can be
bent beyond traditional limits does not mean that it cannot be damaged. It’s
still fiber and, in the end, still glass – subject to fracturing and even
breaking with improper handling or due to a variety of outside forces. Not all
types of cables ensure against kinking, although advances are being made in
cable structures as well. Some new cable designs will actually provide built-in
bend limits to protect the glass within.
What is most exciting about
these fibers is that they will make installation, particularly routing of
cables inside structures, much easier. For example, in a multiple dwelling unit
it will be much easier to route and conceal the fiber cable between rooms and
around sharper corners. However, even with simplified fiber cable management
techniques, it is necessary to plan carefully for a robust, reliable network.
The way fiber cables are connected, terminated, routed, spliced, stored and
handled will still have a direct and substantial impact on network performance
and, more importantly, profitability.
There are four elements of
good fiber cable management: bend radius protection, cable routing paths,
accessibility and physical protection. Each element should be considered in
light of the capabilities of the latest reduced bend radius fibers.
Bend Radius Protection
In the past, bend radius
protection was arguably the most important aspect of good fiber management
because it prevented the macrobends that drastically reduce the network’s
long-term performance. Reduced bend radius fiber and improved jacketing
techniques now allow much sharper bends without attenuation penalties. However,
bend radius protection is far from a thing of the past.
Although the new fibers enable
less stringent parameters, there still remains a minimum bend radius that
technicians must consider. Proper slack storage is still a critical step in
alleviating potential problem areas on frames and along cable pathways.
Technicians must understand
that these new fibers do not diminish the need for solid fiber cable management
practices. Rather, the increase in the number of fibers being added to optical
access networks to accommodate broadband upgrades makes bend radius protection
as important as ever. This in turn requires good cable routing, since improper
fiber routing is a major cause of bend radius violations.
Cable Routing Paths
Technicians may believe
neatness is no longer required because new fibers make bend radius protection
obsolete. Nothing could be further from the truth. First, as we’ve discussed
above, bend radius protection is far from obsolete. Second, good cable routing
is needed for more than simply reducing bend radius violations. Technicians are
still required to perform rapid circuit routing, cable tracing, and
reconfigurations.
Good cable routing permits
clearly defined and easy-to-follow pathways. On the other hand, cable routing
that is left to the technician’s imagination leads to an inconsistent,
difficult-to-manage network. Cable routing quality makes all the difference
between congested chaos and neatly placed, easily accessible patch cords.
Well-defined routing paths also reduce the proficiency training time required
for technicians.
Reduced bend radius fibers
will magnify the benefits of good cable routing. While defined routing paths
make it easier to access individual fibers, the new fibers will enable
technicians to actually put their hands into a fiber bundle to physically trace
a particular fiber. This will make cable tracing much easier and reduce the
time required for reconfigurations. However, any benefit provided by reduced
bend radius fibers will depend on how well the cables were routed in the first
place.
Cable/Connector Access
Cable access, the third element
of good fiber cable management, refers to the accessibility of the installed
fibers and connectors. If technicians assume that bending fibers to gain access
is no longer a problem with reduced bend radius fibers, they can actually make
cable access more difficult.
In FTTP architectures,
connectors are closely packed together, making the possibility of accidentally
disconnecting a wrong cable much more likely. Whatever type of fiber is used,
connector access is critical for reconfigurations, rapid service turn-up,
testing, troubleshooting and dealing with customer churn.
In the past, an active
equipment rack might have had 50 fibers exiting it, so the management of
individual fibers was much less of an issue. But as that same rack is fitted
for broadcast services, the number of fibers increases to upwards of 500,
making proper management and accessibility techniques critically important. The
bottom line is that reduced bend radius fibers will have little effect on
reducing the need for ensuring good cable and connector access for technicians.
Physical Fiber Protection
The physical protection of
fiber cannot be stressed enough to technicians and installers. The tighter
bending capabilities of new fiber products do not diminish the need to protect
fibers from outside forces. Optical fiber is still glass, and damaged or even
broken fibers are still a possibility if the fiber is handled roughly or
improperly.
Whether or not fibers bend
around corners, they will always have the physical limitations imposed by their
cladding and cover materials, which are still covering a glass core. They are
still subject to serious damage from nails, screws, staples and external
pressure or mishandling that causes pinching, binding or bending the fiber
beyond its capabilities. Therefore, all fibers traversing from one piece of
equipment to another must be physically protected, for example by raceway
systems.
Technical Skill Levels
Service providers have asked
whether they can employ less-skilled technicians to deploy these new fibers,
since sensitivity to the special handling of these cables is less of an issue.
But the issue isn’t really whether reduced bend radius fibers should be handled
differently from other fibers – they should not. Rather, the issue is the
installer’s experience. Even though copper cable is simpler to handle, very few
people prefer having it installed by an inexperienced technician. They prefer
to have the job done correctly and in accordance with building codes, standards
and specifications.
This leads us to the issue of
standards. Although some standards have emerged for the fibers themselves,
standards concerning installation techniques are lacking. This leaves
technicians and installers at the mercy of the manufacturer’s specifications.
Technicians cannot, and should not, make assumptions about fiber, since the
fiber and cabling could come from different manufacturers. Therefore, until
standards are written for proper installation and handling of these new fibers,
the potential exists for confusion about what is acceptable and what is not –
and erring on the side of caution should be the rule.
Even technicians with many
years of experience in fiber installation face the challenge of proper fiber
handling and cable management techniques for all types of fiber. There is
currently no way to identify which optical cables contain reduced bend radius
fibers and which do not. Therefore, technicians and installers should always
use prudence with good cable installation disciplines regardless of the fiber and
cable types installed. If this point is minimized, long-term performance is
jeopardized. Problems could occur in many legacy fiber installations that are
not designed with these new fibers and, that are therefore not as bend
resistant.
Today’s users already have
difficulties in identifying fiber optic cable types and characteristics. As
densities continue to increase with a mix of older and newer cable plants
installed, it will become even more difficult for technicians to determine
which fibers may be more bend resistant. Therefore, the safest practice would
logically be to apply traditional fiber management techniques across the board
regarding bend radius, securing and routing of optical cables, jumpers and
fibers.
In fact, some new fibers call
for special attention or knowledge on the part of technicians. For example,
some types of reduced bend radius fibers, known as “holey fiber,” are
manufactured with nanostructures, or small airholes around the core of the
fiber. These airholes can actually wick water or alcohol on the endface while
they are being cleaned in preparation for splicing or connectorization. If the
technician is aware of these fibers, he or she will know to cut the fiber back
a bit before immediately splicing it. Similarly, in field connectorizations,
there are some new techniques required for the new reduced bend radius fibers.
Technicians must be aware of any special requirements associated with different
types of fiber.
Educating Technicians
Reduced bend radius fiber is
not a completely new phenomenon – some types have been on the market for
several years. However, these fibers are steadily being improved to enable
technicians to install them faster, more easily, and with the same or better
reliability. But, as with all their predecessors, these new fibers have limits
that technicians must understand and adhere to.
Reducing the traditional
bending radius allows many benefits to installers. New jacket materials will
likely improve these fibers even more. With each improvement, however, comes
the responsibility to ensure that technicians are aware – not only of the
benefits of a new fiber but, more importantly, of its limitations. Good fiber
and cable management techniques, along with the use of quality cable management
products designed with the long-term viability of network performance, will
become even more critical in the days ahead as fiber densities reach an
all-time high.
New reduced bend radius
fibers, together with all the elements of good fiber cable management, will significantly
enhance long-term performance and efficiency for optical access networks. If
technicians “bend” the rules and practices of managing the fiber because they
believe new fibers allow them to do it, network efficiency and performance is
jeopardized in the process. It all starts with education – and ensuring that
the network designer, installers, and technicians are acutely aware of the
capabilities of the products placed into their hands.
About the Authors
Trevor Smith is the program
manager for FTTX solutions at ADC (www.adc.com),
headquartered in
Lake Coulson Joins NECA Staff As Government Affairs Executive Director
The National Electrical
Contractors Association is pleased to announce that
Coulson comes to NECA from the
national office of the Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors Association, where
he has served as Vice President, Government Relations, since 2000. He has
extensive experience in lobbying Congressional leaders on behalf of the
specialty contracting industry and has worked closely with NECA on issues
including repeal of the 3% withholding law, immigration reform, estate tax
repeal, and unfair utility competition.
Coulson will also assume
responsibility for ECPAC, NECA’s $1
million-plus political action committee for the electrical construction
industry.
“NECA’s government affairs
activities have grown considerably in the last three years, and I’m excited
that
NECA also has a growing constituent
action program that links a member of the association directly with one of
the elected representatives. These NECA Key Contacts provide Congressional
leaders with critical information from a constituent’s point of view and have
proven essential in moving key legislation forward.
ECPAC and the Key Contact program
were both established through the efforts of outgoing NECA Executive Director
of Government Affairs Bob White. White was recently honored with NECA’s Association
Executive Distinguished Service Award for his 37 years of service to NECA and
the electrical construction industry.
At PHCC’s National Association,
Coulson was instrumental in securing legislation that ensures a competitive
environment for small business contractors. He coordinated bi-partisan effort
to amend energy bill to ensure separation of utilities and affiliates and was
elected to serve as President of National Alliance for Fair Competition.
“I am looking forward to joining
the NECA staff and continuing in the storied tradition of advocating for the
electrical contractor industry,” Coulson said. “During my tenure at PHCC,
I worked frequently with NECA staff on a variety of contractor-related issues,
and I am thrilled for the chance to work with such a terrific organization.”
Prior to joining PHCC’s national
staff, Coulson served as Director, Legislative and Regulatory Affairs for the
Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute and as Manager, Government Affairs
for the National Electrical Manufacturers Association. He earned his bachelors
degree in economics from the
The National Electrical
Contractors Association is the voice of the $100 billion industry responsible
for bringing power and communication systems to buildings and communities.
NECA’s national office and 120 local chapters advance the electrical
contracting industry through advocacy, education, research and standards
development. NECA celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2001. For more
information, visit www.necanet.org.
Berk-Tek Redesigns Category 6 UTP For Better Electrical Performance
Berk-Tek, a Nexans Company, a
leading copper and fiber optic cabling manufacturer, announced today that
improvements in design and manufacturing of the LANmark-1000 cable has resulted
in a best-in-class Category 6 UTP cable.
Through this redesign, the LANmark-1000 has increased all crosstalk
parameters by 4 dB over the old design, which was already exceeding component
performance as specified by TIA/EIA-568-B.2-1 Category 6.
The improved LANmark-1000 is
a result of both the re-engineering of the cable core design combined with
investment in manufacturing equipment and new processes at the New Holland, PA,
facility. “Included in across-the-board
crosstalk performance is an 85% improvement in the PS-ACR, which means much
more signal integrity and strength which greatly reduces vulnerability to noise
interference,” states Jim Frey, Berk-Tek Copper Product Manager. “All the improvements have not changed the
outside diameter (.226”) or the price,” he emphasizes.
LANmark-1000
is part of the NetClear GT2 Enhanced Category 6 channel solution from Berk-Tek
and Ortronics/Legrand. “Enhanced
electrical properties of the LANmark-1000 will also deliver superior
performance of any application specified to run on Category 6 systems,” states
Todd Harpel, Director of Marketing, Berk-Tek.
www.berktek.com. www.nexans.com
BOMA's Winter Business Meeting is Next Month
Register Today Before Time Runs Out
Are you ready for the BOMA International 2008
Winter Business Meeting in
This is your ideal opportunity to learn,
network and participate in provocative discussions on the hottest topics in
commercial real estate.
Register
Today for the BOMA International Winter Business Meeting.
Meeting Highlights
Share Your Interests
Come together in interactive discussions with other attendees who share your
responsibilities, challenges and perspectives. BOMA International committees
and special interest groups share and dispense information on topics such as .
. .
- Energy efficiency and sustainability
- Building security and emergency preparedness
- Building codes and standards
- Mixed-use developments
- New technologies in property management
- and much more!
Get Ready for the Best 20 Years of Real
Estate
The opening luncheon features a presentation by industry expert Christopher
Lee, president of CEL & Associates,
Bring Your Spouse or Guest
Your registered spouse or guest will enjoy a first hand look at the
Challenge the Blue Monster
Arrive early to participate in a fabulous golf tournament hosted by
BOMA/Miami-Dade on Thursday, January 24 at the Doral’s famous Blue Monster
Course, where the prestigious PGA Tour event has been held annually for more
than 40 years. A separate registration fee applies and proceeds from the
tournament will be donated to BOMA International’s political action committee,
BOMAPAC.
Registration Information
Conference registration fees are $595 for BOMA members and $295 for
spouses/guests. Rooms at the Doral Resort are discounted for BOMA
attendees at $250/night. Visit the 2008 Winter Business Meeting page for
complete conference information including the schedule of events, registration
procedures, and hotel reservation information. Or, if you prefer, call
202-326-6331. www.boma.org
Government Pensions? Better Pray For Residents to Get Good Jobs
Carlini’s Comments,
MidwestBusiness.com’s oldest column, runs every Wednesday. Its mission is to
offer the common man’s view on business and technology issues while questioning
the leadership and visions of “pseudo” experts.
In recapping 2007 in this
year-end column, I was going to point out some of the critical issues that were
spotlighted during the year. Instead, there’s a great study you should be
reading to understand how all these issues I pointed out throughout the year
are going to impact state’s pension funds and their ability to pay what they
promised.
In May, I addressed the
Illinois House of Representatives’ Computer Technology Committee.
I spoke about the three most
critical issues facing
Everything is Related
It’s funny how all these
things add up to something else that I have pointed out: the “ability to pay”
factor when it comes to state and municipal pension and benefits plans. A Pew
report that just came out focuses on that very issue:
States have promised at least
$2.73 trillion in pension, health care and other retirement benefits for public
employees over the next three decades, according to a report released [on Dec.
18, 2007] by the Pew Charitable Trusts’ Center on the States.
“Promises with a Price” – the
first 50-state analysis of its kind – finds that states have saved enough to
cover about 85 percent of their long-term pension costs but only 3 percent of
the funds [are] needed for promised retiree health care and other non-pension
benefits.
All told, states already have
set aside about $2 trillion to meet their long-term obligations. They still
need to come up with about $731 billion: a conservative figure that does not
include all costs for teachers and local government employees.
Average taxpayers are
starting to protest their property taxes more and more. The idea that taxes can
just be raised and raised to cover pensions is falling on more and more deaf
ears as job erosion in
Underemployment translates to
tightening family budgets and realizing that the $90,000-a-year job has been
replaced with a $35,000 job.
All those dependent on that
household to pay hefty property taxes for state and municipal pension funds
have to wake up and realize that the party is over. Automatic 5 percent yearly
raises, all-paid-for benefits and tacking on more to the pension plan should
explained as a thing of the past.
Politicians Have Promised, But Who’s Left to Pay?
Just like corporations are
looking at defined pension plans as a thing of the past because they can’t pay
what they promised, state governments have to look at trimming some of the fat
out of plans that can’t be kept funded. Some of the key findings in the Pew
study reveal:
1. Only six states (
2. Half of the states account for almost 94
percent of the non-pension liabilities.
3. None of the five largest states (
4. Per-capita costs for retiree health care
and other benefits range from less than $200 in
5. Eleven states face long-term liabilities
in excess of $10 billion. These include
How’s Your State Rating?
There is a report for each
individual state. Check out the study and read how well – or in the case of
Illinois – as well as other
states that aren’t keeping up with their financial obligations – better begin
to curb increases and get more fiscally responsible in limiting benefits
instead of “promising the world” when they can’t deliver. The Pew study also
points out:
1. An increasing number of states are both
setting aside money and restructuring benefits to reduce costs.
2. At least five states (including
3. Some states are raising the retirement age
and closing loopholes within pension systems that allow employees to inflate
the amount they collect after retirement.
4. For non-pension benefits, states are
increasing premiums and co-pays and raising the number of years of employment
required for lifetime or fully subsidized benefits.
5. At least 13 states have set up irrevocable
trusts to pay for retiree health care in the years to come.
6. As of 2006,
7. The three largest funds in
In comparison,
Reality For State Government Employees
Just like many of the
taxpayers who pay into your pensions, the grim reality of having to get
something less than what you thought you were going to get is becoming a big
reality. Perhaps
1. Allow unused sick leave of departing
employees to be converted to health care accounts (rather than just a “big pay
day” of one-year paid leave before retiring).
2. Another would be to cut out accrued sick
leave and be like most private sector corporations: If you don’t use it, you
can’t carry it over and accrue it. It’s not vacation. Even vacation has very
limited rollover in most corporations. Some policies say if you don’t use it,
you lose it.
3. Pass “spiking” controls to curtail the
ability to inflate employee salaries in the last years of service to increase pension
benefits. Not only is this rampant but there are even contracts with this built
in for school superintendents. Most taxpayers think this is ludicrous.
The reality in
With the loss of corporate
headquarters through buyouts and mergers, the job market stagnates and then
gets into a tailspin of fewer jobs. This has happened in
Carlinism: Pensions can’t be the same as hitting the
lotto.
Carlini will be the keynote
speaker at a Jan. 9 network infrastructure seminar at the Madison Marriott West
in
Check out Carlini’s blog at
CarlinisComments.com.
James Carlini is an adjunct
professor at
Click here for Carlini’s full
biography.
Copyright 2007 Jim Carlini
Reality on Real Estate: Housing Foreclosures Finally Making News
Published on 12/19/2007 at www.MidwestBusiness.com where you
always read REAL perspectives
Carlini’s Comments, MidwestBusiness.com’s oldest column, runs
every Wednesday. Its mission is to offer the common man’s view on
business and technology issues while questioning the leadership and visions of “pseudo”
experts.
I wrote about the rise in
residential foreclosures in Dec. 2006 and touched upon it again in Jan. 2007.
Crain’s Chicago Business finally wrote something about it in July 2007. Most of
the national business news channels hadn’t really featured this until late in
2007. Why’s this suddenly an issue? It has been an issue for more than a year
for many people.
One of my former students is
now in real estate. He says it’s busy even though there are so many problems in
the mortgage market. He says there are several factors worth investigating:
What happens when the bank
takes all the escrow money to cover the shortfall and nobody else gets paid?
Trying to get rich by buying
foreclosures is nonsense. Most homes in foreclosure haven’t been maintained for
years. Plus, most are sold without inspection or a guaranty of clean title.
What happens to the tax
income the government gets when property values go down? Do developers who
can’t unload the condo glut get government bailouts?
He is right about buying
foreclosures. Forget the midnight real estate programs on TV that hype buying
foreclosures. If you think you’re going to get a pristine house that has been
in foreclosure, guess again. Sure, there might be a few exceptions, but don’t
hold your breath.
What’s Next? Smaller
Property Taxes?
What about new assessments of
houses? Every government agency figures it’s going to get an increase due to
the larger assessment they always get from property taxes.
Newsflash to all government
agencies and school districts: start looking at trimming your budgets by 10
percent to 20 percent for the next couple years. Can’t do it? I guess your
degrees in administration are not as good as you profess. Just like there is
profit and loss, budgets can go up and down. They don’t just go up and up.
Don’t say there’s no room for
cuts. A recent article on school districts said some superintendents are making
more than $300,000. Does that sound reasonable to those who have lost jobs at
major corporations in the last five years? I don’t think so (especially when
you see the extra car allowance for these people at $12,000 a year). What are
they leasing? Maserati Quattroportes?
There’s a lot of fat in those
budgets. Start cutting – and don’t start with the music courses. Start with
administrative perks that have gotten bloated over the years as well as the
multiple superintendent positions.
Compare yourself with
executive management at a corporation to justify your perks. Many corporations
have cut back. Have you? What about those that crank out mediocre products?
They are either bought out by a competitor or go out of business. They don’t
keep getting funded every year by a tax levy. They are out the door.
Many districts are mismanaged
and administrators are going to find out the well has run dry in their
districts. Properties are losing the values that overzealous tax assessors have
assigned to them.
There is one house north of
They put it on the market for
$595,000 more than a year ago. Though it wasn’t worth it, they thought it would
command that price because it was in an affluent neighborhood.
The taxes on the property
just went up several thousand dollars. The assessor thinks it’s worth a lot.
That house is now $410,000 without one serious offer on it. Looking at it more
than a year ago, I said it should sell close to what the mortgage is on it.
That would be somewhere in the upper $300,000s. It’s time to adjust the taxes
down.
There are still a lot of
houses getting into the foreclosure process. Most Chicago-area suburbs that
were looked at a year ago still have many houses going into the foreclosure
market.
Reality on Real Estate
In comparison to about a year
ago when I wrote the first column about foreclosures increasing, look how
things have progressed.
No Fire Sales on Quality
Junk is going to be
discounted while quality items are going to remain high priced. With cars, you
don’t see 0 percent financing on a Lexus, Infinity or other vehicles in demand.
Maseratis that sell for $120,000 are going out the door faster than they are
coming into the dealers.
Will there be a lot of new
houses and condos for sale at bargain-basement prices? Don’t count on that.
Builders will take less money, sure, but they won’t give houses away. As for
condos, some buildings will become apartments until the market bounces back.
This is happening already.
Many are hyping real estate
courses to take and books to buy that discuss foreclosures.
Most foreclosure properties
will be trashed before they get to the market. While you might get them
inexpensively, what are the costs to fix them up? Who’s going to pay a premium
once they are put back on the weak market? It sounds like the formula for
success has a couple flaws.
To recap 2007, the housing
market, new-car market and the general consumer economy have reflected what we
have been pointing out here for several years. The economy may be a bull market
for some, but for many, it has been a bear market since Sept. 11, 2001.
Carlinism: Quality is quality. There never is a fire sale on
quality.
Carlini will be the keynote speaker at a Jan. 9
network infrastructure seminar at the
Madison Marriott West in
Also, Carlini will lead a half-day seminar on the same
topic at the Building Industry
Consulting Services International’s winter
conference from Jan. 14 to 17, 2008 in
Check out Carlini’s blog at CarlinisComments.com.
James Carlini is an
adjunct professor at Northwestern University. He is also
president of Carlini & Associates. Carlini can be
reached at james.carlini@sbcglobal.net or
773-370-1888.
Click here for
Carlini’s full biography.
Copyright 2007 Jim Carlini
Look Ahead 2008
Bandwidth demands fuel
continued movement to more capable cabling and security remains a concern.
Smart businesses save money and the planet simultaneously and integrate
communications with an eye on both cost and strategy.
By Grant Buckler
In 2008, most enterprises
will push more and new kinds of traffic through their networks, requiring
increased performance. They will scramble to balance those demands against
security, cost and increased focus on environmental issues.
Higher-bandwidth cabling will
proliferate, and smart businesses will look carefully at how wireless and
mobile technologies can advance their strategies.
Consulting firm Deloitte
named the environment a top IT issue in 2007. That will not change in 2008.
Server virtualization is a
key green initiative because fewer servers means lower power consumption.
"The fewer power supplies that you can have in the data centre ... the
more efficient it is," says Rob Aldrich, senior manager of data centre
solutions at Cisco Systems Inc. That applies to routers and other network gear
too. So, says Aldrich, planning networks to minimize unused ports -- and thus
the number of devices needed -- is one way to save energy.
In the data centre, cooling
requirements essentially double power consumption. Cables under raised floor
blocking airflow do not help, Aldrich says. Solutions include moving the cable
to trays above the equipment and using higher-capacity cabling.
Frank Murawski, president and
founder of structured cabling research firm FTM Consulting Inc. in
Toronto Hydro Telecom has
another solution. In a new
"Anywhere we want air to
escape that sealed plenum on the bottom we install a chimney," says Dave
Dobbin, the company's president. With no cables to impede air flow and
pressurization to ensure more even distribution, Toronto Hydro needs about 25%
less air conditioning capacity for the same floor space.
Luc Adriaenssens, senior vice
president of R&D and technology at cable maker CommScope Inc., in
Many green measures also save
money. Whether they are saving the planet or cash, network installers will pay
more attention to energy consumption.
GETTING
THE PICTURE: First data and
voice combined. Now video is joining the party. More enterprises are adding
video subnets to IP networks, says Murawski, primarily for surveillance.
Private companies use
surveillance for building security and sometimes employee monitoring, and a
growing number of municipalities put cameras in public places - for instance,
However, other video
applications are proliferating, says Michael Khalilian, chairman and president
of the IMS Forum, an industry group that promotes IP Multimedia Subsystems
(IMS). IMS is a framework designed to help telecommunications carriers offer
more IP-based services, including video, to home and business customers.
Video is increasingly used
for distance education and telemedicine, Khalilian says. Businesses use it to
link locations for communication and training. Khalilian points out that IMS is
making videoconferencing more practical than it was in the days of the H.323
standard, which complicated connections and limited bandwidth.
New forms of
videoconferencing are gaining attention too such as Microsoft Corp.'s
Roundtable, a videoconferencing unit that sits in the middle of a table.
Cisco's TelePresence, a pricey room videoconferencing system that creates an
experience almost like being there, found its first Canadian customer this year
in Rogers Communications Inc.
Older technology "didn't
create a lifelike experience like you experience with TelePresence," says
Mike Adams, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Rogers
Cable and Telecom.
All this will increase the
demand for network bandwidth, says
INTEGRATION
DOES NOT STOP WITH VIDEO:
Interest is growing in incorporating other functions like access controls,
alarm systems and control of systems like lighting, heating and air
conditioning into a single network. Some call this the intelligent building.
"It all just makes sense to converge those onto one network," says
Adriaenssens.
Video surveillance is usually
first to be added to the IP-based data and voice network, says Jim Sinopoli,
principal of consulting firm Smart Buildings in Spicewood, Tex., followed by
alarm systems, access and HVAC controls. The move might happen faster, but
there are still no standards for building automation and technology vendors
haven't actively promoted the idea, Sinopoli says.
As intelligent buildings
proliferate, network reliability will become more critical. "In the past,
if the LAN crashed every three weeks or so that was OK," Adriaenssens
says. But if that crash means the entire building is down -- including the phone
system so you can't call anyone -- that's going to be serious. And as building
owners put all their communications eggs in one network basket, bandwidth
demands will continue growing.
COMMUNICATIONS
AND BUSINESS STRATEGY: Unified
communications became hot in late 2007, largely because Microsoft Corp.
launched its Office Communications Server 2007 software, promoting the concept
as if it was a breakthrough. "I don't think it's actually so new,"
observes Mario Belanger, president of Avaya Canada Inc. Having e-mail read to
you on your cellphone or voice messages delivered in e-mail, clicking to dial a
phone number from a PC screen -- these are not new capabilities, though they're
gaining attention.
Belanger says the goal is
communication-enabled business processes, or CEBP. For example, say a critical
delivery is delayed. In the past, an automated system might have sent an e-mail
alert or paged someone. A response might have taken an hour or two. CEBP means
the system might track down several people, using information about where they
can be reached at any given time, and automatically set up a teleconference so
they can address the problem instantly.
"Communication by itself
is nice," Belanger says, "but it really needs to be embedded in the
fabric of your business processes." With IP now widely deployed, he
expects to see growing adoption of CEBP in 2008.
ON
THE ROAD - STRATEGICALLY: A
recent International Data Corp. (Canada) Ltd. study, commissioned by Telus
Corp., argues Canadian businesses have mostly been taking a tactical approach
to mobile data communications, using it primarily for e-mail and to extend
existing applications to mobile workers. That is fine, says Tony Olvet, vice
president of IDC Canada's communications practice, but businesses should think
more strategically.
That would mean more emphasis
on mobile applications that promise a lot of value and have not been as widely
adopted. One example is replacing paper forms, says Olvet -- "it doesn't
sound very sexy, but it's kind of embedded in the processes that most
organizations do." Emergency preparedness and remote monitoring are other
examples cited in the study.
Olvet says a strategic
approach also means mobile services should be managed more centrally for better
integration with the corporate network and applications. Today, IDC says,
mobile services spending is growing with too little attention to total cost of
ownership and business benefits.
Businesses should focus more
on how mobile technology can advance their strategies, adds Jeff Lowe, vice president
of marketing at Telus Business Solutions, noting that only about a third of
Canadian enterprises have a mobile strategy today.
Wi-Max, the longer-range
evolution of the Wi-Fi wireless standard in 2008 might eventually extend
hotspot-like services to wider areas and offer an alternative to digital
cellular networks for voice services. Olvet expects it to play a role in 2008,
but not to be a major factor until chip sets appear that support mobile as well
as fixed wireless connections. "We're still in what's called pre-Wi-Max
adoption mode where the standards still are not 100% ready and the endpoints
are not widely used," says
SECURITY
WORRIES CONTINUE: The Canadian
Security Readiness Intelligence Report, commissioned by Ottawa-based IT channel
management company CMI Inc. and distributed by the Canadian Advanced Technology
Association (CATA), reported the unnerving statistic that one in three
organizations has recently suffered a security breach. Many breaches could be
minor incidents such as an employee receiving a virus by e-mail, notes Kevin
Wennekes, vice president of research at CATA, but security clearly remains a
major issue.
While viruses and spam remain
the top concern, security issues arising from increasing use of wireless
networks and remote access to corporate systems are high on the list. Those
concerns lead some organizations to restrict remote access to information,
Wennekes says. Some also eschew installing wireless networks -- but the survey
found even those without wireless infrastructure worry about security risks,
because it is too easy for employees to install unauthorized access points.
While increased use of video
and the convergence of more services onto a single network put upward pressure
on bandwidth requirements, security issues could be pushing the other way. Like
security lineups in airports, firewalls and other security provisions can slow
the flow of data. "The more buffers and things you put in there, the more
it's going to slow down the network,"
What it means is that network
administrators and designers will face a balancing act as they try to handle
growing traffic demands and increased security worries at the same time.
CAT
6A AND LASER-OPTIMIZED GROW: You
would expect growing bandwidth demands to fuel a move toward more capable
cabling, and you'd be right. CommScope reports installations of Category 5e
cabling accounted for only 9% of the total in 2006, down from 17% the year
before, while Category 6a rose from 17% to 25% and Category 6 remained the most
popular choice with 56% in 2005 and 53% in 2006. "We're seeing very rapid
migration toward 6a," says Adriaenssens.
While Cat 6a cable can
theoretically support 10-Gigabit Etheret over modest distances, Murawski thinks
fiber is a better answer. "I don't think you're ever going to use
unshielded twisted pair to support 10-gig in a real environment," he says.
Even if some can get 10-Gigabit to work over copper, Murawski adds, 100-Gigabit
networking will be a reality in a few years and that will certainly use fiber.
In the fiber world, the shift
is toward laser-optimized multimode. CommScope says higher-bandwidth OM-3 is
the big winner, rising from 28% to 43% of installations in 2006, while OM-1,
OM-2 and single-mode fiber installations all declined. As demand for bandwidth
grows, Adriaenssens says, "it's clear that some day single mode will be
the only answer," but for the time being the cheaper multimode electronics
are carrying the day.
OPEN
SOURCE CANNOT BE IGNORED:
Finally, open source software continues spreading into new areas. Already
widely used in the infrastructure of the Internet, it is making inroads in
voice over IP. The Asterisk open-source IP telephony software runs on around
2.5 million servers around the world, estimates Danny Windham, chief executive
of Digium Inc., the
Open-source routing also
offers an alternative to major router suppliers like Cisco and Juniper. Vyatta
Inc. of
"If you're comfortable
with open source and used to using it, you could get pretty much everything you
need for next to nothing," says
Grant Buckler is a
Kingston, Ont. freelance writer who specializes in IT and telecommunications
issues. He can be reached at gbuckler@cogeco.ca.
Reprinted with permission
of Cabling Networking Systems Magazine –
2007 www.cnsmagazine.com
Preview The New Fiber GoKIT At BICSI Winter Conference 2008
Visit us in Booth 1608 to preview the new fiber GoKIT.
KITCO Fiber Optics is a
leading provider of fiber optic connectorization products, training and field
services to the military and commercial communications industry. We specialize
in the design and fabrication of fiber optic tools, tool kits and custom cable
assemblies. KITCO also produces private label kits for a number of major
connector manufacturers. Our field services team provides on-site termination,
splicing, troubleshooting and testing support, and hands-on training and
certification programs. We are recognized by the defense industry as fiber
optic connectivity experts and for over 10 years we have customized our
products and services to meet strict military standards. KITCO offers hands-on
training and advanced certifications in both commercial and military fiber
optics. KITCO is the sole provider of shipboard fiber optic training to the
U.S. Navy, and we also offer aviation and TFOCA training programs. Training is
available at our
Fluke Networks to Shows Installers How to Expand Business at BICSI Winter Conference
Fiber
Certification, Copper Punchdown and Best Practices for 1-10 Gig Networks
highlighted at exhibits, lunch presentation
EVERETT, Washington – Fluke Networks, provider of innovative Network
SuperVision Solutions™ for the testing, monitoring and analysis of enterprise
and telecommunications networks, will
show installers several ways to expand their business at the upcoming BICSI
Winter Conference, January 12-17 in Orlando, Florida.
Several new products will be on display at Fluke Networks’ booth in the
exhibit hall. The new Compact OTDR
Module for the DTX CableAnalyzer provides an affordable, easy-to-learn solution
for installers who wish to expand their business into fiber certification. The Compact OTDR Module has won several
industry awards since coming to market in the second half of 2007.
The JackRapid Termination Tool, with interchangeable heads for different
styles of jacks, will be on displayd for sample use. The JackRapid can help installers complete
termination jobs 8 times faster than with conventional tools.
On Tuesday, January 15, from noon to 1:15, Fluke Networks will host a
luncheon presentation on “Best Practices for 1-10 Gig Networks.” Hugo Draye, a frequent speaker at BICSI
functions and a recognized expert on high-speed data transmission, will present
the latest developments in cabling certification. Attendees will also have the chance to win
one of five fiber inspection and cleaning toolkits to be given away after the
presentation.
About
Fluke Networks
Fluke Networks provides innovative solutions for the installation and
certification, testing, monitoring and analysis of copper, fiber and wireless
networks used by enterprises and telecommunications carriers. The company's
comprehensive line of Network SuperVision™ Solutions provide network
installers, owners, and maintainers with superior vision, combining speed,
accuracy and ease of use to optimize network performance. Headquartered in
Coleman Cable Introduces New Long-Life LED Work Lights
Coleman Cable, Inc. (Nasdaq: CCIX) announces the addition of two long-life LED work
lights to its professional work light line: a 30-bulb LED Work Light and a
30-bulb LED Work Light Bonus Pack with flashlight.
The 30-bulb LED unit
comes with 30 long-life LED lights that provide 10,000 hours of efficient
illumination and cool operation. The new unit also includes a swivel hook for
hanging that can rotate 360°, an ergonomically designed handle, and a
conveniently located on/off switch. The work light operates on 6 AA batteries
that are included with unit.
The 30-bulb LED Work
Light Bonus Pack with flashlight includes an added bonus of a three-bulb LED
flashlight, packaged with the unit. The flashlight operates on 2 AA batteries.
About Coleman Cable Inc.
Coleman Cable, Inc. is a
leading manufacturer and innovator of electrical and electronic wire and cable
products for the security, sound, telecommunications, electrical, commercial,
industrial, and automotive industries. With extensive design and production
capabilities and a long-standing dedication to customer service, Coleman Cable,
Inc. is the preferred choice of cable and wire users throughout the
CommScope Completes $2.65 Billion Acquisition of Andrew
CommScope, Inc. (NYSE: CTV) announced that it has completed its
acquisition of Andrew Corporation (Nasdaq: ANDW) for a total purchase price of
approximately $2.65 billion. As of today, Andrew will become a wholly-owned
subsidiary of CommScope.
"We are delighted
with the closing of the Andrew transaction, which marks a new chapter in the history of our company," said Frank M.
Drendel, chairman and chief executive officer of CommScope. "We believe this combination will further enhance CommScope's position as a worldwide leader in 'last mile' solutions. Combining our innovative technologies, premier brands
and a top-tier customer base, we expect to expand our global service model
and create an enhanced offering of communications infrastructure solutions that
addresses a broader spectrum of customer needs. With this acquisition, we are advancing CommScope's stated global 'last mile' strategy while creating important cost reduction and growth opportunities that we believe will drive
increased shareholder value.
"We look forward to
working with Andrew's talented team to quickly and smoothly integrate their operations into CommScope. As we continue to invest in the combined business for profitable growth, the talented and dedicated employees of both Andrew and CommScope will continue to play a
critical role in the success of the combined company. CommScope is a proven and successful integrator of strategic transactions and we expect to begin realizing the benefits of this combination immediately and enjoy them fully over
the next few years," added Mr. Drendel.
Andrew stockholders will receive, for each Andrew share, $13.50 in cash and 0.031543 shares of CommScope common stock. This fractional share of CommScope common stock was calculated according to the terms of the merger agreement by dividing $1.50 by $47.554, which was the volume weighted average of the closing sale prices for a share of CommScope common stock over the ten consecutive trading days ending on December 24, 2007.
Financing and Interest
Rate Swap
CommScope funded the transaction through a combination of senior secured credit facilities and available cash on hand. The $2.5 billion senior secured credit facilities consist of a $1.35 billion seven-year senior secured term loan facility with an interest rate of LIBOR plus 250 basis points, a $750 million six-year senior secured term loan facility with an initial interest rate of LIBOR plus 225 basis points and a $400 million six-year senior secured revolving credit facility with an initial interest rate of LIBOR plus 225 basis points. These debt commitments provide for a weighted average initial, variable interest rate of LIBOR plus approximately 241 basis points on the senior secured term loans. At closing, no funds had been borrowed from the revolving credit facility.
CommScope also announced
that it has entered into an interest rate swap in order to fix the LIBOR interest rate for an initial $1.5 billion
of the overall credit facility. Through this swap CommScope fixed the following amounts at a LIBOR rate of 4.07750%:
$1.5 billion from December 27, 2007
through December 31, 2008
$1.3 billion from January 1, 2009 through
December 31, 2009
$1.0 billion from January 2, 2010 through
December 31, 2010
$400 million from January 1, 2011 through
December 31, 2011
Advisors
Banc of America
Securities LLC acted as financial advisor to CommScope in connection with this acquisition and Duff & Phelps LLC
provided a fairness opinion to CommScope.
Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP, Baker & McKenzie LLP and Robinson, Bradshaw & Hinson, P.A. acted as
CommScope's outside legal counsel. Citi acted as the primary financial advisor to Andrew, and Merrill Lynch provided a fairness opinion. Mayer Brown LLP acted as Andrew's primary outside legal counsel. Banc of America Securities LLC and Wachovia Capital Markets, LLC acted as Joint Lead Arrangers and Joint Bookrunners in connection with the credit facilities.
About CommScope
CommScope, Inc. (NYSE:
CTV - www.commscope.com) is a world leader in infrastructure solutions for communication networks. Through its Andrew Wireless Solutions(R) brand, it is a global leader in radio
frequency subsystem solutions for wireless networks. Through its SYSTIMAX(R) Solutions(TM) and Uniprise(R) Solutions brands CommScope is the global leader in structured cabling systems for business enterprise applications. It is also the premier manufacturer of coaxial cable for broadband cable television networks and one of the leading North American providers of environmentally secure cabinets for DSL and FTTN applications.
Contractor Productivity And Profits Get Big Boost From Ruff-In™ Pre-Fab Electrical Product Line From Cooper B-Line
Electrical contractors reduce man hours by up to 30% on the rough-in portion of commercial