# FTTH Design Engineering Services — Draftech International > **End-to-end fiber network design, from high-level architecture to construction-ready packages.** 44,000+ miles of OSP planning behind us. We design fiber-to-the-home networks that get built right the first time. **Canonical URL:** https://draftech.com/services/ftth-design.html **Company:** Draftech International, LLC | **Phone:** 305-306-7406 | **Email:** info@draftech.com --- ## Service Statistics | Metric | Value | |--------|-------| | Miles Designed | **44,000+** | | Addresses Engineered | **2.6M+** | | Active States | **22** | | Field Engineers | **600+** | --- ## What We Deliver: Full-Cycle FTTH Design Engineering Most ISPs come to us at one of two points: before they've broken ground, or after they've realized their current design shop is behind schedule and under-delivering. Either way, we plug in fast. Our FTTH design engineering services cover everything from initial network architecture through construction-ready low-level design packages — and we hand off clean deliverables that construction crews can actually use. ### Service Components - **High-Level Design (HLD)** — Network architecture, splitter placement, fiber allocation, serving area boundaries, feeder/distribution topology, and optical budget validation - **Low-Level Design (LLD)** — Pole-by-pole or conduit-by-conduit construction documents: strand assignments, splice case locations, reel sizes, attachment heights, and BOM - **Splitter Architecture** — 1:32 and 1:64 staged split designs, FDH sizing, NAP placement strategies, and cascade configurations optimized for address density and drop lengths - **Fiber Count Planning** — Distribution and feeder fiber counts sized for buildout coverage, future scalability, and spare capacity - **PON Network Design** — GPON and XGS-PON network architecture with optical loss budget modeling, OLT port planning, and ONT placement recommendations - **Construction Packages** — Full AutoCAD plan sheets, permit drawing sets, splice diagrams, equipment schedules, and installation notes --- ## Process: How We Run FTTH Design ### HLD Process (5 Steps) #### Step 1 — Address Point Analysis & Demand Mapping We start with your address layer — parcel data, address points from county GIS, or a combination — and build a demand map before touching network design. MDU vs. SFU mix, linear density per mile, projected penetration. This tells us how to carve serving areas before placing a single splitter. #### Step 2 — Route Design & Aerial/Underground Assessment We identify primary fiber corridors using existing aerial and underground plant, road centerlines, and natural barriers. We flag areas where underground bore will be required, creek crossings needing USACE permits, and railroad crossings early — before they become schedule surprises. Our field survey team conducts strand mapping on any existing aerial plant being overlashed or tied into. #### Step 3 — Splitter Placement & Architecture We model splitter locations using address clustering and drop length analysis. In rural BEAD work, we sometimes end up with distributed cabinet FDHs at 1:32 because address density can't support a centralized 1:64 architecture without excessive drop lengths. The splitter architecture must match the terrain, not just the theory. #### Step 4 — Fiber Count & Optical Budget Every HLD deliverable includes an optical power budget table — feeder span length, distribution cable loss, connector counts, splice count, splitter insertion loss — all modeled against your OLT's minimum receive power. We do not assume best-case connector performance throughout. #### Step 5 — BOM & Cost Estimation The HLD deliverable includes a materials BOM for major cable runs, FDH/FAT hardware, and splice closure quantities — an actual bill of materials that procurement can use to get firm pricing. > **HLD deliverable package:** Route maps in AutoCAD and ArcGIS formats, fiber count summary spreadsheet, optical power budget table, serving area topology diagram, and BOM for major materials. Not a slide deck — an engineering document. --- ### LLD Process Low-level design is where FTTH design engineering earns its fee or kills the project budget. A weak LLD means construction crews make decisions in the field that should have been made at a desk. **LLD package includes:** - **Pole-by-pole span tables** — attachment heights, span lengths, pole owner, and make-ready status for every aerial span - **Underground conduit schedules** — bore lengths, conduit size, depth specifications, and handhole locations - **Cable reel assignments** — cut lengths assigned to specific spans, not just total cable quantities - **Splice case location plans** — closure type, buffer tube assignments, and slack loop placement - **NAP/FDH location sheets** — cabinet type, mounting method, port assignments, and power requirements - **AutoCAD plan sheets** — formatted to your client's standards or our default sheet template - **Permit drawing sets** — scaled drawings formatted for county ROW and DOT submission Every LLD goes through a mandatory internal QC process — a second engineer who didn't touch the design reviews it against the HLD to catch fiber count mismatches, missing spans, and optical budget deviations. --- ## Design Standards, Tools, and PON Architecture ### PON Standard For new deployments, Draftech defaults to **XGS-PON (ITU-T G.9807.1)**. The incremental cost difference between designing for GPON versus XGS-PON at the fiber plant level is minimal — the ODN architecture is essentially the same — and deploying GPON in 2026 for a new build creates an upgrade project in four years. We also design GPON networks, particularly for brownfield upgrades where existing optical budgets and splitter cascades are already in place. ### Tools | Tool | Use | |------|-----| | **AutoCAD** | Primary drafting platform for plan sheets, route drawings, splice diagrams | | **ArcGIS** | Spatial analysis, route optimization, address layer management, GIS deliverables | | **QGIS** | Open-format datasets and client QGIS environments | | **IQGeo / GE Smallworld** | Clients running network inventory platforms who need designs delivered into their NMS | | **O-Calc Pro / SPIDA Calc** | Pole loading analysis on spans where attachment compliance must be confirmed before LLD is finalized | ### Design Code Compliance - **NESC** — National Electrical Safety Code (aerial clearances) - **NEC** — National Electrical Code (equipment enclosures) - **OSHA** — Construction phasing standards - **NTIA / BEAD** — Technical specifications and state broadband office design standards (for BEAD projects) --- ## Project Types ### Greenfield Builds The cleanest to design — no legacy conflicts, no make-ready complications from existing attachments. The challenge is speed: greenfield builds often have aggressive schedules driven by investor timelines. We have turned around HLDs for 8,000-address greenfield deployments in under three weeks when the project required it. ### Brownfield Overbuilds Slower because of existing plant. Make-ready analysis is more complex — adding attachments to poles already loaded with the incumbent's cable, and the pole owner's joint use process adds weeks to the schedule. ### Rural BEAD Builds Different constraints entirely. Address densities of 3–7 per route mile mean long feeder runs with very few taps, and drop infrastructure economics become critical. Splitter architecture for 2.37 addresses per route mile is completely different from 35-per-mile suburban density. ### MDU Design Riser cable routing, IDF/MDF placement, in-unit wiring strategies, and building management contractual considerations. We handle MDU design and are clear with clients that it adds complexity and timeline. --- ## Deliverable Types 1. HLD route maps (AutoCAD DWG + ArcGIS GDB) 2. Fiber count summary spreadsheet 3. Optical power budget table 4. Serving area topology diagram 5. Materials BOM (Excel, current market pricing) 6. Pole-by-pole LLD span tables 7. Underground conduit schedules 8. Cable reel cut sheets 9. Splice case location plans 10. NAP/FDH location sheets 11. AutoCAD plan sheets (IFC standard) 12. Permit drawing sets (county ROW and DOT) 13. BEAD-compliant GIS deliverables (shapefile, geodatabase) --- ## Who Needs FTTH Design Engineering - **ISPs** planning greenfield FTTH deployments - **Electric co-ops** entering broadband as part of BEAD or ReConnect programs - **Municipalities** building city-owned fiber networks - **BEAD subgrantees** requiring IFC-standard construction documents and NTIA-compliant documentation - **Carriers** needing OSP design support for network expansion or brownfield overbuilds - **Any project team** whose current design shop is behind schedule or under-delivering --- ## FAQ — FTTH Design Engineering **Q: What is FTTH high level design (HLD)?** A: FTTH high level design is the first engineering phase — it defines the network architecture before any construction documents are created. HLD locks in hub/headend location, feeder cable routes, distribution cable branching, and passive optical splitter stage configuration. It sets fiber counts, splitter ratios, and optical budget margins. A solid HLD is the foundation everything else is built on. **Q: What is the difference between HLD and LLD in fiber design?** A: HLD defines the architecture — serving area boundaries, splitter locations, fiber allocation, route corridors. LLD is the construction document — pole-by-pole span details, splice case placements, conduit schedules, reel cut lengths, permit drawings. HLD tells you what to build; LLD tells the crew exactly how to build it. **Q: How much does FTTH design cost per mile?** A: Aerial builds in flat terrain can run $800–$1,400 per route mile for combined HLD and LLD. Underground urban builds with significant permitting complexity push into the $2,500–$4,500 range. BEAD rural projects are often priced per address rather than per mile due to low linear density. We provide fixed-fee quotes — contact us for a number. **Q: What does an OSP design engineer do on a fiber project?** A: An OSP engineer translates a business plan into a physical network design: site analysis, route selection, pole survey coordination, fiber count calculations, splitter architecture, optical budget modeling, make-ready engineering, permit drawing preparation, and construction package production. **Q: What PON standards does Draftech design to?** A: We default to XGS-PON (ITU-T G.9807.1) for new greenfield builds. We also design GPON networks and handle upgrade paths from existing GPON plants. All designs include optical loss budget modeling with realistic connector and splice loss assumptions. **Q: Can Draftech handle BEAD rural FTTH design?** A: Yes. A substantial portion of our current project portfolio is BEAD-funded rural broadband. We understand NTIA documentation requirements, state broadband office design standards (which vary significantly by state), and the engineering constraints of low-density rural builds. Our team has designed BEAD-eligible networks across 22 states. **Q: Does Draftech do in-house field survey?** A: Yes. We have 600+ field engineers. When we do both the field survey and the design, change-order rates from field discrepancies are nearly zero. Desktop-only design off satellite imagery and county GIS data produces drawings that generate construction change orders. **Q: What is the re-design rate on Draftech projects?** A: Extremely low. Every LLD undergoes a mandatory second-engineer QC review against the HLD before leaving our office. We catch our own mistakes — it's not glamorous, but it's why our re-design rate is one of the lowest in the industry. --- ## Related Pages - [services/pole-loading-analysis.md](pole-loading-analysis.md) — NESC-compliant structural analysis before construction - [services/field-survey.md](field-survey.md) — Field data collection that makes LLD accurate - [services/cad-gis.md](cad-gis.md) — AutoCAD, ArcGIS, and GIS deliverables - [services/permitting.md](permitting.md) — ROW and permit management - [blog/ftth-hld-design-mistakes.md](../blog/ftth-hld-design-mistakes.md) — 5 costly HLD errors to avoid - [blog/gis-fiber-network-planning-cost-reduction.md](../blog/gis-fiber-network-planning-cost-reduction.md) — How GIS-native design cuts cost - [blog/bead-funding-engineering-requirements-2026.md](../blog/bead-funding-engineering-requirements-2026.md) — BEAD engineering requirements --- ## Contact **Draftech International, LLC** 15280 NW 79th CT, Suite 102 Miami Lakes, FL 33016 - **Phone:** 305-306-7406 - **Email:** info@draftech.com - **Website:** https://draftech.com - **LinkedIn:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/draftechint