Full-lifecycle fiber optic network design for ISPs, electric cooperatives, utilities, and BEAD subgrantees. HLD, LLD, PON architecture, route engineering, and construction packages across all 48 continental states. 44,000+ miles of OSP design behind us.
Draftech designs fiber networks from the first field survey to the final as-built record. That full lifecycle covers every phase a project goes through: strand mapping and route walkout, high-level design (HLD) for network architecture and route planning, PON architecture with splitter placement and optical budget modeling, low-level design (LLD) for splice and strand assignment down to individual poles and conduit runs, permitting and ROW coordination, construction package delivery, and as-built update once the build is complete.
That end-to-end scope matters because fiber network design errors compound across phases. An HLD with wrong splitter placement means the LLD fights the terrain. An LLD with wrong fiber counts means field crews wait while the engineer redesigns. A construction package without proper permit drawings means ROW approvals drag out and construction schedules slide. Our team has designed more than 44,000 miles of fiber plant across FTTH, middle-mile, cooperative, and BEAD networks — we know where projects break down and we engineer to prevent it.
GPS strand mapping of existing aerial plant, pole inventory, and route walkout — the field data that makes LLD accurate and eliminates change orders from field discrepancies.
Network architecture, PON topology, splitter placement, fiber allocation, serving area boundaries, and optical budget validation before any pole-level design begins.
Pole-by-pole or conduit-by-conduit construction documents: strand assignments, splice case locations, reel cut lengths, attachment heights, conduit schedules, and BOM.
GPON, XGS-PON, and NG-PON2 network architecture with optical loss budget modeling, OLT port utilization planning, and splitter ratio optimization.
Scaled permit drawings for county ROW, DOT crossings, railroad permits, and USACE waterway crossings — formatted for each jurisdiction's submission requirements.
Full AutoCAD plan sheets, splice diagrams, equipment schedules, and installation notes — plus as-built record updates once the network is constructed.
Draftech designs fiber networks across the full range of deployment scenarios. Each network type brings its own engineering constraints and the team that designs FTTH greenfields needs different experience than the team handling middle-mile backhaul or HFC extensions. Our engineers work across all of these:
PON architecture is where the network's long-term economics get locked in. The wrong splitter placement, the wrong splitter ratio, or a cascade design that hasn't been modeled for optical loss will create problems that persist for the entire life of the network — either as service quality issues or as expensive redesigns when the build is already in the ground.
Draftech designs GPON (ITU-T G.984), XGS-PON (ITU-T G.9807.1), and NG-PON2 architectures. For new builds in 2025 and 2026, we default to XGS-PON — it supports 10 Gbps symmetrical service and the ODN architecture is essentially identical to GPON at the fiber plant level, so the incremental design cost is minimal. Locking in GPON on a new build today creates an upgrade project in three to four years.
Our PON architecture design covers:
Optical budget reality check: A well-designed GPON ODN targets total optical loss under 28 dB end-to-end. Every unnecessary splice, poorly specified connector, or misplaced splitter stage eats into that budget. On long rural spans, there's no margin to waste — and corrections after construction cost far more than getting the architecture right at the design stage.
Fiber routes don't exist in a vacuum. Every mile of plant involves decisions about aerial vs. underground placement, pole infrastructure condition and loading, right-of-way corridors, road and railroad crossings, utility conflicts, and permitting requirements. Route engineering is the discipline that translates a network coverage map into a physically buildable design.
Our route engineering process covers the full infrastructure analysis required to turn an HLD corridor into a constructable LLD:
Our primary tools for route engineering are ArcGIS for spatial analysis, route optimization, and GIS deliverables, and AutoCAD for construction drawings and permit plan sheets. On projects where clients are running network inventory platforms (IQGeo, GE Smallworld), we deliver designs directly into those systems.
For a deeper look at how middle-mile fiber route planning works, including the infrastructure analysis steps specific to long-haul transport builds, see our piece on middle-mile fiber design.
BEAD-funded fiber networks require engineering documentation that goes substantially beyond what a standard ISP deployment demands. The NTIA BEAD program requires subgrantees to demonstrate coverage of all unserved and underserved locations at minimum 100/20 Mbps, document cost-per-location economics, and deliver HLD and LLD packages in formats that satisfy state broadband office reporting requirements. Those requirements vary by state — and state program administrators are increasingly sophisticated about what constitutes adequate engineering documentation.
Draftech has designed BEAD networks across multiple states and understands what program administrators actually require. Our BEAD fiber network design scope includes:
The documentation requirements for BEAD are not something to figure out mid-project. Engaging a firm that has already navigated state program requirements — and understands what a state broadband office reviewer will flag — is a material advantage. Our HLD engineering and LLD design services are both structured to support BEAD compliance from the start.
BEAD engineering starts before the award: Subgrantees that engage engineering before their award announcement enter the design phase without the capacity crunch that follows award announcements. If you're in a state where BEAD awards are imminent, the time to get in front of it is now.
A complete fiber network design package from Draftech includes high-level design with network architecture, splitter placement, and fiber allocation; low-level design with pole-by-pole or conduit-by-conduit construction documents; PON architecture with optical loss budget modeling; AutoCAD construction plan sheets; permit drawing sets formatted for county ROW and DOT submission; a bill of materials for major cable runs and passive hardware; and splice diagrams. For BEAD projects we also include coverage maps, address-level unserved/underserved analysis, and cost-per-location modeling. The exact deliverable set is scoped per project based on where you are in the development lifecycle.
Rural fiber design requires a fundamentally different architectural approach than suburban or urban builds. At 3–8 addresses per route mile, centralized splitter architectures that work well at suburban densities often produce drops of 800 feet or more — which add cost and consume optical budget. We use distributed FDH or FAT cabinet designs with 1:32 splitter ratios in low-density rural areas to manage drop length economics. Feeder runs through unpopulated corridors require careful optical budget management, especially with cascade splitter stages. We've designed networks at under 2.5 addresses per route mile and understand what that does to the architecture.
We design to XGS-PON (ITU-T G.9807.1) as the default for new builds — it supports 10 Gbps symmetrical and the ODN architecture is nearly identical to GPON, so the incremental design cost is minimal. We also design GPON (ITU-T G.984) networks and handle upgrade paths from existing GPON plants. For NG-PON2 architectures, we handle wavelength channel planning and tunable ONT requirements. All designs include optical loss budget modeling with realistic connector, splice, and splitter insertion loss assumptions — we don't assume best-case performance and leave margin problems to be discovered at commissioning.
Fiber network design and pole loading analysis are tightly coupled for aerial builds. The LLD identifies every pole attachment — strand diameter, lashing wire, conduit, and hardware weights. Before the LLD is finalized, we flag spans where our fiber addition will push poles near NESC loading limits and initiate pole loading analysis on those structures. Catching poles that need reinforcement or replacement at the design phase is far less expensive than discovering them during construction. On projects where we perform both the OSP design and the pole loading analysis, we can iterate the design to minimize the make-ready scope.
Yes. We design aerial, underground, and hybrid aerial/underground routes depending on right-of-way conditions, existing infrastructure, and project economics. Aerial designs include strand mapping, span tables, attachment heights, and make-ready specifications. Underground designs include bore and trench specifications, conduit sizing and routing, handhole placement, depth requirements, and road and railroad crossing designs. Many builds are hybrid — aerial along existing pole lines with underground segments through ROW corridors where aerial is not practical. We can model the cost tradeoff between aerial and underground placement to support project budget planning.
ARE YOU A FIBER DESIGN FIRM?
This page describes the service we deliver to clients. If you provide OSP fiber HLD/LLD production and are looking for a consistent subcontract pipeline, we have ongoing capacity needs across multiple states and network types.
Whether you're starting from scratch on a greenfield build, navigating BEAD engineering requirements, or need an independent review of an existing design, our team is available to discuss the project. We work with ISPs, municipalities, electric cooperatives, and BEAD subgrantees across all 48 continental states.
Contact Our Engineering TeamOr email us directly at info@draftech.com — we reply within one business day.