KURTOGLU
SINAN

Overview

My involvement in fiber infrastructure began on the BOTAŞ pipeline corridor between Aliağa and Kemalpaşa, continued along the route toward Bursa, and later moved into urban fiber access deployment in Antalya. The work was carried out under subcontract to telecommunications contractors and internet service providers.

The scope went well beyond laying and jointing cable. Every new link had to be brought into service around a network that was already carrying live traffic, so existing equipment, interface requirements, migration constraints and backup arrangements all shaped how the infrastructure was prepared and commissioned.

As the program expanded, my role extended into technical training. I delivered training sessions and seminars to more than 60 people entering fiber optic field work.

Role and Responsibilities

Subcontractor and infrastructure consultant across site preparation, commissioning and systems integration.

• Power supply and supporting infrastructure for rack-mounted equipment cabinets at connection sites
• Fusion splicing, termination, splice testing and OTDR testing on backbone cables
• Connection of fiber links to switches and transmission equipment at points of presence (PoPs), including Metro Ethernet connections
• Assessment of installed communications systems and design of interface conversion solutions
• Planning of phased traffic migration and configuration of retained links as backup paths
• Base station backhaul connectivity
• Urban deployment: cabling design, backbone and distribution connections, PoP establishment and in-building fiber termination
• Technical training and knowledge transfer for new field teams

1. Aliağa – Kemalpaşa: Backbone Expansion

Site and Equipment Preparation

The first assignment came through an offer to support fiber works along the BOTAŞ pipeline from Aliağa toward Kemalpaşa, where additional multimode cables were to be installed alongside the existing single-mode cable.

Cable pulling was carried out by a separate subcontractor. My scope was the connection sites: I prepared the power supply and supporting infrastructure for the rack cabinets so that, as soon as the cables were in place, fiber termination and active equipment could be commissioned without delay. These sites formed the interface between the cable installation and the switching and transmission equipment at each PoP.

Cable Selection and Field Considerations

Cable choice on these assignments was driven by cost, maintenance demands and the skill level of the workforce available at the time.

Single-mode offered the better optical performance and worked well in applications such as vertical risers between floors in hotels, but it was expensive. Fusion splicing took longer, and the quality of each joint depended heavily on the individual technician. The laser-based transmission equipment was more precise, but under the operating conditions on site it proved correspondingly more prone to faults.

Multimode addressed those constraints. The cable was considerably cheaper, splicing was quicker and easier to perform consistently, and fault rates and joint quality remained acceptable even with technicians of average experience. By our rough estimate at the time, the cost of a single 48-fiber single-mode cable would cover around ten 96-fiber multimode cables over the same length.

The contractors adopted multimode almost immediately. Once HES Kablo began manufacturing multimode cable in Kayseri, local supply settled the matter, and other cable types were effectively no longer considered by the companies I worked with.

Splicing, Testing and Connection

Once the cables were installed, I carried out fusion splicing at joint locations spaced approximately every two kilometers, tested each joint, and connected the fiber to switches and transmission equipment at the PoP sites.

The new multimode cables were of 96-fiber construction. The higher fiber count provided spare physical capacity for additional circuits and for redundant paths.

Phased Traffic Migration

Traffic carried by the existing cable was transferred to the new links in stages rather than in a single cutover.

Before each stage we identified the circuits serving live systems, the redundant paths available, and the services that could not be transferred under the conditions at the time. Those services were dealt with separately rather than forced into the migration, so the transition followed the actual configuration of the operational network and avoided unplanned outages.

2. Existing Communications Systems: Assessment and Integration

Survey of Installed Systems

Alongside the cable works, we assessed the communications systems already operating along the route, including microwave radio links, base stations and other non-fiber applications.

Each system was reviewed for its operational function, its interface and connection requirements, and its compatibility with the upgraded infrastructure. This meant understanding how the equipment actually worked in the field and deciding which parts of the installation could remain in service.

Direct Integration, Conversion and Replacement

Systems that could be connected directly to the fiber were integrated into the new network.

Where integration was not feasible, the applications concerned were decommissioned and we proposed alternatives capable of serving the same function.

For equipment that was installed and serviceable but had no native fiber interface, we designed conversion solutions. This allowed existing assets to stay in service through an appropriate interface to the new infrastructure rather than being replaced outright.

This stage developed my ability to work across different communications technologies within a single network, to survey installed plant in detail, and to turn those findings into practical integration proposals suited to site conditions.

3. Kemalpaşa – Bursa: Route Extension and Base Station Connectivity

The second phase continued along the BOTAŞ-owned route from Kemalpaşa to Bursa.

Base stations close to the corridor were connected to the fiber in a configuration that allowed them to communicate with one another. This introduced connection and integration requirements beyond those of the initial cable and PoP work.

I learned base station connection and integration methods on the job, through direct involvement in live installations. Working with these systems broadened my experience from individual fiber joints to the relationship between the backbone and the equipment that depends on it.

The work drew the attention of larger, well-capitalized companies. At the same time, internet service providers were beginning to expand their infrastructure investment, which opened up opportunities in urban fiber deployment.

4. Antalya: Urban Fiber Access Deployment

Deployment Area and Scope

When Superonline began rolling out urban fiber access, I took on assignments in Antalya through subcontracting companies.

The work covered Meltem, Gürsu, Uncalı, Liman, Hurma, Arapsuyu, Öğretmenevleri and Akdeniz University. It included main-route connections, distribution infrastructure and in-building fiber termination in high-density residential estates, bringing together the backbone, local distribution and building connection stages of service delivery.

Backbone Connections and PoP Establishment

We connected the main route arriving from the Otogar and Kepez areas to the Türk Telekom building in Kızıltoprak.

To carry the backbone onward toward Liman, we established a new PoP, extending the main connection into the additional service area.

Early Service Provision

Completing the permanent installation across every targeted site would take time. To shorten time to service, we designed the cabling infrastructure and established temporary ring connections within the target residential estates.

These rings allowed subscribers to receive internet access before the permanent infrastructure was complete, while keeping the later transition to the permanent installation in view from the outset.

Migration to Permanent Links and Backup Configuration

Once the permanent infrastructure was ready, subscriber connections were transferred from the temporary rings to the permanent links.

The rings were then reconfigured as backup paths. Infrastructure originally built to accelerate service availability thereby became part of the completed network's redundancy arrangements rather than being abandoned.

5. Technical Training and Knowledge Transfer

As the work spread to other cities and volumes increased, installations had to be carried out by a larger number of field teams. Under that workload it was no longer possible for me to be present on every site, so the companies involved asked me to pass on my field experience through training.

I delivered training sessions and seminars to more than 60 people, preparing them to work in fiber optic infrastructure. This extended the experience gained in installation, splicing, testing and integration beyond my own assignments and helped build wider deployment teams.

From that point on, I limited my direct involvement in fiber work mainly to assignments involving demanding site conditions or requiring urgent intervention.

Outcomes and Professional Development

These assignments combined fiber infrastructure, electrical preparation, active communications equipment and the migration of live services. My contribution covered both hands-on field implementation and the assessment needed to connect new infrastructure to installed systems.

Delivered work included expanded fiber capacity along the BOTAŞ route, base station connectivity, urban access deployment in Antalya, and the reuse of early-service links as backup paths once the permanent infrastructure was in place.

The most significant professional gain was learning to evaluate equipment and connections not by technology alone, but by their operating conditions, interface requirements, scope for conversion and redundancy options.

The work also strengthened my ability to operate across the boundary between electrical infrastructure and telecommunications systems, and deepened my understanding of how installation choices, field maintainability, workforce capability and migration requirements shape the outcome of an infrastructure project.

Training added a further dimension: transferring accumulated field knowledge so that its value extended beyond my own assignments and supported the work of larger teams.