Since the TIA and ISO/IEC standards were written by
manufacturers for manufacturers, of fiber optic components they often are
not
relevant for cable plant designers, contractors,
installers or users, the people who are the
majority of the FOA
constituency. The FOA charter is "To promote
professionalism in fiber optics through education, certification and
standards," and has been involved in these standards
committees for decades.
FOA decided to
write an FOA interpretation of these standards for our
audience - those cable plant designers,
contractors, installers and users. FOA standards
are
written to be easily understood and applied, as
well as
relevant to the applications, and follow other
industry
standards for the components and communications
systems
which run over these cable plants. And we
challenged ourselves to summarize these standards into one simple page!
The FOA is involved in several groups that write standards for fiber
optic components, network design, installation and testing and some FOA
personnel have been involved in writing standards for over 35 years, so
we understand standards. Many FOA members are contractors, designers and
installers who work in the field everyday and need to work to industry
standards, but don't always know which standards are appropriate for
their jobs, have copies of the applicable standards or can afford to
purchase some of them which are often so expensive. The FOA has a
solution: 1 Page Standards.
FOA's Standards are concise standards created by FOA with
the participation of experts in the field for the most common issues
affecting fiber optic network owners, contractors, designers and
installers. Each standard summarizes what the reader needs to know in
just 1 page. Each of the FOA's Standards will reference other industry
standards that are similar in scope and which are used as the basis of
the FOA standard, allowing FOA standards to be substituted for them.
These FOA standards can be used for reference in project paperwork when
the user and contractor need to be certain they agree what is being
specified for the project.
You may wonder what is a standard anyway? Here is one definition by the world's biggest standards organization that precisely defines what the FOA is doing:
ISO/IEC Guide 2:1996, definition 3.2 defines a standard as:
'A document established by consensus and approved by a
recognized body that provides for common and repeated use, rules,
guidelines or characteristics for activities or their results, aimed at
the achievement of the optimum degree of order in a given context'.
FOA standards are developed by FOA members whose expertise
is in the technical areas covered by the standards and whose experience
in the industry ensures FOA standards being accurate, relevant and
current. Many of these people have been contributing to industry
standards themselves for decades.
Guidelines for FOA standards are explained here
for FOA members working on the standards and users who are interested
in how standards are developed. Just to be complete, where appropriate,
FOA 1 Page Standards will be backed up by information that explains
issues like appropriateness of the test, measurement uncertainty, and
provide references to other similar industry standards.
And best of all, FOA Standards are free!
Notes:
When referring to FOA Standards in project paperwork,
such as when including in a Statement of Work, RFQ, RFP or contract, it
should read something like this: "Testing the installed fiber optic
cable plant shall be done according to FOA Standard FOA-1: Testing Loss of Installed Fiber Optic Cable Plant."
While
FOA standards are copyrighted, feel free to download the files to
include in your own project documents or print copies for your
associates, customers, students, etc. Do not post these documents on
your own website, but you are free to link to this page.
Like
all standards, FOA's Standards are only guidelines for design,
installation and testing of fiber optic networks. The owner, contractor,
designer or installer are always responsible for the work involved. FOA
assumes no responsibility or liability for the use of these standards
nor for any projects using them.
FOA 1 Page Standards Downloads
All are 1 page PDFs. References in (...) are other similar
industry standards. Click on the "QR code" at the end of each standard for
additional information and links.
Fiber Optic Testing
FOA Standard FOA-1:
Testing Loss of Installed Fiber Optic Cable Plant, (Insertion Loss, TIA
OFSTP-14, OFSTP-7, ISO/IEC 61280, ISO/IEC 14763, etc.) More
FOA Standard FOA-2: Testing Loss of Fiber Optic Cables, Single Ended, (Insertion Loss, TIA FOTP-171, OFSTP-7, , ISO/IEC 14763) More
FOA Standard FOA-3: Measuring Optical Power (Transmitter and Receiver Power, FOTP-95, Numerous ISO/IEC standards) More
FOA Standard FOA-4: OTDR Testing of Fiber Optic Cable Plant (TIA FOTP-8/59/60/61/78, ISO/IEC 14763, etc.) More
FOA Standard FOA-7: Mode Conditioning For Testing Multimode Fiber Optic Cables (Mandrel wrap, encircled flux)
FOA Standard FOA-8: Inspection and Cleaning of Fiber Optic Connectors
Fiber Optic Subsystems And Systems
FOA Standard FOA-5 Fiber Optic Datalinks
FOA Standard FOA-6 Fiber Optic Cable Plant
Installation
Free For FOA Members: NECA/FOA 301 Fiber Optic Installation Standard
This standard was written as a gide to those installing premises fiber optic cabling and OSP cable plants.
This standard is derived from FOA
educational material put in standards form and approved by ANSI as an
American National Standard. It's specifically written to be used in
contracts to define "installation in a neat and workmanlike
manner."
The
NECA/FOA 301 fiber optic installation standard has been withdrawn as an
official ANSI standard. It was almost a quarter century old and a decade
since the last update. It has been decided the standard needs to be
replaced with a more modern document covering current technology and
written in a format that allows easier expansion and updating.
While the standard is in need of updating the contents are still highly relevant. Because
of its importance to users, contractors and installers of fiber optic
networks, The FOA makes the NECA/FOA 301 Fiber Optic Installation Standard available free to FOA members and our associates.
Go here for instructions on how to download your free copy.
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