I'm thinking of doing a fibre optic technicians course

smokeyjoe321

Hi all

I have been working in construction for the last 6-7 years but worked in telecoms before this for a number of years as a transmission tech i.e. SDH installation an commissioning,........... as the bottom has fell out of the construction industry I am interested in rekindling a career in telecoms as a fibre optic technician...... (fibre cable installation and splicing),........... but I am un sure what the job prospects are for this roll in Ireland an the moment, there seem to be a lot of talk about Ireland needing to invest heavily in network infrastructure to help make Ireland an attractive option for future investment

I would be great full for any info and advice

hightower1

Hey mate, Well infrastructure for large HFC networks isnt so great as is (in terms of area serviced vs what could be serviced) , UPC being the largest one that springs to mind however there are other area's where fiber networks would be used on a smaller scale such as data parks etc.

I guess really what you'd need to look at is .. is fiber network use going to (A) expand more on the current providers ... most definitely so, UPC alone are growing their HFC network a lot and as we all know there is still quite a large portion of the country that could become viable for them to expand into. and (b) will fiber networks become prevalent and be adopted by isps like eircom and such ? IMO yes, I cant see a lot of any other cost effective solutions for other ISP's so I think they need to follow the leader on this.

I guess like training yourself up in any area thats growing its a gamble, do you get in on the ground floor and risk being trained in an area that in 5 years time could be gone downhill or will it just start crying out for skilled workers just as your training finishes??? Its going to be a judgment call from yourself but if you ask me it is one that very well may be worth it.

smokeyjoe321

Cheers for that “Hightower”

I’m looking at a course in the UK that’s recognised by the FOA but I want to do my research on what my job prospects are, iv been searching through a lot of the recruitment agency web sites but don’t see much happening in fibre or for the field I used to work install and commissioning,.....saying that most of the Telco positions I obtained in the past came through networking with those in the industry and not agency so I though my best bet was to post on a forum to best find out what my options maybe

Regards...

rebel.ranter

A lot of the mobile telcos are looking at using fibre to backhaul their traffic. Not necessarily doing the work themselves but looking at the likes of Eircom, BT, ENET & ESB telecom to provide it. So from that point of view there may be a need former people.
However telecomms is like most tech areas, your skills can go off the boil very quickly, also if something is in high demand now there is no guarantee that it will be the same, even in the near future.
It would be nice to imagine that well all get fibre to the door though..,