Technical staff from telecommunications carriers, service providers or other private and public organisations who have experience in optical transmission apply the skills and knowledge in this unit.

They combine technical expertise with a range of analytical, research and planning skills to develop integration solutions for particular business needs.

Relevant job roles include design and planning of networks using emerging technology.

ELEMENT

PERFORMANCE CRITERIA

1. Analyse specialised optical device and prepare for integration in the network

1.1. Obtain relevant legislation, codes, regulations and standards and follow occupational health and safety (OHS) and environmental requirements for the project work

1.2. Work safely according to relevant safety legislation and company work practices identifying hazards and using personal protective equipment

1.3. Obtain plans and drawings of existing optical network from appropriate person and review potential locations for suitability of integrating additional hardware

1.4. Analyse and evaluate a range of integration options using device specifications which satisfy the customer's network requirements

1.5. Prepare and submit the business case for adopting the recommended integration solution

1.6. Prepare design plan with interconnection details to existing system and installation options and seek approval to proceed from customer

1.7. Undertake an impact risk assessment of the hardware integration with the network operations centre (NOC) and prepare for contingencies using contingency plan

2. Integrate the specialised optical device in the network

2.1. Install and integrate specialised optical devices into existing network according to design plan

2.2. Test the network and evaluate the results to verify optical network performance with the integrated specialised optical devices in operation

3. Document the integration of the specialised optical device in dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) network

3.1. Produce an updated design plan and submit to customer with copies filed for later reference according to organisation's policies

3.2. Prepare an evaluation report on the performance of the network with specialised optical devices with recommendations for future enhancements

3.3. Notify NOC of job completion and obtain sign off from appropriate person

Required skills

analytical skills to evaluate technical information and develop integration options

communication skills to:

liaise with internal and external personnel on technical and operational matters

relate to work associates, supervisors, team members and clients

literacy skills to:

interpret technical documentation, such as equipment manuals, specifications and service orders

write reports using standard formats

numeracy skills to interpret results and evaluate different types of technical data

planning and organisational skills to plan, prioritise and monitor own work and that of others

problem solving and contingency management skills to:

adapt testing procedures to requirements of particular situations

modify activities depending on operational contingencies, risk situations and environments

safety awareness skills to:

apply precautions and required action to minimise, control or eliminate hazards that may exist during work activities especially when dealing with infra-red laser light

select and use required personal protective equipment conforming to industry and OHS standards

work systematically with required attention to detail without injury to self or others, or damage to goods or equipment

technical skills to:

backup and restore

clean optical fibre connector

examine optical fibre connector for contamination and assess whether cleaning is required

install software

measure optical power using handheld optical power meter

measure DC and AC voltages

select and use appropriate test equipment

setup internet protocol (IP) addresses and subnet masks

Required knowledge

attenuation characteristics of optical fibres

DWDM principles of operation

features and operating requirements of test equipment, including:

hand-held optical power meter

optical spectrum analyser

transmission test set

dispersion characteristics of optical fibres

dispersion compensation devices

electrostatic discharge precaution

functions of optical add drop multiplexer (OADM) and reconfigurable optical add-drop multiplexer (ROADM)

gain equalisation

International Telecommunications Union (ITU) wavelength grid for DWDM

measurement of dispersion

optical amplifier operation

optical fibre connector types and characteristics

optical fibre types and characteristics

optical return loss (ORL)

path protection and protection switching

protocols used on optical DWDM systems

reflectance

ring topologies and linear network topologies

specific OHS requirements that impact on the safe inspection of optical connectors and the safe measurement of optical power from laser transmission systems

tunable laser sources and their characteristics

The evidence guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge, range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for the Training Package.

Overview of assessment

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit

Evidence of the ability to:

analyse a specialised optical device and prepare a design to integrate it with a network

integrate and test the device

document the integration to the network and recommend enhancements

comply with all related OHS requirements and work practices.

Context of and specific resources for assessment

Assessment must ensure:

sites on which specialised optical device can be integrated

use of test equipment currently used in industry

manufacturer's technical documentation, legislation, codes and standards.

Method of assessment

A range of assessment methods should be used to assess practical skills and knowledge. The following examples are appropriate for this unit:

direct observation of the candidate performing integration

review of test documentation and reports completed by the candidate

oral or written questioning to assess required knowledge and skill.

Guidance information for assessment

Holistic assessment with other units relevant to the industry sector, workplace and job role is recommended, for example:

ICTOPN5118A Plan and configure dense wavelength division multiplexing systems

ICTOPN5119A Perform acceptance and commissioning test on optical network

ICTOPN5120A Plan for an optical system upgrade and cut over

ICTOPN5122A Test the performance of specialised optical devices.

Aboriginal people and other people from a non-English speaking background may have second language issues.

Access must be provided to appropriate learning and assessment support when required.

Assessment processes and techniques must be culturally appropriate, and appropriate to the oral communication skill level, and language and literacy capacity of the candidate and the work being performed.

In all cases where practical assessment is used it will be combined with targeted questioning to assess required knowledge. Questioning techniques should not require language, literacy and numeracy skills beyond those required in this unit of competency.

Where applicable, physical resources should include equipment modified for people with special needs.

The range statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold italicised wording, if used in the performance criteria, is detailed below. Essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) may also be included.

Relevant legislation, codes, regulations and standards may include:

Australian Communications Industry Forum (ACIF) standards and codes

AS Communications Cabling Manual (CCM) Volume 1

Australian building codes and regulations

compliance with appropriate Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) technical standard requirements for underground, aerial, Category 5 or Category 6, 6A, 7 or 7A, and unshielded twisted pairs (UTP)

Environmental Protection Acts

fire regulations

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) standards

OHS

relevant international standards

technical standards AS/ACIF S008:2006 and AS/ACIF S009:2006.

OHS and environmental requirements may relate to:

decommissioning and isolating work site and lines prior to commencement

flashing lights

gas and other hazard detection equipment

identifying other services, including power and gas

safety barriers

safety equipment

safe working practices, such as the safe use and handling of:

asbestos

chemicals

materials

tools and equipment

work platforms

special access requirements

suitable light and ventilation

trench guards

warning signs and tapes

witches hats

environmental considerations:

clean-up protection

noise, dust and clean-up management

stormwater protection

waste management.

Hazards may include:

activating equipment without notifying other staff who may be working remotely on the network

cleaning alcohol, epoxy resins and other solvents and chemicals may be carcinogenic, cause allergies or be dangerous to health in other ways

environmental hazards:

air pollution

damage to natural or heritage precincts

dangerous gases

ground water contamination

heavy or noxious metals pollution

noise

petrochemical spillage

release of hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFC)

flammable cleaning chemicals fluids and solvents

fibre offcut damage to eyes and skin

health hazards:

dangerous or harmful substances

handling of optic fibres and lasers

risk of infection

risk of sustained injury from repetitive tasks

inhalation of fibre offcuts and particles from vacuum cleaning of worksite

laser damage to eyes.

Personal protective equipment may include:

inspection microscope with integral laser safety filter

safety glasses

video microscope.

Optical network may include:

coarse wavelength division multiplexing (CWDM)

DWDM

Hybrid fibre coaxial (HFC).

Appropriate person may include:

customer

network manager

project engineer

project manager.

Specifications may include:

bandwidth

insertion loss

operating wavelength

optical return loss (ORL)

ripple.

Installation options may include:

location at intermediate location

location at OADM site

location at terminal site

location underground.

Specialised optical devices may include:

Bragg grating

coupler

dispersion compensation device (DCD)

DWDM multiplexer

erbium doped fibre amplifier (EDFA)

gain equaliser

Raman amplifier

ROADM.

Verify optical network performance may include:

stability test

bit error ratio test (BERT).

Unit sector

Telecommunications

Optical networks

This unit contains employability skills.