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In December of 1999, Certified Installer Pinnacle Communication Services completed an installation on the new AT&T Wireless Services building in Los Angeles using Molex Premise Networks structured cabling and Berk-tek Cable. The installation was completed in record time and went so well that Facilities Manager Andy Eddy stated “It’s the first time in our experience that the cabler actually pushed the construction timetable.”
AT&T Wireless Services of Cerritos, California (formerly L.A. Cellular) recently completed construction on their new Southwest Regional Office facility located at 12900 Park Plaza Drive. The new 250,000-sq. ft. building was constructed after the purchase of L.A. Cellular by AT&T and was designed to better enable them to accommodate their growing networking requirements. During the course of the construction, the communications cabling and Infrastructure requirements were sent out for quotation. Pinnacle Communication Services of Glendale, California was chosen as the Certified Installer based on their commitment to complete the job in the required time frame and their ability to meet the requirements of the detailed specifications provided by AT&T, highlights of which are listed below:
AT&T did have considerable discussion over whether they should use Lucent Technologies to network their building, especially because of their company connection. However, the IT department ultimately specified that the Certified Installer use Molex Premise Networks products for the installation for a number of reasons. First and foremost was the fact that they had several other buildings in which they had previously installed the Molex Premise Networks products. They were quite pleased with the performance and appearance of the line and were comfortable they would get similar results with this building. Also, they felt that by using the same vendor, they would eliminate any potential compatibility issues associated with using different vendors. Virtually the entire Molex Premise Networks portfolio of products was used in the installation.
Main Cross Connect
The Main Cross Connect equipment rack was configured with five Molex Premise Networks FMS II units with 48 port ST panel inserts for distributing the fiber backbone cabling to the individual IDFs. These units were chosen because of the need for a high density, very secure, mounted fiber enclosure which at the same time provided quick rear access to the fiber panels. The horizontal cabling rack held seven 24 port HD Patch 5E panels with cable management trays and single ring run panels between each patch panel. This provided the connection for 25 pair PowerSum cabling to each ICC location.
The MCC also served as the central location for the block-based voice cabling system. A total of fifty Molex Premise Networks 900-pair wall mount frame kits were installed in the MCCs and ICCs to provide voice service to every workstation. Using the wall frame kit sped installation of the block-based system by providing a straight and true framework for the 100 pair bases. In addition, their deep mounting channel allowed easy access and routing of cabling behind the 100 pair blocks.
Intermediate Cross Connects
Each of the Intermediate Cross Connect locations was equipped with three 19-inch racks. The network equipment racks each contained Molex Premise Networks 24 port HD Patch 5E panels to receive the 25-pair PowerSum cabling from the MCC and distribute it to the horizontal racks. Incoming fiber was terminated on 24 port ST coupler panels. The horizontal cabling racks in the ICCs were loaded with 24 port HD Patch 5E panels– between 16 and 27 panels per location, depending on floor requirements. All incoming cables were supported on the back of the patch panels with Molex Premise Networks cable management trays which ensured adherence to Category 5E cable bend radius specifications.
Workstations
There were over 5500 drops installed in the new building. Individual outlets (fixed wall and modular furniture) were fitted with USO II wall plates with a minimum of two Category 5E channels for data and two Category 3 channels for voice. Where required, additional wall plates and Category 5E modules were installed for ISDN service. The USO II modules configured with Molex Premise Networks patented DataGate™ 5e jacks offered a combination of high performance, ease of use, and aesthetic appeal that made the IT professionals at AT&T quite pleased they again chose Molex for their installation.
Aside from the tight installation time frame, one of the requirements the installer had to meet was AT&T’s strict guidelines regarding documentation and labeling. Again, Molex Premise Networks products proved the perfect choice. For instance, the USO II offers maximum labeling convenience with its clear label holder for outlet identification and easy-to-read Snapz™ icons for individual channel identification. HD Patch Panels are easy to label too, using the snap-on extruded label holders with replaceable inserts.
Upon completion of the installation, Facilities Manager, Andy Eddy, was extremely happy and had strong words of praise for the Certified Installer Pinnacle Communication Services. He stated that “it was a very clean installation and everything was neat as a pin when they left for the day.” He also was quite surprised at the fact that they managed to do the installation in such a short period of time and remarked, “it’s the first time in our experience that the cabler actually pushed the construction timetable.”
