connecting
DESCRIPTION
Sterlite Technologies' Newsletter : Issue 3 Vol 1TRANSCRIPT
CONNECTING
A showcase of Sterlite
Technologies’ efforts towards its vision ‘TO CONNECT EVERY
HOME ON THE PLANET’.
ISSUE 3, VOLUME 1, SEPTEMBER 2013
EVERY HOME ON THE PLANET
sterlitetechnologies.com
CLIENT FEATURESterlite commissions next generation Carbon Composite Core conductor solution for Tata Power’s Project at Mumbai
VIEWPOINTFiber Optic Trends in the Communication Space
TECHNOLOGYCabling within the
Home
I AM STERLITE
STERLITE NEWS ROOM
Sterlite enters into Joint Venture with Conduspar Condutores Eletricos to
manufacture op>cal fiber cable in Brazil -‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐ 1
FORTHCOMING EVENTS
Futurecomm 2013-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐ 3
TECHNOLOGY
Cabling within the Home -‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐ 4
VIEWPOINT
Fiber Op>c Trends in the Communica>ons Space -‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐ 10
BEYOND BUSINESS: SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVES
Virtual Classroom Project -‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐ 14
BUSINESS UPDATE
Sterlite’s Business Performance in Q1 FY 14 -‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐16
I AM STERLITE
In this issueAbout Sterlite Technologies Limited:
Sterlite Technologies Limited (“Sterlite”)[BSE: 532374, NSE: STRTECH], is a leading global provider of connec>vity
solu>ons for the power and telecom industries. Equipped with a product por_olio that includes power conductors, op>cal fibers,
telecommunica>on cables and a comprehensive telecom systems / solu>ons por_olio, Sterlite's vision is to
'Connect every home on the planet'. Sterlite is also execu>ng mul>-‐million dollar power transmission system
projects, pan-‐India.www.sterlitetechnologies.com
Worldwide LocaRons
ChinaIndiaNetherlands
RussiaSouth AfricaTaiwan
TurkeyUnited Arab EmiratesUnited KingdomUnited States of America
Forward-‐looking and cau>onary statements: Certain words and statements in this release concerning
Sterlite Technologies Limited and its prospects, and
other statements rela>ng to Sterlite Technologies’
expected financial posi>on, business strategy, the
future development of Sterlite Technologies’ opera>ons and the general economy in India, are
forward looking statements. Such statements involve
known and unknown risks, uncertain>es and other
factors, which may cause actual results, performance
or achievements of Sterlite Technologies Limited, or industry results, to differ materially from those
expressed or implied by such forward-‐looking
statements. Such forward-‐looking statements are
based on numerous assump>ons regarding Sterlite
Technologies’ present and future business strategies and the environment in which Sterlite Technologies
Limited will operate in the future. The important
factors that could cause actual results, performance
or achievements to differ materially from such
forward-‐looking statements include, among others, changes in government policies or regula>ons of India
and, in par>cular, changes rela>ng to the
administra>on of Sterlite Technologies’ industry, and
changes in general economic, business and credit
condi>ons in India. Addi>onal factors that could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ
materially from such forward-‐looking statements,
many of which are not in Sterlite Technologies’
control, include, but are not limited to, those risk
factors discussed in Sterlite Technologies’ various filings with the Na>onal Stock Exchange, India and the
Bombay Stock Exchange, India. These filings are
available at www.nseindia.com and
www.bseindia.com. Please print this news magazine only if you have to. Help us protect our environment.
CASE STUDYSterlite commissions next generation Carbon Composite Core conductor solution for Tata Power’s Project
8
Sterlite Technologies helps Tata Power augment power carrying capacity for a critical Mumbai line Pune, India – August 13, 2013: Sterlite Technologies Limited announced that it has completed installation and commissioning of a challenging project in the heart of Mumbai requiring significant up-gradation in the power carrying capacity for a critical line of Tata Power. Sterlite executed this turnkey project for Tata Power – a leading T&D utility in India. The project involved rendering of services like design, supply and installation of high capacity, high strength carbon composite core conductors on an existing critical arterial 22 kV line delivering power to a number of industrial customers and a local college. This unique solution has resulted in an exponential increase in the power transmission capacity of the existing IIT Powai to Saki transmission line that criss-crossed over a thickly populated slum area comprising closely spaced hutments and hilly terrain.
“The lines on which ACCC conductors have been installed are very old lines traversing through populated areas,” The idea was to go for lightweight conductor so that we can retain our existing structures and augment the line capacity.” says M V Deodhar, Assistant Engineer – Projects, Tata Power. “
“Until now the conductor has been loaded up to 480 Amperes and so far its performance has been satisfactory. We have been observing the performance/behaviour of the conductor under faults, and so far the conductor is not subjected to fault condition,” affirms Deodhar. The l i n e w o u l d r e a l i s e i t s p r o m i s e d throughput as soon as the substation upgradation gets completed.
"Higher capacity, reduced sag and lighter weight translate into lower project costs that provide economic advantages when upgrading an existing line with minimal structural modifications or installing a new line with fewer or shorter structures – definitely a vital step towards our utility customer engagements,” says K S Rao, COO – Telecom & Power Conductors, Sterlite Technologies Limited.
Sterlite launches enhanced family of bend-insensitive fibers
P u n e , I n d i a – J u l y 1 8 , 2 0 1 3 : Sterlite Technologies Limited announced the launch of three new products in its bend-insensitive BOW LITE family of fibers. These include the brand new BOW LITE SUPER (G.657 B3), and significantly improved BOW LITE PLUS (G.657 A1) and BOW LITE ENHANCED (G.657 A2.B2) fibers.
Optical fiber cables in FTTH networks experience several tight bends, especially in distribution section of the network, drop cables found in Multi Dwelling Units, and cables inside the homes. The use of bend insensitive G.657 fibers in FTTH installations is required as carriers have to contend with tight power budgets, and uncertain deployment conditions needing healthy safety margins. With its significantly low macro bend loss and attenuation, Sterlite family of bend insensitive fibers are the perfect solution to the carriers’ FTTH needs, suited to all FTTH architectures and deployment conditions. Furthermore, Sterlite is one of the few manufacturers in the world with the scale to offer novel products for such applications.
Dr. Badri Gomatam, Chief Technology Officer, Sterlite Technologies Limited, stated, “We are very pleased with the launch of these products . Being committed to innovation in the core market segments we serve, these new fibers augment Sterlite's product portfolio in optical fibers, and positions Sterlite well in addressing the growing demand for telecommunications infrastructure in India and abroad.”
The BOW LITE series complies or exceeds I T U R e c o m m e n d a t i o n s a n d I E C 60793-2-50 optical fiber specification.
Sterlite Technologies enters into Joint Venture with C o n d u s p a r C o n d u t o r e s Eletricos to manufacture optical fiber cable in Brazil
Pune, India and Curitiba, Brazil – July 10, 2013: Sterlite Technologies Limited entered into a Joint Venture agreement with Conduspar Condutores Eletricos Limitada (“Conduspar”). Conduspar is one of the largest companies in Brazil specialised in providing copper and aluminium cables for low and medium voltage applications in Latin America. The 50-50 joint venture will be a greenfield facility in Curitiba within the state of Parana (Brazil), and produce optical fiber cables for the Latin American markets. One of the fastest growing markets for fiber cable, Latin America at present, has an annual demand of more than 10 million fiber kilometers. This venture would be a key milestone towards Sterlite’s global expansion strategy of its telecommunications business.
“Latin America is an important market for us from a growth perspective and we are pleased to have this joint venture with a strong and reputed partner l ike Conduspar. Both the companies share a common vision and bring together complementary strengths for this venture,” said Mr. Pravin Agarwal, Whole-time Director, Sterlite Technologies Limited.
Mr. Andre Abage, CEO and promoter of Conduspar, who will drive this joint venture added, “We are very excited at the prospect of partnering with the Sterlite group. With Sterlite’s technology and expertise in the telecom cable domain and Conduspar’s local presence, we will create a formidable brand in this market.”
The joint venture is expected to start commercial production by the first quarter of 2015 fiscal year.
SEPTEMBER 2013 1
STERLITE NEWSRO0M
S t e r l i t e T e c h n o l o g i e s receives new orders pegged at around Rs. 630 Crores
P u n e , I n d i a – A p r i l 1 1 , 2 0 1 3 : Sterlite Technologies Limited announced that the Company has received new orders valued at approximately Rs. 630 Crores in Q4 FY13.
Power Transmission BusinessOrder bookings for the quarter in the power transmission business were about Rs 430 Crores which includes: • Orders worth about Rs 80 Crores
from PGCIL for system strengthening in the southern region of India
• Export orders worth Rs 130 Crores; making it the highest ever export orders booked in a quarter, for this segment. Of these, orders from new customers in Africa and Latin America were worth Rs 85 Crores
• Orders for new high ampacity, low losses products developed by the company, mainly in India & Europe f o r b o t h n e w l i n e s a n d r e -conductoring applications
Telecom BusinessOrder bookings for the quarter in the telecom business were about Rs 200 Crores which includes:• Export orders worth Rs 140 Crores• Pilot orders from new customers in
Afghanistan, Kenya and the US
Mr Pravin Agarwal, Director, Sterlite Technologies Ltd, mentioned, “We continue to extend our reach with key Global Customers, establishing a strong connect backed by our application engineering strengths, customer service and flexible offerings suited to our customers’ requirements.”
Drinking water supply i n i t i a t i v e b y S t e r l i t e Technologies
Aurangabad, India - April 8, 2013: In view of the prevailing drought condition, Sterlite Technologies Ltd has come forward to make provisions for the supply of drinking water on a daily basis to the residents of Asarambapu Nagar / Kamlapur village under the j u r i s d i c t i o n o f J o g e s h w a r i G r a m Panchayat, facing acute shortage of water.
Showing utmost concern to their basic need, Sterlite has made arrangements to supply 5000 litres of drinking water through tanker on a daily basis to the village. This arrangement will continue till the water availability improves in the village. This facility was launched on 8th April. The inauguration ceremony was attended by Anil Tewari & Maitreyee Chitale from Sterlite, along with Yogesh Dalvi, Jogeshwari sarpanch and village representative Ramchandra Patil as well as several villagers.
S t e r l i t e r e c e i v e s I S O 27001:2005 certification for all operating units
P u n e , I n d i a - A p r i l 2 , 2 0 1 3 : Sterlite Technologies Limited today announced it has been awarded ISO 27001:2005 certificate. This highest internationally accepted certifiable standard for Information Security Management Systems (ISMS) covers Sterlite's entire business operations, Information Technology and corporate risk group services across locations in India. Benefits of this certification mainly comply with laws and regulations, managing or minimizing of risk exposures and confidence to customers and stakeholders. Further, this is a legislative mandate as per Government of India Information Technology Act/Cyber Law.
Sterlite’s ISO 27001:2005 certification is a p p l i c a b l e t o d o m a i n s s u c h a s : information security policy, asset management, human resources security, physical and environmental security, c o m m u n i c a t i o n a n d o p e r a t i o n a l management, among others.
In Q3 FY13, Sterlite also received the EMC2 award 2012 (Transform IT + Business), which recognizes innovative solutions in IT, product integration & applications, thereby creating business value and agility.
CONNECTING
STERLITE NEWSRO0M
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S t e r l i t e T e c h n o l o g i e s a c c e l e r a t e s F T T H d e p l o y m e n t i n t h e Netherlands
... Extends services to 8 citiesEindhoven, The Netherlands – March 1 2 , 2 0 1 3 : S t e r l i t e Te c h n o l o g i e s announced that it is currently involved in several landmark FTTH deployments in the Netherlands, a country that is experiencing a significant upswing in FTTH connectivity. As a leading provider of optical fibre-based products and services, Sterlite is bringing high-speed, fibre-based broadband access to people living in the Netherlands.
By December 2012, Sterlite had 10,000 connected homes across 2 cities in the country. The company now aims to add another 40,000 households to the fibre-
optic network by the end of 2013, thereby extending its services to 5 cities. Sterlite’s scope of work includes delivery of all optical fiber passive components, project management, warehousing, logistics and product training.
“This is a very positive development for us and the Industry," said Pravin Agarwal, Director, Sterlite Technologies Limited. "FTTH continues to be an important driver of our business. The rollout of fibre continues to grow steadily across the globe, with over a million homes and businesses having access to fiber solutions bringing faster broadband speeds, better quality and greater network reliability.”
In the Netherlands, Sterlite will continue to implement projects in a phased manner. This will involve deploying more than 400 km of fibre cable and 3,000 km of direct buried fibre access cable together with ducts, micro-tubes, ODF drawers and cabinets, as part of the entire project
requirements to complete the FTTH installation.
“The key to Sterlite’s success in rollouts of complex FTTH networks has been working closely with customers to develop innovative solutions” added Ron Bron, Head-Benelux Region for Sterlite. “In fact, Sterlite is helping its customers to minimize the cost of installation, reduce delays in deployment, and design networks offering s imple on-site integrations.”
According to the FTTH council, the Netherlands currently has a Fiber-tothe-Home penetration of close to 5% and with the European nations racing towards Fiber maturity, it is expected to reach as high as 70% by the end of 2018. Being a part of this network expansion, Sterlite aims to enable a sizeable fraction of FTTH connections in households across the Netherlands.
FORTHCOMING EVENTS
SEPTEMBER 2013 3
STERLITE NEWSRO0M
FUTURECOM 2013Rio de Janeiro, BrazilOctober 21-24, 2013
Optical cabling within the home is a fairly new concept, born from a need to meet the demands for the increased data rates that are necessary to exploit technological advances in home entertainment and internet usage. It is recognized that optical fibre is the most efficient method of carrying high data rates and so minimizing the distance between the fibre and the active equipment has its attractions. However, the three major points of concern when considering health and safety include risk of eye damage, risk of skin contamination & infection and risk of allergic reaction.
Laser light sources
Optical sources used in fibre optics, especially in premises networks are of much lower power levels than used for laser surgery or cutting materials. The light that exits an optical fibre is also spreading out in a cone, so the farther away from the end of the fibre your eye is, the lower the amount of power your eye receives. The infrared light in fibre optic links is at a wavelength that cannot penetrate your eye easily because it's a b s o r b e d b y t h e w a t e r i n y o u r eyeball. Light in the 1300-1550 nm range is unlikely to damage your retina, but
might harm the cornea or lens and therefore risks damaging the eye. The transmitted light is infrared and so you cannot see it, which means you cannot tell if there is light present just by looking at it.
Glass Fibre Shards: Fibre shards are dangerous. As part of a termination and splicing process, small ends of fibre (glass shards) can be produced. The shards are easily dropped and can be picked up on the skin, creating a risk of transfer to the eyes, creating a risk of blindness. In addition, there is a danger that the fibre shards will pierce into the skin; invariably they break off and are extremely difficult to remove, which can result in infection.
Chemical Cleaners: Optical fibre splicing and termination use chemical cleaners during the processes and should only be
used in well-ventilated areas as they can affect a person’s breathing. There is an additional risk of allergic reaction to the cleaning agents.
Smoke and Halogen Inhalation: The sheathing used for indoor cables in must be manufactured using low smoke and zero halogen (LSZH) materials to minimise the risk of the inhalation of toxins in the event of a fire.
Cabling within the Home
- Stephen HoughDelivering optical fibre cable inside a home environment introduces several challenges. This article attempts to identify the challenges and to provide points of consideration when installing fibre into a home environment.
CONNECTING
TECHNOLOGY
4
Recommendation
This article assumes that the fibre installation will be post building construction and that the cable will be i n s t a l l e d w i t h i n t h e i n h a b i t a b l e environment. To minimise health and safety risk, the convention is to avoid fibre connectorisation in the home or working environment. If the chosen installation methodology introduces a splice into the home, it should be terminated as close as possible to the point of entry, or placed in a location away from normal activity such as a cupboard, then use the pre-terminated fibre cable to carry the service to the active equipment.
Pre-terminated cable includes but isn’t limited to patch cords. It can also include multiple cables, also known as hydras and pigtails. Pigtails can be very small and delicate single ended cables, which are usually used for connection to cable fibres when inside fibre management systems; however they can also be ruggedized single ended cables, with an intended spliced termination at one end and connectorised at the other end for connection to the customer’s active equipment.
A l l c a b l e s u s e d w i t h i n a h o m e environment must be manufactured using LSZH internal grade sheath materials.
Cable Routing: The equipment location, will define the necessary cable type. If located close to the fibre point of entry, then a conventional 3mm diameter end-user fibre pigtail or patch cord from the entry point to the equipment will be adequate, as it will be a relatively short transition. However when the equipment is located at a distance from the point of entry further challenges are introduced.
Demarcation: Conventionally known as network termination equipment (NTE) or a l t e r n a t i v e l y f o r a n o p t i c a l
implementation, as the optical network terminal (ONT); the demarcation point is w h e r e a n o p e r a t o r ’s n e t w o r k i s terminated and ownership passes to the home owner.
D e p e n d e n t o n t h e i n s t a l l a t i o n methodology, the demarcation point can be located outside of the home, either directly on to the building wall or remotely; inside the home at the point of access into the building; in the room where the active equipment is located, which can be separate from the consumer’s personal equipment, or can be in the same location.
Demarcation outside of the home has its own challenges, which should also be considered prior to any installation; however this article only considers demarcation inside of the home.
Fibre Cable Transportation: There are two conventions for routing fibre cable within the home in pre-established rooms;
1.Conduit
2.Stapling
The chosen method will be dependent the room design, construction materials and aesthetics.
• Room design will consider features such as wall styles, window locations, doors, skirting boards and balustrades; the number of internal and external bends etc.
• Construction materials include steel frame buildings, stud walling, brick and stone walling.
• Aesthetics includes décor, colour schemes, furniture layout and skirting styles
Conduit
Conduit raceways are plastic channels that run along the edge of skirting boards,
door frames etc and have been designed to maintain a low profile and where possible to blend into the aesthetic styling of the room. Conduit is usually supplied in either white, off white or brown and can be provided in a variety of shapes and styles.
The advantages of conduit include:
• The ability to fix it to the wall using either mechanical fixings or adhesives. (Note: It is recommended that for solid walls construction, mechanical fixings are used. Dependent on the condition of the walls, the fixings can be masonry nails, or screws with fixing plugs).
• Can be attached to most wall surfaces.
• Easy handling and storage of the fibre cable.
• Good cable protection
• It allows for the use of tight buffered fibre pigtail cord solutions.
Disadvantages include:
• Less aesthetically pleasing.
• More time consuming to install due to the need to cut the conduit to align with the building wall features.
SEPTEMBER 2013 5
TECHNOLOGY
Stapling
Stapling is a system that uses cable saddle cleats to retain the cable to wall or skirting board.
Advantages;
• Lower profile than conduit; reduced to the height of the cable.
• Less conspicuous than conduit.
• Easier and faster to install.
Disadvantages;
• Requires a higher grade of fibre to manage the cable bends
• Requires a more robust cable sheath to protect against damage when installing the cable saddles.
• Cable saddles are less effective in wall materials, so ideally should be aligned to the building studwork.
• Stapling directly into brickwork is feasible; however not recommended as the cleats are much bigger and can cause damage to the wall.
• Cable types are more expensive; however this can be offset against the installation costs.
Cabling in the home using cable saddles:
While it is possible to bend fibre through 90º, the glass construction cannot tolerate sharp corners and therefore minimum bend radii (mbr) are applicable to each fibre type. Historically fibre management products have been designed to support conventional G652D fibre which has mbr of 30mm. The introduction of reduced bend sensitive fibre types has enabled the development of more compact fibre management products with mbr as small as 7.5mm. This includes the fibre cable itself.
Common Cable Requirements
• Fibre specification – in accordance with ITU-T G657.A2 or G657.B3
• Sheath material – Low Smoke Zero Halogen (LSZH) indoor grade material
• Crush Resistance ≥ 800N
The three design styles, which are proposed are as follows:
Easy Strip Flat Drop Indoor Optical Fibre Cable: This cable design is an existing product supplied by Sterlite. It is currently produced using G657.A1 and G657.A2 fibre. A G657.B3 variant is proposed for the in home requirements. The Sterlite variant is currently supplied in white; however other colours can be produced based on master batch volumes.
Round Tight Buffered Optical Drop Cable: This is a new design for Sterlite and the current specification is based on G657.A2. A G657.B3 variant is proposed if used in building. Initial products will be produced in black; however other colours can be produced based on master batch volumes.
Pre-terminated Fibre Cable using Ultra – Micro Cable
The main advantage of this product is its high crush resistance. At 1500N, it offers a very high level of protection for the fibres, whether installed inside conduit or stapled directly to building surfaces. The current solution is based on 3mm diameter with a 30mbr protective sheathing; however a 2mm version is under development. Whilst the radius is larger than conventional cable solutions,
the additional features make it worthy of consideration. This product can be manufactured in a variety of colours.
Summary
• It is possible to deliver fibre to the inhabited areas of a home. A robust cable is required to both protect the fibre and to minimise the risk of exposing fibre to the home owner if the fibre is in any way cut. (Note: a broken fibre will continue to transmit the laser light).
• It is recommended to use a conduit cable cover, or a cable similar to the ultra-micro cable as it has very good material strength characteristics.
• The cable must be low smoke and zero halogen to minimise inhalation in the event of a fire.
• Aesthetic solutions can be provided, but non-standard colours such as brown will be dictated by volumes, due to the necessity to provide master batch material for the cable sheathing and therefore a level of standardisation in the buildings may be necessary.
• Cable designs should ideally use G 6 5 7. B 3 fi b r e , b u t i n c e r t a i n i n s t a l l a t i o n s G 6 5 7. A 2 c a n b e considered.
CONNECTING
TECHNOLOGY
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6th Annual Conference on
Power Transmission in IndiaJuly 16-17, 2013
2nd Annual Conference on
OFC Networks in IndiaJuly 18-19, 2013
Your Partner in Energy & High Speed Data Transmission
Imperial Hotel, New Delhi
Our Stall- Power Transmission Conference Our Stall- OFC Networks Conference
Pratik Agarwal shares Private Sector Perspective on Transmission Networks
Siraj Bhattacharya presents on High Performance Conductors in Technology Focus session
Vijay Jain speaks on OFC in Last Mile Connectivity
Dr. Harshad Sardesai discusses New Products & Technologies in the fiber space
sterlitetechnologies.com
One of the largest integrated power utilities in India, Tata Power provides reliable, clean and quality power. The company thus protects its distribution areas from sharp fluctuations and grid failures.
The Challenge
Tata Power was contemplating on the need to increase the capacity of an existing 22 kV distribution line that delivers power to a number of industrial customers (Larsen & Toubro, Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM), etc) as well as institutions of national importance (IIT, NITIE, etc). This, however, was a challenge, considering the fact that b u i l d i n g a n e w t r a n s m i s s i o n infrastructure in Mumbai has never been easy. Further, installation of a new transmission line would have been impossible, as the area was thickly-populated and included a large number of hutments, that too along a hilly terrain. Hence, the company simply had to figure out a way of ramping up capacity without t a m p e r i n g w i t h t h e e x i s t i n g infrastructure.
The Journey
To increase the power transmission capacity, Tata Power considered several solutions such as GAP conductor, 3M and STACIR but none of them were found suitable for this particular project. The company also evaluated the following alternatives:
• Underground power transmission: This would result in significantly higher cost (4 to 5 times higher) and greater operational limitations.
• New Line: An additional D/C line would mean that the cost will increase by 4 to 5 times, as tower erection cost stands to be quite high.
• Stringing: Stringing of HPC conductor was considered difficult due to tough demographic conditions and hilly region.
• Maintenance problem: Had Tata Power selected GAP conductor, the maintenance of line would have been very difficult and almost impossible.
Besides, the utility was looking for a turnkey project partner who would offer unique solutions… complete with installation, erection, commissioning and testing at site along with the supply of hardware and accessories.
The Solution
The only solution for this was to replace the existing ACSR Dog conductor with an Carbon Composite Core conductor. Sterlite offered a unique solution in the form of 28.8 km of this conductor to increase the capacity of its existing critical arterial 22 kV line distribution line that criss-crossed over several hutments as well as hilly terrain. Execution of this turnkey project for Tata Power included design, supply and installation of the carbon composite core conductors.
“The lines on which Carbon Composite Core technology have been installed are very old lines traversing through populated areas,” says M V Deodhar, Assistant Engineer – Projects, Tata Power.
Upgrades the 22 kV IIT Powai-Saki transmission line crossing over a thickly populated slum area comprising of closely spaced hutments and hilly terrain – one of the toughest terrains for specialised stringing.
CONNECTING
CLIENT FEATURE
Sterlite commissions next generation Carbon Composite Core conductor solution for Tata Power’s Mumbai project
8
“The idea was to go for lightweight conductor so that we can retain our existing structures and augment the line capacity. Further, light weight conductor was mandatory in order to improve ground profile as well as maintain existing clearances. These three factors were under consideration while selecting the conductor,” Deodhar adds.
Tata Power, thus, introduced Sterlite’s Carbon Composite Core with Trapezoidal Annealed wires technology to replace the old ACSR conductors with the vision to double the Power transmission capability over the same tower line and conditions. The complete re-conductoring exercise was supervised by Sterlite and carried out using special ised equipment l ike Tensioner and Pullers to eliminate any possibility of winding force between the carbon core and the trapezoidal annealed wire conductors manufactured at Sterlite’s Haridwar facility.
Carbon Composite Core technology with fully annealed trapezoidal wire conductors are known to reduce line losses up to 40% compared to conventional conductors of the same diameter and weight owing to 28% more aluminium and better compactness which greatly increases capacity, reduces losses as well as providing cooler operating temperatures. The core is 25% stronger & 60% lighter compared to steel cores used in traditional conductors and have significantly lower coefficient of thermal expansion which leads to less sag at higher temperatures. T h e t e c h n o l o g y a l r e a d y h a v i n g established a robust footprint in excess of 20,000 km worldwide is patented by CTC Global, USA and is licensed to Sterlite Technologies.
Further, these conductors have some inherent advantages. First, they can be laid over the existing transmission towers by just replacing the conductors in use. This obviates the need for acquiring
additional land and building towers, to do which costs money and time. The same right of way (ROW) and towers of existing lines have been used, thus eliminating the need of acquiring new ROW, which is a very difficult task in congested areas of Powai and Saki.
By using Carbon Composite Core conductors on the 22 kV transmission line feeded between 220 KV substations at Saki, the stability has been increased mainly due to the trapezoidal shape of the conductor. “Until now the conductor has been loaded up to 480 Amperes and so far its performance has been satisfactory. We have been observing the performance/behaviour of the conductor under faults, and so far the conductor is not subjected to fault condition,” affirms Deodhar. The l i n e w o u l d r e a l i s e i t s p r o m i s e d throughput as soon as the substation upgradation gets completed.
In India, re-conductoring is a technically and economically viable alternative, as transmission operators face increasing opposition while seeking new rights-of-way. The proposed Carbon Composite C o r e C o n d u c t o r s o l u t i o n offe r s conductivity and resistance to thermal sag, thereby allowing it to carry very high levels of current at higher operating temperatures during peak demand or emergency conditions. Completion of this installation is a vital step in moving forward with our utility customer engagements. It is important to illustrate our conductor’s ease of installation to customers as we prepare for commercial projects over the coming months," says K S Rao, COO – Telecom & Power Conductors, Sterlite Technologies Limited.
"We are confident of our solution backed by our application engineering strengths, Master Installer programs and flexible offers customised to specific utility requirements will make significant contribution to the capacity and reliability
of the Transmission as well as Sub-Transmission Grids in India. Moreover, higher capacity, reduced sag and lighter weight also translate into lower project costs. These attributes provide economic advantages when upgrading an existing line with minimal structural modifications or installing a new line with fewer or shorter structures – definitely a vital step t o w a r d s o u r u t i l i t y c u s t o m e r engagements,” Rao adds.
Conclusion
The conductivity of Carbon Composite Core conductor and its resistance to thermal sag allow it to carry very high levels of current at higher operating temperatures during peak demand or e m e r g e n c y c o n d i t i o n s . A l s o, t h e transmission line loss of this conductor is 40% less compared to ACSR Dog conductor. Higher capacity, reduced sag and lighter weight also translate into lower project costs. These attributes provide economic advantages when upgrading an existing line with minimal structural modifications or installing a new line with fewer or shorter structures.
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CLIENT FEATURE
When considering where the fiber optic industry is heading we must look at the piece parts to fully understand the industry at large. To do this, it is important to break down the industry into the following segments: Fiber Optic Infrastructure; e.g. the last mile in fiber to the home deployments, Products and Applications. It is quite clear the trends toward using fiber optic deployments by Phone and Cable companies is where the lion’s share of growth has come from in recent years and more than likely where it is going in the foreseeable future. The driving force is to have ubiquitous broadband, so the customer can have transparency no matter whether they are at home on the computer, in the car on their mobile device or at the office on a tablet type of device.
Fiber Optic Trends in the Communications Space
Ludwig C. Graff
CONNECTING
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As you can see from the chart below the U.S. has been building millions of miles of fiber with the pace picking up since 2005.
Much of this demand for fiber is in the consumer segment of the market driven by its insatiable appetite for more bandwidth to power the Internet, Vide-On-Demand, Smart Phones and High Definition (HD) TV services. When you see consumer devices such as HD TVs at 1 inch thick and 50 inches wide, it is not hard to see why the service providers and cable c o m p a n i e s w a n t t o p r o v i d e t h e bandwidth to power these devices with advanced applications which lead to direct connection to the internet while unlocking the tremendous potential to all subscribers.
There are significant requirements for inter-office and intra-office fiber outlay within the provider’s own infrastructure to provide these types of services. For years service providers and cable companies have been interconnecting their transmission hubs to provide optimum performance from their networks.
The chart below exemplifies the point that fiber infrastructure programs apply to both continental and inter-continental links needed drive the fiber backhaul.
Building fiber optic networks from the ground up comes at a steep cost. The provider must consider manpower to perform the operation, products required to carry out the task and the capital required for the entire job. One carrier in the U.S. has been quoted at spending around $20B (USD) to reach about 18 million homes in 6 years. One of the benefits of such a large operation is some of the efficiencies that can be gained from experience to reduce the time it takes to pass a home with fiber. As you can see from the photo below operators have a pain staking operation digging up each customer’s yard/street for miles on end.
So what are the lesions learned that drives efficienciesnd cost effective products. The goal here is to drive down costs by reducing installation time while working through a steep learning curve.
If we look at typical costs that go into fiber cable build we must examine the placement of the cable i.e. Ariel or Buried as being one of the most time consuming from a labor perspective. Whichever type is used there must be an interconnecting terminal in a central location.
This point provides connection to the main feeder cable. It is important during the entire process to consider the cable count and types of cable to be used. There are many different types of cable such as Loose tube, gel filled etc. When considering the bandwidth we should look at either single or multi mode cables. All of these factors can affect costs and timelines. One of the efficiencies (learned from experience) was the development of pre-connectorized fiber cable from the terminal to the hub in the street and then from the hub to the Optical Network terminal at the customers residence. Days have been eliminated from the fiber cable installation by eliminating the laborious task of fusion splicing in the field.
SEPTEMBER 2013 11
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12 CONNECTING
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Since all cables are tested in the factory for continuity and other characteristics, it also eliminates troubleshooting of cables once laid in the ground or the overhead poles thereby saving costly manpower.
It has been said that “experience is the best teacher”.When it comes to providing FTTH products and applications this is especially true. Through the initial development of FTTH services we have seen numerous products evolve to meet specific applications. An excellent example is the evolution to the Optical Network Termination (ONT) unit. ONT devices are the final termination point of the fiber optic line placed at the customers’ premises. Initially they were located on the side of the home near the existing Network Interface Device(NID).
Since the first ONT units rolled off the factory floor they have been developed many times over for specific applications such as: a garage unit for town house, a closet unit for inside the home, a desktop unit for multi-dwelling units MDUs. There are more than 20 of these types of devices in use in the field at this time serving the customer experience.
The MDU applications, typically large multi-story apartment buildings, have provided many challenges from an installation perspective as well. There were many questions that required new product designs, such as: where do all the Battery Back Up (BBU) units that will serve 100-200 apartments be placed? How do you deal with older buildings with narrow or non-existent risers for intra-building fiber drop cable? What do you do to place an ONT in an apartment without power in the desired closet where it will be placed? One of the more interesting challenges was in the form of esthetics. People who live in expensive high rise apartment buildings do not want to see fiber optic drop cable placed in the hallways between the riser closet and the apartment. Much thought, design, and cost went into creating raceways that were acceptable to the homeowners. In the end all these problems were resolved with creative and acceptable solutions.
Everyone will admit that the great global recession of 2008 has taken its toll on all markets including fiber optics. But predictions are that the market for fiber optic components could reach record levels. Market research firm Global
Industry Analysts, Inc. (GIA) predicted in its “Fiber Optic Components: A Global Strategic Business Report” that the world fiber-optic components market will rebound from the economic downturn to become a $31.3 billion opportunity by the year 2015. Continued migration from copper to fiber networks in the post recession period and the need to offer attractive service packages to capture large a number of subscribers will lead service providers continuing to invest heavily to replace the traditional last mile networks with an end-to-end fiber access network, GIA believes. This trend will translate into increased demand for fiber-optic components.” We have seen in emerging markets countries such as India that the fiber market is indeed booming. Sterlite Technologies Ltd. has announced a very aggressive fiber build out in several major cities in India. They are well on their way to achieving their goals there. We expect for this trend to continue for years to come.
Ludwig C. Graff is Senior Business Consultant, Sterlite Technologies Ltd
SEPTEMBER 2013 13
We make it easier, faster and
more cost effective to build
telecom and power
infrastructure
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Keeping in mind the vision of reaching out to children and communities through technology, Sterlite Tech Foundation has started a pilot project in a few Municipal schools in Mumbai. The aim of the project is to improve the quality of learning of children through direct interaction with the children of these schools and build capacities of the in house teachers through Virtual Classrooms.
An expert teacher from our foundation delivers a lecture from the studio through VSAT technology which is transmitted live to all the classrooms. The children at the other end have a large screen to observe the lecture, a webcam as well as a mike for interaction. The idea is to leverage the few excellent teachers to teach multiple classrooms. The learning environment is designed to be dynamic, where teachers can share videos, use smart boards for explanations and can interact with students. Since December 2012, Sterlite Tech Foundation has been delivering live sessions to 45 Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) classrooms in the upper primary section (5-7). Prior to the commencement of live sessions, we conducted a one-day orientation for all the Headmasters and teachers followed
by a 3-day teachers training. The objective of this training was to brief the teachers about their role as facilitators and reach out to students.
The project reached out to 2000 students and 50 teachers of 25 MCGM classrooms in the pilot phase.
Pilot Phase (Dec ember 2012- March 2013)
This intervention aimed to create a sustainable large scale adoptive model to bring in positive change in the teaching- learning process in MCGM schools through a pilot initiative in effective delivery of virtual classroom sessions in Math, Science and English to students of class 5 and class 6 of English and Marathi medium schools. The pilot was monitored and assessed continuously.
Objectives • To support MCGM schools in
delivering virtual classroom
sessions in Math, Science and English through experts
• To train teachers in virtual classroom facilitation skills that will help engage students in virtual classroom sessions and thereby enhance learning levels of students.
• To monitor and assess the program continuously, thereby collecting indicators reflecting change in motivation and interest levels among teachers and students towards virtual classroom sessions.
Expected Outcomes • Exposure of students and teachers to
innovative teaching methodology
• Improvement in facilitation skills of teachers.
CONNECTING!
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Sterlite believes that technology can change the education landscape of our country. Through ‘viable technology’ we aim to mitigate the effects of unavailability of teachers as well as of their dismal quality.
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Virtual Classroom Project
Training of Teachers in Fa c i l i t a t i o n o f V i r t u a l Classroom Sessions
A three-day training session was conducted for the teachers before the sessions were delivered from the studio.Objectives: • Understand the gaps in the current
teaching-learning scenario and the need to fill these gaps in order to achieve better learning out comes
• Identify common mistakes ‘teachers as facilitators’ may make to influence students’ participation in virtual classrooms.
• Reach out to students, motivate them and create excitement in them to attend and accept delivery of lessons through virtual classrooms
• Engage students in virtual classroom sessions and thereby enhance their learning levels.
• Facilitate the sessions and complement the efforts of the virtual classroom teacher during the lesson delivery
• To give a proper closure to the lesson with reinforcement and maintain the level of interest in VC sessions in students throughout the intervention
Highlights:• As a prelude to the different styles of
learning (Visual/Audio/Kinesthetic) the trainers introduced “Surya Namaskar” . Instructions were given in Marathi and the class was asked to listen attentively. S u b s e q u e n t l y t h e e n t i r e S u r y a Namaskar was demonstrated without saying a word, the class was asked to
observe. The trainers invited the class to come and perform the exercise. We had enthusiastic participants in the form of volunteers for this activity.• Mr.Arya , Beat Officer- MCGM
visited the session to address the teachers as well as to resolve the issues and concerns that the teachers had with regards to implementation of VC, assuring them that he and his team members were accessible. For any other difficulties, Sterlite Tech Foundation’s on-field team would be able to guide them
• T h e M i n d M a p A c t i v i t y conducted via the Virtual C l a s s r o o m w a s m u c h appreciated. The live session enabled the teachers to gain a positive outlook towards the technology based teaching medium and were confident that the students would benefit from this facility.
Low Lights:• Hindrance due to technical issues• The teachers confided that with the
kind of problems they currently face in handling kids from a poor socio-economic background, VC would be addit ional work with technical problems etc.
• Some teachers also voiced problems about infrastructure, manpower constraints as well as multi tasking (one of the male teachers actually said that they were teachers cum clerks, to which some others added that it was cum security, cum
Positives and personal o b s e r v a t i o n f r o m t h e trainers:
“There was a remarkable change in attitude and perspective towards the VC concept as well as VC training; we (Karuna and Sayema) noticed a major shift in the mind sets of the teachers.”
Day 1 to Day 3: The training was applauded and we received compliments galore as they found it very interactive, and mentioned that they had never had an experience such as this in any of their trainings before. The activity based training was highly appreciated.
Implementation & Traction of the pilot: The pilot was planned for 3 months and it used the following three indicators to measure impact:Classroom observations: All the sessions were monitored by a team of people on a weekly basis.Head Master and Teacher interviews: Interviews were conducted with teachers and Headmasters at the end of the project. We collected their feedback about how the project made an impact in the learning level of students.
Based on the success of the pilot, the team has scaled up an English and a Science program across 50 MCGM schools. The program is now currently reaching out to 3000 students and 75 teachers all across Mumbai
TeamThe team has experts from American school of Bombay, Teach for India Alumni, Akanksha Teachers and Teachers’ college, Columbia University. The team has experience of best international practices as well as hands on experience of working with local disadvantaged communities in India.
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SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
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Pune, India – July 26, 2013: Sterlite Technologies Limited [BSE: 532374, NSE: STRTECH], a leading global provider of transmission solutions for the telecom and power industries today announced its results for the quarter ended June 30, 2013. The company posted net revenues of Rs. 758 Crores, with an EBITDA of Rs. 85 Crores and net profit of Rs. 23 Crores.
Financial highlights for quarter ended June 30 2013:
• Sterlite closed Q1FY14 with EBITDA of Rs. 85 Crores on total revenues of Rs. 758 Crores translating into a profitability margin of 11% for this quarter.
• The telecom business earned revenues of Rs. 291 Crores and EBITDA of Rs. 61 Crores in Q1FY14, while the power business earned revenues of Rs. 453 Crores and EBITDA of Rs. 24 Crores in Q1FY14
• International sales revenue of about Rs. 198 Crores (~US$ 36 Million);
Type to enter text
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BUSINESS UPDATE
Sterlite Technologies’ Q1 FY 14 profitability at Rs
85 Crore, up by 16% over last year
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Business highlights in Q1 FY14
In the Telecom Segment • Highest ever sales volumes in a
quarter for optical fiber• Almost 50% of sales were from
export markets• Received orders for specialty
high-performance fibers from geographies like China and Middle East, which unlocks access to these markets for long haul applications
• O H - L I T E T M fi b e r h a s b e e n certified by Alcatel-Lucent and Ciena Corporation for successful data transmission at 100 GB speeds
In the Power Segment • Commissioned next generation
ACCC conductor solution for
Tata Power’s Mumbai project; upgraded the 22 kV IIT Powai-Saki transmission line crossing over a thickly populated slum area comprising closely spaced hutments and hilly terrain – one of the toughest terrains for specialized stringing; Received repeat order for ACCC from Tata Power for re-conductoring project in Mumbai
• First large scale international ACSR Zebra conductor order for a 275 KV project in Indonesia
On the Infrastructure projects • The first line of East-North
Interconnection Project is expected to be commissioned in August 2013
• The execution of other two p r o j e c t s : B h o p a l - D h u l e Transmission (BDTCL) and Jabalpur Transmission (JTCL) are currently running largely on
track towards progressive revenue generation in FY15.
Mr Pravin Agarwal, Director, Sterlite Technologies Limited says, “Sterlite’s e n h a n c e d p r o d u c t p o r t f o l i o a n d increasing global footprint has helped us capitalize on opportunities in the power and telecom sectors. He adds, “The addition of marquee customers in in Middle East, Latin America and South Asian regions coupled with repeat business from existing overseas clients in this Quarter is an indicator of growing confidence of global customers in Sterlite.”
At the start of Q2FY14, the Company has a strong order book of about Rs. 1,830 Crores for its power and telecom products, out of which export orders comprise 32%.
Standalone ResultsQuarter EndedQuarter EndedQuarter Ended Year Ended
Standalone ResultsJun-13 Mar-13 Jun-12 Mar-13
Net Revenues (Rs. Cr.) 758 817 866 3354
Net Revenues (US$ Mn) 138 148 157 610
EBITDA (Rs. Crore) 85 72 74 260
EBITDA (US$ Mn) 16 13 13 47
PAT (Rs. Crore) 23 15 18 47
PAT (US$ Mn) 4 3 3 9
Diluted EPS (Rs.) 0.6 0.4 0.5 1.2
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INR 3354INR 2727
Net Revenues (In Crores)
FY 13
FY 12
BUSINESS IMPACT
