MODON Development Standards

Development Standards
Volume 3 – Dry Utilities
Chapter 3: Telecommunications

Part 2: Material Specifications

Document Reference Number: MOD-STD-332-04

Revision Number: 04
Date: 01 / 04 / 2021

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 Contents
PART 2 MATERIAL SPECIFICATION ............................................................................................. 2

Section 2.1 General ................................................................................................................... 2

Section 2.2 Long Term Performance Requirements ............................................................ 2

Section 2.3 Material Technical Requirements ....................................................................... 2

Section 2.4 Jointing Chambers ................................................................................................ 5

Section 2.5 Backbone ................................................................................................................ 9

Section 2.6 Passive and Active Devices ................................................................................. 9

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 PART 2 MATERIAL SPECIFICATION
Section 2.1 General
A) Ducts and fittings shall be manufactured of material consisting of High-Density
Polyethylene (HDPE) ducts in accordance with internationally recognized standards.
HDPE shall be used for the construction of underground duct system for fiber optic
and copper cables in the telecommunication’s outside plant (OSP) network. They are
intended to be installed by direct buried in a normal trench or mini trench at standard
depths.
B) The HDPE ducts are intended for housing of fiber optic or copper cables installed by
traditional pulling techniques. Also, the ducts can accommodate fiber optic cables
that are installed by blowing method.
C) All HDPE ducts and fittings shall be from a single manufacturer, who is fully
experienced, reputable and qualified in the manufacture of the HDPE pipes. The
ducts shall be designed, constructed and installed in accordance with the best
practices and methods and shall comply with this Specification.
D) The HDPE ducts shall be compatible with the latest installation standards and
operation and maintenance practices for the telecommunication’s duct system. Any
alternative proposals for Type and Acceptance Testing will be subject to technical
evaluation by MODON with regards to satisfactory compliance with the material and
product qualities implied by this specification. Modon reserves the rights to make
changes to this Specification without prior notice.

Section 2.2 Long Term Performance Requirements

A) The HDPE Plain ducts and their accessories supplied in compliance with this
specification shall be capable of withstanding the typical service conditions of the
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for a period of forty (40) years without detriment to the
transmission or operation and maintenance characteristics of the products.
B) The HDPE Plain ducts shall be designed, manufactured and packaged so that the
physical, transmission and operation and maintenance characteristics shall not
degrade when exposed to the environmental conditions of Saudi Arabia and the
expected environmental conditions during storage and transportation outside of the
Kingdom. The environmental conditions of Saudi Arabia may include ambient air
temperature variations from -10°C to +55°C. In addition, direct solar radiation is
known to increase the temperature of some outside plant to approximately 70°C.

Section 2.3 Material Technical Requirements

A) Ducts and couplings shall be homogeneous material. All surfaces shall be clean,
smooth, and without any visible cracks, grooves, blisters, wrinkles, dents, heat
marks, or foreign particles. Ends must be square and free from sharp edges.
B) HDPE ducts, to be supplied in variety of sizes, categorized as Main, Mini-ducts and
Micro-ducts. The HDPE ducts supplied empty or with built-in sub-ducts or inner-
ducts, shall be flexible and easy to install.
C) The HDPE ducts shall be Light weight, flexible and shall contain correct type of
carbon black protection against Ultra Violet (UV) degradation. The HDPE ducts and
its accessories shall be unaffected by all kinds of corrosive liquids and other
compounds which exist in the underground system. All material used in the HDPE
ducts shall be non-toxic and dermatologically safe.

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 D) The HDPE ducts shall be acceptably rounded. They shall be supplied with its ends
neat, smooth and cut cleanly at right angles or perpendicular to the axis of the ducts.
The HDPE ducts shall be highly resistant to all kinds of corrosive liquids, aggressive
media and chemicals usually found in the ground. The HDPE ducts shall have no
requirement for end load restraint for fusion weld system.
E) Unless otherwise mentioned, HDPE ducts shall generally have a minimum density of
0.955 grams per cubic centimeter. All HDPE pipe and fittings shall have a
Hydrostatic Design Basis (HDB) of 1,600 psi, (PN16), a melt-flow index of 40 grams
/10 min, melting point of 1290C.
F) The manufacturer shall be ISO certified in accordance with the ISO9000:2008 for
quality management system.
G) Dimensions:
1) The following minimum size of ducts shall be used for all new installations:

Duct Type Feeder Distribution Unit Access Point

Minimum Dimension 50 mm 32 mm
(inner diameter)
Thickness (mm) +/- 3.25 +/- 2.00
2) Tolerance for out-of-roughness shall be less than 1.0 mm.
3) The following shall be continuously indent printed on the pipe & spaced at
intervals not exceeding 5-feet as follows:
i. Telecommunication
ii. Duct Nominal Outside Diameter: (mm)
iii. Manufacturer's Code or Trade Mark.
iv. SDR (standard dimension ratio)
v. Manufacturing standard reference, e.g., ASTM F714 or D-3035, as
required.
vi. A production code from which the date and place of manufacture can
be determined.
vii. Color Identification, either stripped by co-extruding longitudinal
identifiable color markings.
H) Bends:
1) The line of ducts installed in the ground shall be kept as straight as possible
and in parallel to the center line of the road. If it needs to deviate, a proper
bending radius shall be provided. All bending in duct shall be cold formed,
without use of artificial heat.
2) All ducts shall be sufficiently flexible to provide a minimum bending radius.
The minimum bending radius shall be 20 x outer diameter of the duct or
according to manufacturer’s specification.
I) Finished Product Evaluation
1) Production staff shall check each length of pipe produced for the items listed
below. The results of all measurements shall be recorded on production
sheets, which become part of the manufacturer’s permanent records.

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 2) Pipe in process shall be checked visually, inside and out for cosmetic defects
(grooves, pits, hollows, etc.).
3) Pipe outside diameter shall be measured using a suitable periphery tape to
ensure conformance with ASTM F714 or ASTM D3035, whichever is
applicable.
4) Pipe wall thickness shall be measured at 12 equally spaced locations around
the circumference at both ends of the pipe to ensure conformance with
ASTM F714 or ASTM D3035, whichever is applicable.
5) Pipe length shall be measured.
6) Pipe marking shall be examined and checked for accuracy.
7) Pipe ends shall be checked to ensure they are cut square and clean.
8) Subject inside surface to a “reverse bend test” to ensure the pipe is free of
oxidation (brittleness).
9) Compatibility between pipe materials, fittings and appurtenances to be
confirmed.
10) The manufacturer shall provide certification that stress regression testing has
been performed on the specific polyethylene resin being utilized in the
manufacture of the product. This stress regression testing shall have been
done in accordance with ASTM D2837 and the manufacturer shall provide a
product supplying a minimum Hydrostatic Design Basis (HDB) of 1,600 psi as
determined in accordance with ASTM D2837.
J) Spacers
1) Spacers shall be used to maintain a 30 mm uniform separation between
assembled ducts in both the vertical and horizontal directions.
2) When duct banks consist of ducts with both 50 mm and 110 mm sizes,
appropriate spacers shall be used.
3) Splaying of duct bank configurations is permissible to clear obstructions or
avoid right-of-way restrictions. Realignment to the original configuration must
be made once the obstruction of right-of-way restriction has been cleared.
4) Spacers shall generally be used every two meters along the duct line to
position the ducts properly.
5) The manufacturer of the HDPE pipe shall supply all HDPE spacers to
perform the work as shown on the Drawings and specified herein.

K) Fittings
1) All molded fittings and fabricated fittings shall be fully pressure rated to
match the pipe SDR pressure rating to which they are made. All fittings shall
be molded or fabricated by the manufacturer. No Contractor fabricated
fittings shall be used unless approved by the Engineer.
2) The manufacturer of the HDPE pipe shall supply all HDPE fittings and
accessories as well as any adapters and/or specials required to perform the
work as shown on the Drawings and specified herein.

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 3) All fittings shall be installed using butt-fused fittings, thermo-fused
fittings/couplings, or flanged adapters and must be approved by the
Engineer.
4) Fittings for joining ducts shall be a minimum length of 160 mm and made of
the same material as ducts.
L) Warning Tape
1) A yellow colored plastic tape of minimum 0.1 mm thickness and a minimum
width of 300mm shall be laid in a continuous manner above each duct
structure at a depth of 200mm below ground level. (See Part 3 for details).
2) The tape shall be continuously and indelibly marked & printed in both Arabic
and English and in durable black letters of 50 mm height with appropriate
wording (such as: CAUTION, TELECOM CABLE, Contact Number: XYZ ABC
MNO)
3) Complete continuity of such tape shall be ensured. Any displacement of
the tape during backfilling shall be avoided.
M) Duct Seals
1) Duct seals shall be installed to seal used and unused ducts terminated in
jointing chambers, buildings and walls. After sealing, ducts must be
watertight.
2) Duct seals shall be made of plastic, neoprene rubber or heat shrinkable
material.
3) Mechanical and thermal properties shall meet the following standards:
Test Test Method Requirement
Tensile Strength ASTM D638 100 kg per cm2 min.
DIN 53455 BS2782/301F
Ultimate Elongation ASTM D638 200% minimum
Impact Brittleness ASTM D746 Below -4°C
Thermal Aging 168 hours at 150°C ± 2°C.
N) Wire Pulling Lubricant
1) Wire Pulling Lubricant shall have the following characteristics:
i. Polymer-based
ii. Average Coefficient of Friction: ≤ 0.055
iii. Temperature Range: -28 degrees F to 180 degrees F
iv. Compatible with all cable types

Section 2.4 Jointing Chambers

A) Jointing chambers shall consist of two types: manholes and handholes. Jointing
chambers shall be constructed of steel reinforced concrete and shall be watertight.
B) Ducts shall be designed to enter jointing chambers only in the longitudinal axis.
C) Manholes

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 1) The size and type of manholes shall be dependent on the number of ducts
terminated. Refer to Standard Drawings in part 3 of this chapter.
2) Manholes shall be watertight. To ensure water tightness, all prefabricated
section joints and duct entrance slab joints shall be properly sealed.
3) The exterior of all manholes shall be damp proofed or waterproofed.
4) Manholes shall generally be constructed with a round entrance facility
through the roof. This shall be referred to as the manhole neck and consist of
a round collar, frame, cover and entrance shaft. The frame and cover shall
be securely mounted on the collar with the top of the cover set to final grade.
5) Should special conditions warrant construction of entrance shafts greater
than 1500 mm in length, MODON shall be consulted prior to commencing
shop drawings.
6) Manholes shall be provided with a sump approximately 300 mm x 300mm
located directly below the manhole opening. The floor of the manhole shall
slope slightly towards the sump for positive drainage.
7) Manholes shall be fabricated of steel reinforced concrete complying with
requirements. The concrete mixture shall be in accordance with MAT 041
(Raw Materials for Concrete).
8) Manholes shall withstand an evenly distributed load of backfill and road
surfacing of 12 kPa and a traffic load of 200 kN + 50% overload for impact
from moving vehicles. Covers shall withstand standard truck loading of
AASHO HS20-44 + 10%.
9) Manhole racking bays shall be located on the side walls and at 90° to duct
entry walls. Splicing bays shall not be designed on oblique wall bays.
10) A ladder and related support (step or bottom step) shall be considered as
part of all manholes.
11) Manhole Accessories: Each manhole shall be equipped with the following:
i. Neck: A neck is required to extend the manhole opening to the final
grade of road, landscaped, or paved surfaces. The neck shall consist
of a collar, frame, cover and entrance shaft. The length of the neck
may be adjusted by the use of frame extension rings in accordance
with MAT 626 (Manhole Frame Extension) or by the installation of
precast concrete rings attached to the collar.
ii. Frame and Cover: The frame and cover shall be made of cast iron
and dimensioned to withstand loads stated above. The frame and
cover shall comply with BS 1452 and MAT628 and be designed to
ensure no rocking.
iii. The cover shall have an inscription on top with the word
“Telecommunications" in both Arabic and English. Two slots and
lifting holes shall be provided to facilitate easy removal.
iv. Cable Duct Connection Slabs: Connection of ducts to manhole end
walls shall be made by the use of cable duct connection slabs.
Connection slabs are required to ensure that ducts are properly
terminated and watertight. Material for slabs shall be polyurethane
foam or other suitable material.

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 v. Sizes shall be sufficient to accommodate the number of ducts
terminating in the manhole.
vi. Cable Hanger Rails: Hanger rails shall be installed in manholes for
attachment of hangers to support telecom cables. Rails shall be able
to sustain both vertical and horizontal loading of 5 kN and provided in
two lengths. Rails shall be made of stainless steel ASTM type 304.
vii. Cable Hangers: Cable hangers shall consist of stainless steel ASTM
type 304 bearing arms and plastic brackets which shall pivot slightly
on the bearing arm to support the cables. Hangers shall be provided
on each side of the manhole for each layer of duct. Hangers shall be
provided in length of 420 mm unless otherwise specified.
viii. Pulling-In Eyelets: Pulling-in eyelets shall be installed in manhole
floors. The locations shall be in line with the center line of each duct
bank at the opposite end of the manhole. Installed eyelets shall
withstand a pulling force of 30 KN. Eyelets shall be secured to
reinforcing steel of manholes prior to pouring of concrete or
fabrication of precast end sections. Pulling-in eyelets shall be made of
stainless steel.
12) Ladder and Ladder Support:
i. The ladder shall consist of two straight and parallel rails with rungs
at 300 mm intervals as required. The top of each rail shall be
equipped with a hook securely fixed with bolts, lock washers and nuts.
The hooks shall be fixed to the inside surface of the side rails. Each
hook shall be attached by at least two bolts and nuts. The hooks shall
be easily adjustable and have an approximate range of 100 mm to
200 mm.
ii. The ladder shall be made of steel having minimum tensile strength of
300 MPa. The finish shall be hot dipped galvanized per ISO 1459 to
R1461 with a minimum coverage of 500 g/m2. All bolts, nuts, washers
and rivets shall be made of steel and similarly galvanized. Rungs shall
be non-slip corrugated steel bars 15 mm in diameter. All parts,
including galvanizing, shall have a smooth finish.
iii. The ladder shall be of appropriate length for the type of manhole in
which it is installed. The ladder shall be of adequate length so it is
properly seated on the floor with sufficient incline for easy climbing.
iv. The ladder support shall consist of the bottom step mounted in the
entrance shaft.
13) Sump Cover Grille: A sufficiently strong metal sump cover grille shall be
provided. When installed, it shall not rock, shall be easily removable and fit
flush with the manhole floor. The grille shall be hot dipped galvanized per
standards ISO R1459 to R1461 with a minimum coverage of 650 g/m2
14) Number Plate: Each manhole shall have a brass number plate fastened to
the shaft. Plates shall be made of brass or durable plastic material and
securely fastened with lag screws or anchors, mounted at a uniform height
and location adjacent to the ladder. Placement shall be such that the plate
may be read without entering the manhole.
15) Cable Duct Direction Plates: Each manhole shall be equipped with cable duct
direction plates indicating the route of each duct to adjoining manholes

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 and/or handholes. Plates shall be made of durable plastic material and
securely fastened with lag screws or anchors to the manhole wall above or
adjacent to each duct bank.
D) Handholes:
1) Handholes shall be constructed of cast-in-place or precast reinforced
concrete. The concrete shall comply with requirements of MAT 041.
2) Handholes shall be watertight. To ensure watertightness, properly sealed
duct entrance slabs shall be installed at opposite ends of the handhole along
the longitudinal axis.
3) The exterior of all handholes shall be damp roofed and waterproofed.
4) Handholes shall withstand an evenly distributed load of backfill and road
surfacing of 12 kPa and a traffic load of 200 kN + 50% overload for impact
from moving vehicles. Covers shall withstand standard truck loading of
AASHO HS20-44 + 10%.
5) Handhole Accessories: Each handhole shall be equipped with the following:
i. Frame and Covers: A rectangular opening shall be formed into the
top of the handhole to accommodate a frame required to support the
covers. Covers shall be made of cast iron and sized to withstand the
load stated above. Covers shall fit into the frame without rocking.
Each cover shall be inscribed in Arabic and English with the word
"Telecommunications." This inscription shall be cast into the face of
each cover.
ii. Cable Duct Connection Slabs: Ducts shall terminate in cable duct
connection slabs to ensure watertightness of the handhole. Slabs
shall be constructed of concrete or other suitable material per
MODON prior approval.
iii. Hanger Rails: Hanger rails shall be installed in each handhole for
attachment of hangers to support telephone and may be also CATV
cables. Rails shall be able to sustain both vertical and horizontal
loading of 5 kN. Rails shall be made of stainless steel ASTM type
304.
iv. Cable Hangers: Cable hangers shall consist of stainless steel ASTM
type 304 bearing arms and plastic brackets which shall pivot slightly
on the bearing arm to support cables. Two (2) hangers shall be
provided on each side of the handhole. Hangers shall be provided in a
length of 250 mm.
v. Number Plate: Each handhole shall have a number plate fastened to
the end wall. Plates shall be made of brass or durable plastic material
and securely fastened with lag screws or anchors, mounted at a
uniform height and location.
vi. Cable Duct Direction Plates: Handholes shall be equipped with cable
duct direction plates indicating the route of each duct to adjoining
manholes and/or handholes. The plates shall be of durable plastic
material and securely fastened with lag screws or anchors to the
handhole wall above or adjacent to each duct bank.

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 Section 2.5 Backbone
A) All backbone conduits shall generally be at least 50 millimeters (mm) minimum and
contain six conduits in a duct bank with no inner duct. Conduit installations shall
include duct spacers placed no more than 2.0 meter (m) apart to keep ducts
uniformly separated. Each industrial-use plot shall have at least two 32-mm conduit
stub outs into the plot. These conduits must extend to the property line. (See Part 3
for details).
B) The backbone fiber-optic cable network will be comprised of loose buffer gel-free
single mode 9/125-micron fiber-optic cable unless otherwise mentioned. Fiber will be
provided to the end-user locations. These “last mile” connections will be provided by
the service providers in raceways already provided to each plot. The exact quantity
of fibers per cable will be determined based on data input from the service providers
and utility requirements.
C) The FOC must be circular in cross section and free from pinholes, joints, repairs and
other defects. Materials used in the construction of the FOC shall not affect the
physical or optical properties of the Fibers. All materials used shall be compatible
with each other.

Section 2.6 Passive and Active Devices

A) Passive fiber-optic cable devices within the backbone system would consist of fiber-
optic patch panels and splice kits for terminating and redirecting fiber-optic signals.
fiber-optic connections or other types of backhaul links between cities or to central
service-provider locations.
B) Active fiber-optic cable devices would include Ethernet repeaters, switches, and
routers used to support network routing and segmentation of communications traffic
for utilities. If communications protocols other than Ethernet are being used, then
these devices will also need to be provided and space should be allocated for
provision by the utility that requires these transmission devices.
C) For cellular communication systems, additional space for tower locations should be
identified and reserved for future growth and expansion. Tower types should be
selected based on data inputs from the service providers, including standard service-
provider towers, tower equipment loading, and tower environmental impacts (such
as wind loading and soil conditions). Cellular transmission and receiving equipment
that will be installed on towers would be provided and installed by the service
providers. Cellular towers and backhaul links between cities or outside of the city
limits are outside of the scope of these design standards.
D) Optical Fiber Patch Cords and Pigtails.
Patch cords and pigtails shall be cable assemblies consisting of flexible optical fiber
cable with SC (or LC, if required) compatible connectors. Patch cords shall be
complete factory fabricated assemblies from manufacturer's standard product lines.
Patch cords and pigtails shall utilize a two-fiber zip-cord type jacketed cable, in
lengths required to meet minimum bend radius while connected and routed through
cable management hardware but no less than 6 feet in length. The cable jacket color
shall generally be orange for multi-mode and yellow for single mode cable. The fiber
core size shall also be identified on the outer jacket.
1) Patch Cord Assemblies:

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 i. The cable construction shall allow a small bend radius for installation
in space-constrained areas. The cable shall contain a dielectric
strength member and a protective outer jacket.
ii. The Patch Cord shall comply with the requirements of TIA-568-B.3.
2) Connectors:
i. One SC-type (or LC-type, if required) duplex connector shall be
provided on Patch cords.
ii. One SC-type (or LC-type, if required) simplex connector shall be
provided on pigtails, with the other end prepared for splicing.
iii. SC-type (or LC-type, if required) connectors used for single-mode
fiber will be colored yellow. SC-type (or LC-type, if required)
connectors used for multi-mode fiber will be colored orange.
Note: - SC stands for subscriber connector that uses 2.5 mm
ferrule.
a. As LC fiber connector is a small form factor that uses a 1.25
mm ferrule (half of SC), it is called Litter or Lucent connector.
3) Fiber Cable:
i. Patch cords and pigtails shall utilize a two-fiber zip-cord type jacketed
cable, in lengths required to meet minimum bend radius while
connected and routed through cable management hardware but no
less than 6 feet in length. Similar to the Inner Ducts, the cable jacket
color shall be orange for multi-mode and yellow for single mode
cable. The fiber core size shall also be identified on the outer jacket.
ii. The optical fiber shall meet the same characteristic requirements of
the distribution panel terminated cable to which it mates.
iii. Tensile strength of the jacketed cable shall be greater than or equal
to 20 lbs.

END OF PART 2

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