Fiber in the ground — broadband as part of the trade

When you come to the education's second main course the curriculum expands with fiber alongside work with 60 kV systems energy systems and network companies' role as DSO. It's no coincidence — fiber and electricity are often practically linked in the Danish supply landscape.

§Why electricity and fibre are laid together

Digging a trench or running a cable tube into a house takes time, money and trouble for traffic and neighbors. Therefore it makes good sense to lay fiber cables in the same excavation as electrical cables when you're already at it — a practice called co-excavation. It saves costs for both the network and fiber company and minimizes how many times the same road or the same sidewalk has to be dug up.

• 01Fewer excavations of the same stretch over time
• 02Lower risk of injuries in general
• 03Less nuisance to traffic, neighbours and businesses along the route

§How does fibre work differ from electrical work?

Where an electrical cable carries electrical current, a fibre cable sends data as light signals through a thin glass or plastic thread. This means there is no risk of electric shock when working with fibre — but on the other hand it requires great precision. The fibre does not tolerate sharp bends, and splicing of two fibre ends must be carried out precisely so that the light signal is not weakened or completely interrupted.

§Broader competence makes you more attractive

As more utility companies expand their business to also include fiber infrastructure, it becomes an advantage to be able to do both. A skilled utility operator who can do both electrical work and fiber work stands stronger on the job market because companies increasingly seek employees who can participate in both types of tasks on the same excavation or project.

§What do you concretely learn about fiber?

In main course 2, you are introduced to fibre cables as part of the broader understanding of modern supply infrastructure. It is not that you should become fully trained as a fibre technician at the same level as a specialist in the field, but that you understand the material's properties, how it is handled safely, and how it works together with electrical work when both are planned and carried out on the same stretch.

That understanding enables you to speak the same language as fibre technicians, contractors and planners when a project involves both types of cables — and that kind of cross-disciplinary insight becomes only more valuable as broadband and electrical infrastructure are increasingly thought about together from the start of a system project.

§From curriculum to practice

Just as with electrical work, fiber work is not just theory when you get to main course 2. You work practically with fiber cables alongside the other subjects in the period — 60 kV systems, energy systems and DSO understanding — so you gain comprehensive, practical experience with how a modern utility project is planned and executed from beginning to end, regardless of whether it's primarily about electricity, data or both at the same time.

§Fiber as a growth opportunity in the trade

The expansion of the fibre network in Denmark has been ongoing for many years and continues as more households and businesses demand faster and more stable internet than older copper-based networks can provide. This development provides ongoing work for those who can lay splice and troubleshoot fibre connections — and because much of the work practically goes hand in hand with electrical work in the same excavations it is natural that it is included in training for supply operators.

For you it means that with this education you do not only tie yourself to one specific type of infrastructure but gain a breadth that makes you relevant regardless of whether a utility company in your part of the country primarily focuses on electricity fibre or both in the coming years.

“The power cable and the internet cable often lie side by side in the same conduit – and a skilled supply operator understands both.”