FTTH network design checklist: 10 things to verify before you break ground.

The most expensive FTTH design mistakes happen in the planning phase, not the construction phase. A wrong splitter placement, a missed ROW constraint, or a take-rate assumption that doesn't hold adds cost across every downstream activity. This checklist is the 10 things we verify before any greenfield build begins.

1. Design rules locked before routing starts

Design rules — PON ratio, maximum drop length, splitter strategy (cabinet vs pedestal vs MDU), aerial vs underground preference, slack budgets — must be agreed on before the routing engine runs. Changing a design rule after routing requires re-routing affected segments, which cascades through the BOM and construction packets.

Checklist item: Get written sign-off on design rules before the first auto-route runs. Not verbal. Written.

2. Parcel data current and complete

Auto-routing accuracy depends on parcel data quality. Outdated parcel records produce incorrect homes-passed counts, incorrect drop lengths, and incorrect take-rate models. In fast-growing areas, a two-year-old parcel layer may be missing 10–15% of serviceable locations.

Checklist item: Verify parcel data currency. If the county assessor's office has a more recent export, use it. The 4 hours this takes saves weeks of homes-passed dispute after construction.

3. BEAD eligibility overlay applied

If the build is BEAD-funded, the BEAD location-fabric eligibility overlay must be in the design tool before routing. Routing without eligibility filtering produces designs that include ineligible locations — which either waste capital (building where BEAD won't pay) or create compliance gaps (claiming BEAD credit for ineligible locations).

Checklist item: Confirm that BEAD eligibility filtering is active in the design tool and that the location-fabric version matches the most recent NTIA publication for your state.

4. Scenario comparison run before committing a route

Every build area should have at least three routing scenarios compared before committing: aerial-primary, underground-primary, and hybrid. The cost-per-home-passed difference between scenarios varies by terrain, existing infrastructure, and local construction costs — and it's not predictable without running the numbers.

Checklist item: Run minimum three scenarios. Document the cost-per-home comparison. Get the scenario selection signed off by the capital planning stakeholder. This prevents the 'why did we go aerial here' conversation 18 months into the build.

5. BOM reviewed against current supplier pricing

Auto-generated BOMs are accurate relative to the design — but only if the unit costs in the system are current. Fiber cable pricing, splice closure pricing, and conduit costs have fluctuated significantly over the last three years. A BOM based on 18-month-old unit costs can be off by 15–25%.

Checklist item: Update unit costs in the BOM system before generating the project BOM. Compare BOM total to recent comparable-project actuals. If they diverge by more than 10%, investigate before proceeding.

6. Splice plan reviewed by the splicing crew lead

The auto-generated splice plan is geometrically correct. It may not be operationally optimal — splice closure placement that looks good on a map may require a 60-foot bucket truck extension in practice, or a splice location may conflict with a ROW permit you don't have yet.

Checklist item: Route the splice plan to the splicing crew lead for review before the construction packet is issued. Their job is to flag locations they know are operationally problematic. Allow 48 hours for this review — it consistently catches 2–4 issues per project.

7. Construction packet issued digitally, not on paper

Paper construction packets get lost, get wet, get left in the truck, and don't update when the design changes. Digital packets delivered via the field app update automatically as the design changes, are always on the device, and capture field deviations back to the office in real time.

Checklist item: Verify that the construction packet workflow issues to the field app, not to a PDF email. If the answer is 'we email PDFs,' that's a workflow to change before this project starts, not after.

8. As-built capture protocol confirmed with all crews

Every crew member — including contractor crews — needs to know: (a) what they're required to capture on the mobile app, (b) when (at splice closure completion, not at end of day), and (c) what happens if they don't (office can't approve their work order). This conversation needs to happen before the first crew mobilizes, not after the first week of build.

Checklist item: Conduct a 30-minute mobile app walkthrough with all crew leads before mobilization. Cover: how to open a work order, how to add a photo, how to record a deviation, how to close a work order.

9. OTDR testing plan defined before construction starts

OTDR testing requirements (which spans get tested, by whom, to what standard, and when results get uploaded) should be in the contract with the construction contractor and in the project plan. Leaving OTDR testing as a post-construction task means it gets rushed, skipped, or done by the wrong team.

Checklist item: Include OTDR testing specifications in the construction contract. Define the upload format (standard SOR files), the upload timeline (48 hours after span completion), and the pass/fail criteria.

10. Take-rate model tied to the live network

The take-rate model used to justify the capital investment should be connected to the live build — not living in a standalone Excel file that nobody looks at once construction starts. Actual sign-ups by neighborhood, compared to the model by neighborhood, are the early warning system for under-performing areas that need marketing intervention before the construction window closes.

Checklist item: Confirm that take-rate tracking is configured in the network management system before the first neighborhood goes live for service sign-ups. The model informs the build decision; the live data should inform the next phase's decisions.

Want the PDF version?

The 10-point checklist above is available as a PDF download from the design module in MapItRight. It's formatted for a pre-project review meeting and includes a sign-off field for each item. If you're not a MapItRight customer yet, book a demo at /book-demo and we'll send the PDF along with the session confirmation.