The installation of fiber optics in a building is something that is regulated by legislation to avoid possible conflicts between neighbors or between different owners of the same property, be they individuals or companies. Since the rise and growth of fiber optics, many buildings have faced this process to gain Internet connection speed.

To put fiber optics in a building, it is essential to first know what laws regulate it before starting any installation process, so we are going to see it below.

How is the installation of fiber optic cabling in buildings regulated?

The law that deals with the regulations on the installation of fiber optics in buildings is the General Telecommunications Law 9/2014. This article provides operators with the legislation for the take-off of the fiber optic network in buildings, farms, or real estate complexes while respecting the rights and interests of the owners.

To avoid possible controversies between operators and owners, the legislation stipulates the following: "An operator who intends to carry out a fiber optic deployment using the common elements of the building when they do not have a common infrastructure of telecommunications has to communicate it to the community of owners presenting a document together with a descriptive memory of the project”.

In addition, this legislation also stipulates that the operator interested in carrying out the installation of fiber in the building will not be able to start the necessary actions if they do not receive any communication from the owners within a month of the notification. This can happen because none of the owners or co-owners of the building are interested in having a fiber installation.

If the answer is affirmative, the operator must start the installation in the building, informing the owners of the exact date on which they will start their work in this regard. Therefore, the Telecommunications Law regulates the protocol to be followed between the operators and the owners of any building.

And if there is some kind of problem?

If there is any type of problem, such as an owner having some incompatibility in the network that harms him when it comes to enjoying a good Internet connection or that a place is not adapted for the use of fiber and he wishes to have it, the recommended thing to do is follow the next steps:

• Ask the community of property owners for the necessary work permit to be able to deploy and install fiber optics throughout the building.
• Deliver documentation to the rest of the owners informing them about how the installation is going to be carried out to ensure that they will not experience any type of damage or damage to their property.

How should the installation be carried out?

Once an agreement has been reached with the rest of the owners of the building, the operator can start his work to deploy the fiber optic network in it. Everything we have just seen takes place in the case of sharing a building with other owners, but if the building has a single owner, all the procedures are greatly simplified and the installation can be carried out faster and in less time.

But if you wonder how to install fiber optics in a building, the General Telecommunications Law establishes that it must be done either through pipes or underground. In order to carry out the installation in other places, such as the facade of the building, it is necessary to have the permission of the building owners.

What is recommended in these cases is to submit a feasibility plan and a works report showing how the installations will be carried out. Only in this way will the rest of the owners have all the information they need to make the decision and approve the installation on the building's façade.

The buildings that were built from the year 2000 onwards have spaces designed to carry out this type of installation which, in general, are vertical to facilitate the deployment of networks upwards. This is the priority place to install, but if it does not have this space, the installation company will have no other option than to use the facade of the building.

As can be seen, the installation of fiber optics in a building is something that is regulated by legislation and that has preferential spaces to carry it out. The process requires the approval of the rest of the owners in shared buildings, but if you are the only owner the installation is much easier and can be done in a fairly quick period of time.

If you need a professional fiber optic installation project, contact us without any commitment.

Nov 14, 2022