UNIVERSITY OF MAURITIUS

FACULTY OF ENGINEERING

DEPT. OF ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC ENGINEERING

B.ENG. (HONS.) TELECOMMUNICATIONS ENGINEERING WITH NETWORKING

INDUSTRIAL TRAINING (ELEC 3100)

Student Name Rosun Mohammad Nassir

Student ID 1711714

Company Mauritius Telecom Ltd.

Company Supervisor Mr. Ravi Boolakee

Date 14th September 2020

Table of Content
Table of Figure ............................................................................................................................... 3

Acknowledgments ......................................................................................................................... 4

Executive Summary........................................................................................................................ 5

Overview of Mauritius Telecom ................................................................................................... 6

Mauritius Telecom History ............................................................................................. 6

Profile & Vision ................................................................................................................ 6

Shareholding & Subsidiaries ......................................................................................... 7

Services ............................................................................................................................ 8

Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 8

Technical Content .......................................................................................................................... 9

LION & SAFE Cable ........................................................................................................ 9

Gigabit Passive Optical Networks (GPON) .................................................................. 9

Fault Management ....................................................................................................... 10

FTTH Equipment ........................................................................................................... 10

Resolving Faults ............................................................................................................ 12

Huawei HG8245H ......................................................................................................... 13

Resolving a LOS Problem ............................................................................................ 14

Software Used to Assist on Site Technician ............................................................... 18

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 2.8.1 Customer Lifecycle Management (CLM) ............................................................ 18

2.8.2 MobiWork .............................................................................................................. 18

2.8.3 GCI .......................................................................................................................... 18

2.8.4 VMPortal ................................................................................................................. 19

2.8.5 AV System .............................................................................................................. 19

2.8.6 NCE iMaster ........................................................................................................... 19

Lesson Learnt at MT ..................................................................................................................... 20

Service to Public ........................................................................................................... 20

Working with Teams..................................................................................................... 20

Safety Precautions ........................................................................................................ 20

Conclusion .................................................................................................................................... 21

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Table of Figure
Figure 1 Mauritius Telecom Shareholders .................................................................................. 7

Figure 2 Typical GPON Network .................................................................................................. 9

Figure 3 Power Meter .................................................................................................................. 10

Figure 4 Flashlight Continuity Tester......................................................................................... 11

Figure 5 Splicing Machine .......................................................................................................... 11

Figure 6 Cleaver ........................................................................................................................... 11

Figure 7 Fibre Stripper ................................................................................................................ 12

Figure 8 Alcohol Wipes ............................................................................................................... 12

Figure 9 ONT Huawei HG8245H................................................................................................ 13

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Acknowledgments
The internship opportunity I had with Mauritius Telecom has been a great learning
opportunity into the professional world. I consider myself very lucky to have been allocated
a chance to be a part of the company for some time and have had the time to meet with
many wonderful and professional people who have helped me during the period of my
internship.

My gratitude goes to Mr. Ravi Boolakee, Mr. Aniff Muslam & Mr. Keetarut for taking their
time out of their busy schedule to plan my internship. I would also like to express my thanks
to Mr. Nawaaz who spent a lot of time to share his expertise and experience of the field. I
express my deepest thanks to Mr. Bruno who in spite of being very busy took his time to
guide me and arranged all the facilities to make my internship easier. I want to thank the
entire staff of Mauritius Telecom for welcoming us and guiding us, especially Mrs.Hoshma
who gave us multiple advice since day one which proved to be useful later.

I perceive this occasion as a big milestone in my career development. I will use the acquired
knowledge in the best possible way and continue to work on improving them to advance
in my career path.

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Executive Summary
This report is prepared for the 8 weeks internship at Mauritius Telecom for the program
B.ENG Telecommunications Engineering with Networking at the University of Mauritius.
This report focuses on the experience and knowledge acquired during my internship. We
will first look at the company and its’ evolution throughout the years. Then, we will dive
deeper into the company’s access network and the department associated with managing
faults. This report explains the theory behind the GPON architecture, the different types of
faults that user can face and the methods & software that are used to resolve them. we will
then discuss about the technical content and the lessons learnt during my internship finally
leading up to the conclusion.

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Overview of Mauritius Telecom

Mauritius Telecom History

Mauritius Telecommunication Services initially incorporated in 1988 was renamed to
Mauritius Telecom in 1992 after merging with Overseas Telecommunication Services
(previously Cable & Wireless). Following that event, MT (Mauritius Telecom) became the
major provider of voice, mobile, Internet and data communication services in Mauritius
[1][2].

In 1996, MT set up two fully owned subsidiaries, namely Cellplus Mobile Communications
Ltd and Telecom Plus Ltd to provided Mobile and Internet services in Mauritius

In November 2000, France Telecom became the majority shareholder of MT by acquiring

40% of its shares.

In 2002, Telecom Plus Ltd in partneship with France Telecom launched Broadband Internet
Access under the Wanadoo brand.

In June 2006, the two companies launched their IPTV Services under the My.T brand
making Mauritius amongst the first countries to offer this service.

On 17 April 2008, MT rebranded its mobile and internet services as Orange. Cellplus
Prepaid and Post Paid were rebranded as Orange Prepay and Post Pay. Telecom Plus dial-
up internet access and Wanadoo ADSL as Orange Dial-Up and Orange ADSL.

In 2013, Mauritius Telecom introduced fibre optic broadband. In September 2017, after the
10 years branding agreement with orange came to an end, following that, all MT products
were rebranded under the My.T brand on 9 November 2017.

Profile & Vision

The company provide full support in transforming Mauritius into a smart island, acting as
one of the engines of its growth towards becoming a high economical income. As of 2019,
the company has seen a 7.2% growth in revenue from Rs. 9.8bn to Rs.10.6bn. MT vision is
to open up new opportunities for the Mauritian population by constantly seeking

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innovations and creating new uses and application through partnerships with global
companies.

Shareholding & Subsidiaries

The main shareholders of Mauritius Telecom are illustrated in the figure below.

Figure 1 Mauritius Telecom Shareholders

Mauritius Telecom, over the years, has launched a number of subsidiary companies to
expand the range of services and products offered. The following companies are owned
by MT.

Call Services Ltd Call centre that handles customer relationships.

Cellplus Mobile Communications Ltd, Provides mobile telephony, and manages the
telecommunication equipment.

Mauritius Telecom Foundation Invests in social projects, economic policies and in the
context of the fight against poverty.

Mauritius Telecom International Ventures MT International Ventures PCC holds MT’s

Ltd investments in other entities. This venture represents
an opportunity to grow outside boundaries.

MT Properties Ltd responsible for the management of property and

trustee.

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 MT Services Ltd Established to recruit employees for deployment in
Mauritius Telecom Group

Telecom Plus Ltd Provides Internet access.

Teleservices (Mauritius) Ltd Publisher of phone directories in Mauritius and

produces the main phonebooks of MT.

Services
Mauritius Telecom provides a wide range of services for personal and business needs. MT
provides an elaborated range of voice and data services using a FTTH connection. With the
introduction of the 4K Smart Box in 2019, customers can convert their TVs into smart TVs
and reap the benefits of the convergence between the world of TV channels and that of
apps.

To help local businesses grow, MT provides affordable fibre offers under the Business
Boost Fibre packages with speed ranging from 20 to 100 Mbps. This encourages business
to go digital and help them flourish.

MT also provides its customers with several application such as Traffic Watch updated with
Live Drone view, my.t TopUp, my.t weather, my.t billpay, my. money and my.t TV.

In addition, Mt provides WAN local VPN that allows several sites to communicate and work
on a private and secure network. It also offers solutions of Cloud computing which can be
considered as a major innovation.

Introduction
For the 8-week industrial training, I had the opportunity to have my internship at Mauritius
Telecom in the Field Intervention Department for Area 1.

The role of the Field Intervention team varies from installation of a new connection,
resolving any faults that has occurred on an existing link and the technical support team
that help the on-site technicians to resolve issues that can be solved remotely.

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Technical Content

LION & SAFE Cable

Mauritius Telecom international’s network is comprised of multiple infrastructures
connected by submarine-optic fibre system such as the LION, SAFE & EASSy. The LION
cable is used to connect Mauritius, Madagascar and Reunion Island. It has a design capacity
of 1.28 Tb/s and extends a total length of 1000Km. The SAFE cable is used to connect
Mauritius to different parts around the world. Its spans over a distance of 13,104Km and has
a capacity of 440Gb/s. Paired with SAT-3/WASC, it provides some form of redundancy for
other cables passing through the region.

Gigabit Passive Optical Networks (GPON)

Several technologies are available to deliver high-speed internet access to subscribers. The
most advanced technology is based on optical fibres namely called fibre-to-the-home
(FTTH). The FTTH variant more commonly used by Mauritius Telecom to provide FTTH
services is Gigabit Passive Optical Network, or GPON defined by ITU-T Recommendation
G.984.x [3].

Figure 2 Typical GPON Network

The Optical Line Terminal (OLT) is a core component of the network. It is the main optical
transmitter, usually located within the telecommunications operator building. A laser in the
OLT project a ray of light into a fibre-optic cable until it reaches a passive optical splitter.
The OLT is responsible for sending the received signals from the ONUs to the various
service networks based on service types. It also converges the signals that carry various

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services at the CO side, sends the signals to the access network in a certain format, and
transmits the signals to subscribers. For MT network, the upstream wavelength from the
ONT to the OLT is 1310nm with a transmission rate of 1.25Gb/s and the downstream
wavelength is 1490nm from the OLT to ONT with a transmission rate of 2.5Gb/s.

When the light beam ray reaches the splitter, the main light ray is broken down into
numerous signals that may eventually serve up to 64 customers. Sometime, the operator
may split the signal twice. The most used splitter ratios are 1:8 and 1:16. The two ratio has
different power loss that must be respected. The maximum distance between the OLT and
splitter is 20Km. However, operators usually limit it to 16 km, meaning withing a 16 Km
range of a fibre optic office, all households can have high-speed internet.

The ONU (Optical Network Unit) is located at the subscriber side and work with the OLT to
provide internet, voice and multimedia services. it can also be managed remotely from the
OLT to make adjustments.

Fault Management
Managing such a massive network on a national level requires a specialized team to resolve
any fault that occurs during operation. The team at MT are trained before being sent on site
so that the work is done in the most efficient way possible. Each of the six areas has a special
department that oversees fault management in a specific region.

FTTH Equipment
1. Power Meter
An optical power meter is a device used to measure the power of an optical signal passing
through a cable. The meter is attached to the cable and the power meter is switched on.
The appropriate wavelength is selected and the measurement is read from the meter.

Figure 3 Power Meter

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2. Flashlight Continuity Tester
This device is used to verify the state of a fibre optic cable to check the light throughput. It
usually has an LED that shines red light into the cable. if the cable is broken at any point, no
light is observed at the other end of the cable.

Figure 4 Flashlight Continuity Tester

3. Splicing Machine
This machine is used to permanently fuse 2 strands of fibre together by fusion splicing. The
two fibre strands are welded together by an electric arc. This method provides the best
reliable fibre joint currently.

Figure 5 Splicing Machine

4. Fibre Cleaver
This tool is used to prepare the fibre optic cable for fusion splicing. For fusion splicing, it is
required that the fibre surface should be as flat as possible and clean. Using a cleaver
provides precise end face quality

Figure 6 Cleaver

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5. Fibre Optic Strippers
This tool is used to prepare the optical fibre for splicing by stripping the outer protective
coating.

Figure 7 Fibre Stripper

6. Wipes and Reagent Grade Alcohol

These are used to clean the fibres after cleaving and before splicing.

Figure 8 Alcohol Wipes

Resolving Faults
There are many types of fault that are reported daily by customers. Most fall in two
categories: Voice Fault and Access Overhead. Voice faults usually include a damaged
telephone device that need to be changed or maybe a damaged RJ11 connection that
need to be fixed. Access Overhead faults are faults that deals with fibre drop issues such as
damaged drop or damaged splicing due to numerous reasons. The technician usually
receives a detailed plan for their day’s work which contains the customer’s name, number
and other details that are used to resolve the issue. Incoming complaints are usually pushed
to onsite technician on their tablet via the MOBI Work platform. This platform is also used
to clear the fault from the system once resolved. A detailed form is also filled by the
technician which contains all the fault that has been resolve the previous day and the form
is given to that area’s inspector.

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 Huawei HG8245H
The Optical Network Terminal that is given to customers is the Huawei HG8245H model.
This ONT has 2 TEL ports, 4 LAN ports and a USB port. The image below shows the ports
available.

Figure 9 ONT Huawei HG8245H

Normally, the VoIP protocol is released on TEL 1. In some cases, the TEL 1 may have been
damaged or the pins are damaged, in that case, the VoIP protocol is switched to TEL 2. The
telephone device must be connected to the currently activated TEL port which is indicated
by a green light indicator. A customer may choose to activate both TEL port in which case
the ONT operates on 2 different number and therefore 2 different telephone must be
connected. The connection is made via an RJ11 connector.

The LAN port numbered 2 & 3 are used to connect to a STB (My.t 4K Android Box) to offer
my.t IPTV service. Port 1 & 4 may be used to connect other devices to the internet. The USB
port is used for the FTP protocol, where an external storage device is connected to the ONT
and can be accessed once the protocol is set up.

The ONT has different indicator that shows the current status of the different ports. One of
the indicators is labelled LOS. This indicates whether the ONT is connected to an optical
signal. If the LOS indicator is flashing red, it means that it is not connected to an optical
signal or that the wire is faulty preventing the optical signal from reaching the device.

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 Resolving a LOS Problem
As discussed above, when the LOS indicator flashes red, it means that the ONT is not
receiving any optical signal. When this occurs, the subscriber’s internet connection,
telephony services and/or IPTV services are interrupted until resolved. To resolve such
problem, technicians are sent on the premise to investigate.

The possible reason for having the LOS indicator blink red are as follows:
• Faulty Patch Cord
• Faulty fibre drop wire
• Damaged splicing
• Damaged ONT

In most cases, the problem can be resolved by replacing the damaged component after
testing. However, if the splicing is damaged, a new splicing operation must be carried. The
steps for Fusion Splicing are given below.

Step 1: Prepare the work area

Gather all the equipment to be used in a clean and secure area, so that any tool needed is
readily available.

Step 2: Remove the cable jacket from the drop wire or internal cable using a rotary cable
slitting & ringing tool or stripper

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Step 3: Cut the Kevlar to appropriate length using your Kevlar scissor

Step 4: Remove cladding from drop wire or internal cable

Step 5: Place the sleeve

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Step 6: Strip the coating

Step 7: Clean the core fibre with isopropyl alcohol

Step 8: Cleave the core fibre

Step 9: Place the fibre in the splicing machine (fibre should be place 3mm before
electrode)

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Step 10: Splice the fibre by pressing set on the splicing machine. (loss value permissible
should be from 0.05db to 0.10db)

Step 11: Place the splice protector on the splicing and place it inside the heating chamber
and press the heat button on the splicing machine.

Step 12: Install the remaining fibre and the splice in the splicing tray after a cooling time of
3 min and close the tb

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 Software Used to Assist on Site Technician
Many software is used to aid onsite technician to resolve faults. The software packages that
are used are given below along with the functions they perform.

2.8.1 Customer Lifecycle Management (CLM)

This is a web-based application that acts as an inventory for all the subscribers that currently
has a contract with MT. It has several information about subscriber’s such as name.
telephone number & faults requests. It also holds all the previous troubleshooting
information.

2.8.2 MobiWork
MobiWork is a cloud-based workforce software used by MT employees in the field and in
the office. The incoming faults are assigned to the inspectors/ technicians. There is also an
android app for this platform which is accessed using an android tablet. The application on
the table is used to obtained information about the work to be done and is also used to
clear the fault from the list.

2.8.3 GCI
The GCI platform is a web-based application that has multiple purposes as explained
below:
• Package Details: This gives details about the STB connected at the subscriber’s
place & the channels to which the sub has subscribed to.
• Huawei IPTV Binding: Used to bind a STB to a phone number.
• Order Status: This give information about an order ID.
• HDSS Password Reset: Used to reset the password for a phone number. This is
used when we need to switch TEL port on the ONT. We need to recreate the VoIP
profile in NCE. There, we need to input the username, directory and password
obtained here.
• Migrate to VoIP: This function is used to migrate subscriber that are still using the
PSTN network to the fibre network. The operator verifies the information that is
needed and then click Create VOIP.

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2.8.4 VMPortal
This web-application is used to manage Huawei devices. It is used to bind and unbind the
4K STB device and other devices remotely. It can also add or edit packages for the STB.

2.8.5 AV System
This application is used to deal with the android STB remotely. It can also push credentials
on STB remotely. It is used for monitoring, running diagnostics, monitoring the devices
status and for maintenance of android STB.

2.8.6 NCE iMaster

iMaster NCE is an intelligence and network automation platform that is used to manage,
control, carry out network analysis using incorporated AI framework. MT employs the use
of this software to carry out various function as listed below:
• Check the status of an ONU listing the condition under which the ONU is operation
such as temperature, power level & current level.
• The user can verify if an ONU is operating under the necessary conditions and if not,
the user can then determine what is missing for the ONU to work properly. For
example, checking if the power level is withing range.
• The application is also used to configure the VAS (Value Added Service) profile for
an ONU remotely. VAS profile includes internet access, VOIP & IPTV services.

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Lesson Learnt at MT

Service to Public
To provide the best quality of services to customers, Mauritius Telecom has several
departments to handle customers’ complaints. Each area has its own fault management
department that responds quickly and efficient to resolve any and all of customers’
complaint. Customers review of the service obtained allows MT to improve the service
delivery by upskilling the workforce. The introduction of new technologies such as fibre
optic, IPTV amongst other brings in new challenges that are dealt with by new
competences. All the services available at MT only focuses on improving the lives of the
average customer.

The Fault Management team is well equipped by MT to resolve any fault or complaints that
a customer have. After the technician has dealt with any problem, the customer then checks
if everything is working as intended. Advices are given to customers by the technicians if
needed so that the customer can take the necessary precautions. Only after verifying
everything, the technicians leave the premises and clear the fault. Dealing with the public
requires excellent people skills since not all customers has the same reaction. Some
customers may be frustrated that their services have been interrupted while other may be
understanding. Dealing with a broad range of human emotions on a daily basis requires an
excellent ability to listen and respond in the most professional way possible.

Working with Teams

During my internship, I had the opportunity to work with a new team every week. This has
allowed me to study how different teams interact with each other on a daily basis. Working
with a team requires a good communication among team members as well as how to value
each other’s contribution.

Safety Precautions
Safety is the most important priority in this field. Technicians should be well versed prior to
handling an equipment how to deal with any hazard. When climbing on poles, it is a must

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for technicians to be properly equipped by wearing a protective belt, safety helmet and
safety boots.

Dealing with electrical devices has certain risk of short circuit and getting electrocuted, so
technicians wears rubber gloves when dealing with electrical devices. Handling of laser also
requires certain precautionary measures by preventing the laser from pointing in someone
eyes.

Conclusion
Overall, this internship was mainly for me to acquire practical skills and link theory to
practice in the real world. It was a completely successful experience since the atmosphere
created by the staff provided full opportunities for me to learn and gain some experience
in the telecommunication field. Visiting the numerous exchanges and accompanying
technicians to customers’ premises has allowed me to gain more insight on how to deal
with people on a professional level. I have worked in 3 different areas mainly cassis, plaine
verte and Government House found in Port Louis. This has given me the opportunity to
observe how different sites are dealt with. This internship has provided me with more
insight in the optical fibre field and has motivated me to pursue a career in the field of
telecommunications. To progress in my professional career, I need to work in my
communication skills so that I am able to express myself more clearly and confidently to my
co-workers.

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References
[1]Telecom.mu, 2020. [Online]. Available: https://www.telecom.mu/aboutus/history/. [Accessed: 09-
Sep- 2020]

[2]Telecom.mu, 2020. [Online]. Available: https://www.telecom.mu/aboutus/company-profile/.

[Accessed: 09- Sep- 2020]

[3]"What is GPON?", Giganet, 2020. [Online]. Available: https://www.giga.net.uk/what-is-gpon/.

[Accessed: 09- Sep- 2020]

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Annex

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