URBANA Teleunion Rostock GmbH & Co. KG was looking for a partner for the fiber installation in multi-dwelling units (MDU) in Rostock. In Hexatronic, they found the ideal partner for their requirements. We spoke to Matthias Horn, who is responsible for network expansion in residential buildings at URBANA, about working with Hexatronic.
Who are you, and what is your role in your company?
My name is Matthias Horn. I have been working at URBANA Teleunion Rostock GmbH & Co. KG for 20 years and have been responsible for new construction projects and upgrading fiber optic home networks in residential buildings since 2022. In other words, I take care of network expansion and prepare its implementation. I'm also out and about on construction sites in the operational area to monitor the construction work.
Tell us about your company!
URBANA Teleunion Rostock GmbH &Co KG is Rostock's cable network operator. We operate externally under the infocity Rostock brand. Our company has been supplying more than 110,000 Rostock residents with cable television since April 1, 1992. For more than 20 years, the people of Rostock have been connected via cable - and always the fastest. For five years already, with up to 1 Gigabit/s, half of the people in Rostock have been using this service.
What projects are you currently carrying out?
Although we already offer our customers super-fast internet via cable, we know the future lies in fiber optics. A major topic is, therefore, the expansion of fiber optics in MDUs, which we have been working on for several years. We want to offer our customers high symmetrical data rates and low latency times, which is why bringing fiber optics to the end customer is essential. As the last mile is known to be the most difficult, we have faced and continue to face significant challenges in implementation. There are various expansion options for MDUs, but you always need a plan B and C in addition to plan A.
Can you describe the technology you have chosen to provide fiber optics?
We know that we are constantly working in the private sphere of residents when installing a home network. We have to proceed sensitively. Our top priority is to provide access to individual apartments in a considerate manner and with minimal disruption to tenants and owners. At the same time, we want to build sustainably to be equipped for future technologies. Glass fibers, for example, should be easily replaceable. However, we also have to comply with current standards. In addition, there are challenges regarding fire protection, which up to now has primarily taken electrical installations into account.
Why did you choose the Hexatronic solution, and what do you like about it?
Simple, sustainable, considerate, and compliant with standards—that's how we want to build. We have been in contact with Hexatronic for a very long time. We sat down together, discussed the options, and worked out the right solution. With their small outer diameter, the 3/2.1 mm Nanoducts as a composite or single pipe offer the advantages of quick and uncomplicated installation without the need for special tools.
The Hexatronic Stingray has an excellent blow-in performance, even within MDUs; with its many bends and change of direction, we can easily reach 40 m without using the compressor for air support. In some projects, installing it in a short time frame is necessary. Here, we have had a good experience with pre-connectorized optical fibers to save ourselves the splice within the apartment and thus time. In addition, we don't leave any fiber residue on the floor. The whole thing is rounded off by the matching termination points in the basement and the individual flats.
We mainly lay the cables through living rooms, one above the other. The new fire protection certificate for Germany now opens up new installation options for us, as we can now also use the escape route area without having to install expensive fire protection channels. We now have a legally approved system solution that gives us and our customers peace of mind.
"All in all, it is a well-thought-through and complete solution that our installers are also very pleased with."
How do you rate your collaboration with Hexatronic?
What I appreciate about our collaboration is the open and constructive exchange. We have found that Hexatronic looks at our challenges and develops solutions together with us instead of developing the products on their own. Hexatronic is now a large group of companies, but it still retained its flexibility. And even when things don't go according to plan, ways and possibilities are found. Over the years, we have learned a lot from each other and participated in each other's successes, and we look forward to continuing in this spirit.