Impact of Environmental Factors on Optical Fiber Communication in North East India: A Study on Weather, Terrain and Infrastructure

Abstract

This paper describes the study of the effect of environmental factors—weather, terrain, and overhead versus underground deployment—on optical fiber communication performance of telecom network of Power Grid Corporation of India Limited across several cities in Northeast India. Using appropriate data collected from field testing, including Optical Time Domain Reflectometry (OTDR) analysis, we present a comprehensive comparison of network performance under varied environmental conditions. Results reveal significant differences in attenuation and downtime due to these factors, emphasizing the importance of customized infrastructure deployment in the region.