Readiness support: Get ready for equipment and service installation

We believe work is easier to manage when you know what to expect. If you follow the guidelines on this page, you will have done your part to help ensure your service is installed on time and to your satisfaction.

Successful service installation relies on you ensuring your site meets specific standards, described in this guide, before Colt or an off-net provider can perform any installation work. The precise requirements for your project will be generated by a site survey either we or an off-net provider conduct. If any site improvements are required, it will benefit you to complete them as directed and as soon as possible.

To review the site-readiness guidelines, select the region where your service is being installed:

Following the site survey by Colt or an off-net provider, you may be required to undertake the provisioning of space and/or power within two weeks from the date that you sign your order.
 

• A Colt service can include any/all of the following and requires you to provide space and power:
  
  
  • Off-net access provider NTE (network termination equipment)
  • On-net Colt transmission equipment
  • NID
  • Managed CPE
  • Managed firewall
     
• Depending on the equipment to be installed, up to 10U of rack space may be required in a 19” cabinet for large or transmission equipment. A clean earth bonding facility is also required within the cabinet. Dedicated circuits and in some cases redundant power circuits are strongly recommended, depending on the equipment to be installed.
  
  
• AC power 220-240V AC UPS/generator-backed fuse size ranging from 10–16 AMP is recommended, presentation on standard socket outlet or IEC60309 16 AMP.
  
  
• In some cases, a small -48V DC rectifier system may be installed by Colt or an off-net provider depending on the equipment to be installed, for example, transmission equipment. A battery may be recommended following the site survey in the event a non-UPS AC power supply is provided. If -48V DC power can be provided locally, then DC cables shall be run to the 19” cabinet for connection. It is recommended the DC supply is battery/generator-backed fused at 15 AMP. Voltage under all conditions must operate within 40–60V.

You must maintain a suitable environment for network equipment operation:

Colt will deliver your service to a specific physical location on the site you have requested (referred to as “Colt demarcation” or “demarc”). This is usually pre-agreed with the Colt sales team before signing contracts and/or order forms. Details can include floor, room, aisle, bay, panel, ports, and local site contact information.

It is possible that although in the same building, your equipment and the Colt equipment may not be in the same location; for example, in different rooms or floors. In such scenarios, the service must be interconnected between the Colt demarcation and your demarcation by means of “in-house cabling.” Please note, demarcation extension may be subject to charge.

During the delivery of service, experience shows that a frequent problem is unknown or miscommunicated details of a demarc.

Failure to provide demarc information in a timely manner may result in additional delays and billing starting before you are able to use the service.

Please take time to understand these guidelines to help facilitate a successful delivery and get up and running as soon as possible.

To help us direct you to the correct information, please select the type of site in which you are locating or co-locating with Colt:

This site is owned and operated by Colt, including colocation and network connectivity.

Colt will carry out all in-house cabling. The service will be terminated in your colocation cabinet or private suite.

You will need to confirm the exact demarcation (cabinet, rack, shelf, panel, port) to enable Colt to hand off the service in your co-location cabinet or suite. Colt also requires a local contact at point of order who can be contacted to clarify any issues during the service delivery.

This is an “on-net" site directly connected to the Colt network.

You will carry out all in-house cabling beyond the Colt demarc. The service will be terminated in your designated telecom room in which Colt has its network equipment installed (also referred to as “point of presence” or “POP”. Colt will confirm the exact demarcation (cabinet, rack, shelf, panel, or port) upon delivery and handover of your service by your customer care manager. If you require specific presentation, contact your customer care manager immediately after your order is placed.

This "off-net" site is to be connected to the Colt network by installing a Colt POP, after which point this site is "on-net."

You will carry out all in-house cabling beyond the Colt demarc. The service will be terminated in your designated telecom room in which Colt will be installing network equipment as part of the new POP. We will confirm the exact demarcation of the individual services ordered (cabinet, rack, shelf, panel, or port) upon delivery and handover of your service. If you require a specific change in presentation, please inform your customer care manager immediately after your order is placed with Colt.

This "off-net" site will be connected to the Colt network via a third-party leased service (usually called LEC or carrier).

You will carry out all in-house cabling. The service will be terminated in a designated telecom room to which the third-party owned network equipment network equipment is pre-cabled. Colt will confirm the exact demarcation (cabinet, rack, shelf, panel, port) upon delivery and handover of your service by your customer care manager. If you require a specific change in presentation, please inform your customer care manager immediately after your order is placed with Colt.

This is an “on-net" site directly connected to the Colt network.

This scenario requires the procurement of in-house cabling with the owner or operator of the building.

The service will be terminated in a designated telecom room usually referred to as “Meet Me Room” or “MMR” to which Colt currently has pre-cabled its own network equipment.

Prior to signing your order, the ownership of this task will have been agreed by you and Colt, including any additional third-party costs.

Where you are responsible for ordering the in-house cabling, Colt will confirm the exact demarcation (cabinet, rack, shelf, panel, port or designated code provided by the third-party owner) upon finalizing circuit design shortly after receipt of your order. This will come in the form of a LOA (letter of authorization) allowing you to request the in-house cabling from the third party and may also include a DLR (design layout record).

If you require a specific change presentation, please inform your assigned customer care manager immediately after your order is placed with Colt or the LOA has been received.

Where Colt is responsible for ordering the in-house cabling, you must provide the demarc where you need your service to be terminated and local site contact details to Colt as part of the order. This will come in the form of a LOA issued by you allowing Colt to request the in-house cabling from the third-party owner.

This "off-net" site is to be connected to the Colt network by installing a new Colt POP, after which point this site is considered to be "on-net."

This scenario requires the procurement of in-house cabling with the owner or operator of the building.

The service will be terminated in a designated telecom room usually referred to as “Meet Me Room” or “MMR” to which Colt currently has pre-cabled its own network equipment.

Prior to signing your order, the ownership of this task will have been agreed upon by you and Colt, including any additional third-party costs.

Where you are responsible for ordering the in-house cabling, Colt will confirm the exact demarcation (cabinet, rack, shelf, panel, port or designated code provided by the third-party owner) upon finalizing circuit design shortly after receipt of your order.

This will come in the form of a LOA (letter of authorization) allowing you to request the in-house cabling from the third party and may also include a DLR (design layout record).

If you require a specific change presentation, please inform your assigned CCM immediately after your order is placed with Colt or the LOA has been received.

Where Colt is responsible for ordering the in-house cabling, you must provide the (customer) demarc where you need your service to be ultimately terminated and local site contact details to Colt as part of the order. This will come in the form of a LOA issued by you allowing Colt to request the in-house cabling from the third-party owner.

This "off-net" site will be connected to the Colt network via a third-party leased service (usually called LEC or carrier).

This requires the procurement of in-house cabling with the owner or operator of the building.

The service will be terminated in a designated telecom room to which the third-party owned network equipment network equipment is pre-cabled to. Colt will confirm the exact demarcation (cabinet, rack, shelf, panel, port) upon delivery and handover of your service by your customer care manager. If you require a specific change in presentation, please inform your assigned customer care manager immediately after your order is placed with Colt.

Prior to signing your order, the ownership of this task will have been agreed by you and Colt, including any additional third-party costs. Colt recommends that to optimize service delivery, you own the cabling to the Colt demarc wherever possible.

Where you are responsible for ordering the in-house cabling, Colt will confirm the exact demarcation (cabinet, rack, shelf, panel, port or designated code provided by the third-party owner) upon finalizing circuit design shortly after receipt of your order.

This will come in the form of a LOA (letter of authorization) allowing you to request the in-house cabling from the third party and may also include a DLR (design layout record).

If you require a specific change presentation, please inform your assigned customer care manager immediately after your order is placed with Colt or the LOA has been received.

Where Colt is responsible for ordering the in-house cabling, you must provide the (customer) demarc where you need your service to be ultimately terminated and local site contact details to Colt as part of the order. This will come in the form of a LOA issued by you allowing Colt to request the in-house cabling from the third-party owner.

Colt smart demarcation is a network interface device (NID): a small, compact device deployed at customer sites to provide end-to-end connectivity fault management and to enable optional performance assurance with end-to-end SLAs. Additional fees may apply.

Colt may deploy NIDs for off-net Ethernet access to Colt MPLS/IP VPN, Ethernet Virtual Private Line (EVPL), Virtual Private LAN Service (VPLS), and DIA circuits in North America and EMEA.

• Supports 10/100/1000Mbps at each of your locations
• Provides intelligent loop-back capabilities and an L2/L3 test traffic generator
• Enables optional EVPL and VPLS service features
• Performance assurance with end-to-end SLAs including frame delivery, frame delay (latency), and frame delay variation (jitter); performance summary data available using Control Center (our customer portal), for EVPL and VPLS services only
• Traffic shaping to improve performance of sub-rate circuits

• Shows a clear demarcation between the providers’ (Colt and LEC) and your networks to quickly isolate service problems
• Provides end-to-end fault management and reporting
• Provides TDM-like maintenance and troubleshooting tools
• Enables SLA monitoring and end-to-end reporting for EVPL and VPLS services only
• Delivers an optimal customer experience

To facilitate installation of the smart demarcation device, please ensure:
 

• Your customer care manager has been informed as part of the order or during service delivery of the local site contact in charge of supporting Colt with the NID deployment activities
• Access to the site for the installer at the scheduled installation time(s)
• Your appropriate personnel are on-site and available at the scheduled installation time(s)
• The following are ready: power distribution boxes, conduits, rack space for equipment mounting, grounding, surge and lighting protection. Associated hardware and power outlets are within 1m (3’) of the smart demarcation device installation location
• Inside telco circuit wiring is in place, including extensions and any necessary building alterations, so the smart demarcation device can be installed within 2m (6’) of the local access demarcation
• The demarcation point for this installation is clearly marked to allow the installer to connect the correct circuit to the correct smart demarcation device interface
   

Review the NID site preparation guide

Use this checklist to help you get your site ready. If you have any questions about this checklist or site readiness in general, contact your customer care manager.