Demarc Extension Nationwide has produced a set of tips and advice for cabling professionals dealing with the often complicated process of extending a facility’s demarcation point. It aims its advice and services at telecom agents, and in this advice, the organization indicates it feels these agent’s pain. “As a telecom agent, you have dealt with demarc extensions before,” the company says. “Even though the demarc extension is often trivialized, it is an important part of the service provided to your customer.”

Several factors can delay circuit delivery, Demarc Extension Nationwide explains, and offers help to avoid such delays. “If the local access provider or the carrier is going to extend the service, confirm the conditions surrounding the agreement. Some requirements that may cause these issues are ceiling height, the need to use tall ladders or lifts, and installations involving core-hole drilling between riser closets. Many times the carrier or local access provider follows certain policies regarding these construction restrictions that can lead to a refusal to install the demarc extension.”

Other pitfalls to watch out for include the following.

• The local access provider may not tag the POTS line with the phone number, leading to issues with future installations and a delay in circuit delivery.
• Access to multiple telecom rooms and other tenant spaces
• Coordination with the many parties involved – Carrier, local access provider, end user, solution provider, master agent or agent and demarc extension contractor
• Congested pathways and other challenges that the technician may face at the site
• The use of unmanaged and unskilled field technicians to install and test demarc extensions and circuits

In addition to tips and advice, Demarc Extension Nationwide offers free resources including definitions of terminology and diagrams of demarc extension types. (Click each term to access the resource from the Demarc Extension Web site.)

Demarc Extension Nationwide is a brand of Concert Technologies. It was developed as a provider of nationwide installation services and education of the demarc extension.

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Problem:
Everyone depends on reliable internet connectivity to connect to the network and the outside world. In an office building, there are numerous employees that rely on their connection to remain productive and to drive business forward. If one computer goes down, that single employee can’t connect and productivity is lost until the issue is identified and resolved. If the whole building goes down, which will happen with an improperly installed or maintained demarc extension, nobody in the company can get a connection and business comes to a crashing halt.

Solution:
Often trivialized and overlooked before the installation of network services, a dependable demarc extension is essential to business operations and productivity. When a telecom circuit goes down, it can take much finger pointing to finally figure out that in the end, it was the fault of bad cabling. To save time, money and frustrations, it is essential to have the demarc extension installed reliably.

Circuit Down- It’s an Inside Wiring Problem:
To resolve circuit problems that are directed at the demarc extension the onsite field technician must come prepared to test not only the cabling and equipment (repeaters, media converters, etc.) that make up the demarc extension, but the circuit as well. This will expedite the diagnosis of the problem and, if the demarc extension is at fault, resolve the customer’s connection. Otherwise, without circuit testing, another dispatch may be required by the carrier or local access provider and will consequently increase the time to resolve the problem.

Telecom Circuit Isolation is required when demarc extension testing indicates no issues, which may be extensive depending on distances, connection points and equipment used. After the demarc extension is determined not to be at fault, then an onsite technician must go to the local access provider’s circuit demarcation point and separate the demarc extension. Then, the circuit must be tested with high level test equipment or a low level testing device at the demarcation point to determine if the circuit is at fault.

1. High Level Testing requires expensive test gear and trained personnel to operate the test equipment, this is typically not particle or cost effective for the contractor unless they install hundreds or thousands of demarc extensions yearly.

1. Low Level Loop-Back Testing requiring patch cables or specially configured connectors, plugs and/or devices to loop back the transmission path from access provider’s local loop is a particle solution for contractors not equipped with high level test gear.

NOTE #1: It is important to understand that firms providing demarc extensions be well versed in circuit testing and eCPE to expedite the fault resolution for a telecom circuit.

NOTE #2: eCPE may also be used for testing at the local access provider’s handoff if eCPE is in question.

• “Understanding the Demarc Extension – A Facility’s Most Critical Cabling Channel” Runtime: 3:52
• “The Loss of Standardization and Current Mandates of the Demarc Extension” Runtime: 3:16
• “The Critical Role of the Demarc Extension and its Impact on Business Operations” Runtime: 4:12

“Previously an area of uncertainty and blame, the demarc extension has always been a challenging area of service for telecom agents and carriers. The purpose of this short video series is to educate telecom agents and industry professionals on the most important cabling channel and transmission path in a facility, so as to be better prepared when a telecom circuit goes down and fingers start pointing,” commented founder of Demarc Extension Nationwide and President of Concert Technologies, Dennis Mazaris.

The videos in the series provide guidance with regards to the demarc extension. Key topics discussed include:

• Terminology and history
• Standards
• Installation
• Responsibility
• Connectivity issues
• The importance of the demarc extension to a business

Many of the topics discussed in this series were addressed at the information technology systems association 2010 winter conference held by BICSI in Orlando, Florida.

About Demarc Extension Nationwide
Demarc Extension Nationwide is a brand of Concert Technologies and was developed as the telecommunications industry leader for nationwide installation services and education of demarc extensions. In addition to providing these nationwide installation and maintenance services, the brand sets the standards and supplies the necessary information to facilitate the understanding of specifications and installation practices for demarc extensions. Demarc Extension Nationwide supports the telecom agent and carrier in ensuring complete operability of the circuit at the customer’s site. Visit Demarc Extension Nationwide online at www.demarcextension.com

Read the full article on TMCnet.com

The white paper entitled “The Demarc Extension and its Critical Role in Enterprise Network Telecommunications Infrastructure,” authored by Concert Technologies exposes the fact that the loss of standardization for this important piece of cabling has led to poor installation practices. Addressing the information needs of telecommunications agents and carriers, the paper arms these professionals with the knowledge to ensure the circuit’s complete operability at the time of delivery.

The demarc extension is defined as: The transmission path originating from the interface of the access provider’s side of a telecommunications circuit demarcation point within a premises, and ending at the termination point prior to the interface of the edge customer premises equipment. This may include in-segment equipment, media converters and patch cords as required to complete the circuit’s transmission path to the edge customer premises equipment.

“This white paper sets industry standards and guidance for the most important transmission path in commercial buildings,” said Dennis Mazaris, developer of Demarc Extension Nationwide and president of Concert Technologies. “Without standards and guidelines, the potential to install the demarc extension incorrectly increases and can threaten business and affect productivity. This issue is important for the telecom agent and the carrier to address in order to increase customer satisfaction and ensure future business.”

The paper also emphasizes the impact that this piece of cabling – the demarc extension – has on businesses and buildings across the U.S. and internationally.

The white paper highlights the following, as well as other information.

• The importance of the demarc extension to essential circuit delivery and customer satisfaction
• Isolating circuit versus inside-wiring problems quickly
• The correlation between the loss of standardization and poor installation practices
• Clarification regarding who is responsible for the installation
• Installer survey data for demarc extensions
• Demarc extension standards and resources

Download the Free White Paper

Read the Original Article as Published by Cabling Installation & Maintenance Magazine

“The main objective of Demarc Extension Nationwide, a brand of Concert Technologies, is to be the single contact and provide a complete program of demarc extension services nationally, thus reducing the agent’s exposure to providing poor service in the eyes of the customer, whether the agent is involved or not ” explains President, Dennis Mazaris.

Demarc Extension Nationwide guarantees agents the assistance necessary to have their products and services implemented for their customer to be on schedule. By offering a reliable demarc extension service with years of experience nationally, the agent as well as their customer can feel confident that the issues that may arise can be handled in a professional, timely, and consistent manner. Important services include:

• Inside Wiring and OSP
• eCPE and Other Equipment Installations
• Testing, Turn Up and Troubleshooting for all Telecom Circuits
• The Industry’s Only 100% Operational Guarantee

Read the Full Article from SYS-CON Media

DULLES, VA, JANUARY 15, 2010 –  Concert Technologies, the nationwide installation and international rollout leader, today announced the launch of its Demarc Extension Nationwide brand and associated website which defines the previously non-existent standards for a demarc extension.

FCC part 68 regulation and federal law mandates every telecommunications circuit to have a demarc extension. This is the critical cabling and equipment that extends a circuit in the building from the local access provider’s demarcation point to the edge customer’s premises equipment. There are thousands of circuits delivered weekly to organizations across the country with each circuit requiring a demarc extension. Without the standardization of terms and installation practices, there is a high risk of negative impact to the delivery, performance and maintenance of critical telecommunications circuits and their access to the internet and other network connections outside of a facility.

“This has been a problem in the industry for over three decades,” said Dennis Mazaris, developer of Demarc Extension Nationwide and President of Concert Technologies. “The lack of industry standards and terms has caused confusion, delayed communication flow and finger pointing, as well as issues in overall service delivery. With a decade and a half of experience deploying technology nationwide and globally, we have taken the initiative in defining and standardizing a demarc extension, the single most critical cabling component within a facility.”

Benefits to the Industry

The Demarc Extension Nationwide initiative standardizes the previous confusion within the telecommunications and technology industry.  The Demarc Extension Nationwide brand was developed for the following purposes:

• To deliver an accelerated and exceptional level of nationwide service, including international capabilities, for the installation and maintenance of demarc extensions.
• Eliminate management needs and effort by providing all demarc extension services from a single nationwide provider.
• To provide clear and concise information to the telecommunications market and facilitate the understanding of specifications and installation practices for the demarc extension.

Read the Full Article on Cabling Installation & Maintenance Magazine

The Demarc Extension Seminar will be presented by Dennis Mazaris, RCDD and President and Founder of Concert Technologies. It will explain the importance of the demarc extension, which is the critical cabling that extends a circuit in the building from the local access provider’s demarcation point to the customer’s premises equipment. By federal law all circuits delivered in the United States are required to have a demarc extension installed to complete the transmission path of the circuit in a premise.

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