FACULTY OF SCIENCE

DEPARTMENT OF SPACE SCIENCE AND APPLIED

PHYSICS
UNIVERSITY OF ZIMBABWE

Student name: Edward Zikhali

Registration Number: R195290Q

Company: TelOne (Pvt) Ltd

Industrial supervisor: Mr S Bondamakara

Academic supervisor: Dr Mushore

Date of submission: 29th June 2022

BSc Honours Electronics and Telecommunication

Technology (HETT)

INDUSTRIAL ATTACHMENT REPORT

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 Acknowledgement
I would love to give my sincere gratitude to TelOne and its amazing staff members who gave
me the opportunity to do my industrial attachment at their organization. I would also love to
give many thanks to my industrial instructor for the support and taking me as his own
student, allowed me to get the experience, acquire necessary and various skills at the TelOne
Corporate Solutions under the National Implementation Department. And also many thanks
to my family for the support and advice during my attachment period.

Abstract
The report gives a summary and insight of the work related experience and skills acquired
during the nine months of industrial attachment at TelOne under the National Implementation
and Information Systems Department. This report will give more detail on the duties
performed, achievements and various tasks solved. Attachment was done at the Corporates
Solutions Department under the National Implementation for a period of nine months as a
trainee engineer with the supervision of Mr S Bondamakara the Chief Telecommunications
Technician as well as the help of other senior technician, Mr. S Ngugama being the
immediate supervisor in the organization.

FIGURE OF CONTENTS
Figure 1 Telone Ring Network Topology For Harare And Bulawayo. __________________ 6
Figure 2 Telone Organisation Structure__________________________________________ 7
Figure 3 Cat 6 ethernet cables patched on an ethernet patch panel ___________________ 13
Figure 4 A labelled face plate with an ethernet cable patched to a krone module ________ 14
Figure 5 an organised cabinet with telecommunication equipment ____________________ 14
Figure 6 Fibre termination in a patch panel using a fijikura splicing machine___________ 17
Figure 7 A cabinet with telecommunication equipment _____________________________ 20
Figure 8 Configuration of IP phones and system testing ____________________________ 21
Figure 9 An orgarnised15 units cabinets housing telecommunication equipment _________ 24
Figure 10 Ruckus r510 GUI __________________________________________________ 25

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Figure 11 Optic Fibre Machine with a striper and Cleaving Machine _________________ 26
Figure 12 Testing the Frampol link with OTDR ___________________________________ 27
Figure 13 Visual Fault Locators_______________________________________________ 28
Figure 14 krone tool ________________________________________________________ 28
Figure 15 Ethernet crimping tool ______________________________________________ 29
Figure 16 Tone sender ______________________________________________________ 30

Contents
Acknowledgement .................................................................................................................................... 2

Abstract.................................................................................................................................................... 2
FIGURE OF CONTENTS...................................................................................................................... 2
Abbreviations ......................................................................................................................................... 4
CHAPTER 1 ............................................................................................................................................ 5
INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................................. 5
About TelOne .................................................................................................................................. 5

TelOne IP MPLS Network Topology ............................................................................................. 5

Company Vision, Mission and Values ............................................................................................ 6
Organizational Structure ................................................................................................................ 7
Objectives of the Attachment ......................................................................................................... 8
Corporate Solutions Department Overview ................................................................................... 8

CHAPTER 2 ............................................................................................................................................ 9
Duties .................................................................................................................................................. 9
CHAPTER 2.1 ....................................................................................................................................... 10
Projects ............................................................................................................................................. 10
MOPSE PROJECT....................................................................................................................... 11
TEXAS MEATS PROJECT ......................................................................................................... 15

ZEC PROJECT ............................................................................................................................ 18

LIVINGSTONE HOUSE (OPC) PROJECT ............................................................................... 22
CHAPTER 3 .......................................................................................................................................... 25
TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT USED DURING THE INDUSTRIAL ATTACHMENT .................. 25

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CHAPTER 4 .......................................................................................................................................... 31
EVALUATION OF THE ATTACHMENT ..................................................................................... 31
Conclusions ................................................................................................................................... 31

Success of modules studied as compared to organizational operations: ...................................... 31

Challenges faced and possible solutions implemented ................................................................. 32
Success of the attachment ............................................................................................................. 33
Recommendations to the Organisation ........................................................................................ 33
Discussion ...................................................................................................................................... 34
Referencing ........................................................................................................................................... 35

Abbreviations
IAP Internet Access Provider
ISP Internet Service Provider
WIOCC West Indian Ocean Cable Company
IP Internet Protocol
IP MPLS IP Multi-Protocol Layer Switching
ADSL Asymmetrical Digital Subscriber Line
FTTX Fibre To The X (Where X Can Be Home or Office)
VPN Virtual Private Network
IP PBX IP Private Branch Exchange
OTDR Optical Time Domain Refractometer
LAN Local Area Network
TCP/IP Transmission Control Protocol
Wi-Fi Wireless Fidelity
CAT Category
GUI Graphical User Interface
PBX Private Branch Exchange
ZEC Zimbabwe Electoral Commission
VFL Visual Fault Locators
SSID Service Set Identifier
SC Standard connector
ST Straight through

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 CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

About TelOne
TelOne Zimbabwe is a parastatal telecommunications company 100% owned by the
Government of Zimbabwe. It is headquartered in Harare's Central Business District at
Runhare House Union Ave. TelOne Private Limited is incorporated in Zimbabwe in terms of
the Companies Act (Chapter 24:03). The company’s main business is that of provision of
digital communication services. TelOne operates as both an Internet Access Provider (IAP)
providing transmission backhaul for mobile and data operators as well as Internet Service
Provider (ISP), retailing and wholesaling internet access and other services to various market
segments in Zimbabwe.

The company operates the second largest fixed line network in the Southern African Region
and has transformed to become a leading communication service provider in Zimbabwe with
its vast infrastructure network has the capacity to connect clients through optic fibre,
wireless, satellite and copper. The company is able to deliver high speed internet bandwidth
with sufficient capacity to cater for Zimbabwe’s requirements at lowest prices because of its
shareholding in the West Indian Ocean Cable Company (WIOCC) which makes it the only
Zimbabwean operator with direct ownership of an undersea cable. TelOne wholesale offers
the cheapest and most reliable voice, broadband and data transfer service leveraging on
partnerships with regional and international operators as well as upstream bandwidth.

TelOne IP MPLS Network Topology

TelOne services such as ADSL, FTTX, leased optic fibre circuits and VPNs get their uplink
from the IP MPLS Network. IP/MPLS (IP multi-protocol label switching) is a carrier an
enterprise technology that enables very fast switching of data. Typically, with IP routers, the
packets require to be examined for the source and destination addresses, in order for the

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control function of the router to determine via routing table look up the optimum interface to
send the packets to the destination. Unfortunately this takes time, however with IP/MPLS
engineers came up with an alternative encapsulation of the IP packet within a packet with a
header label, hence the name label switching. In TelOne, the IP MPLS was implemented on a
ring network topology with two rings in Harare and another in Bulawayo.

Figure 1 TELONE RING NETWORK TOPOLOGY FOR HARARE AND BULAWAYO.

Company Vision, Mission and Values

Vision – Digitally enabled society by 2023.

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Mission – To provide fast, reliable and affordable communication and multimedia.

Values

Client focus - Our client are Centre of existence and we deliver superior service at all times.

Innovation - We promote a culture of creativity and innovation to improve and develop

cutting edge products and service

Commitment - we are dedicated to deliver value to our stakeholders

Teamwork - we complement each other’s effort in delivering superior client service.

Accountability – We are accountable for our actions which remain compliant, professional
and reliable.

Excellence – We strive to continuously improve ourselves in line with changing

developments in the sector.

Organizational Structure

Figure 2 TELONE ORGANISATION STRUCTURE

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Objectives of the Attachment
 In order to get hands-on/ practical work experiences that are expected at a workplace
and can use after I graduate.
 To provide an opportunity to apply the theoretical principles and techniques learnt,
into real-life problem solving situations.
 To provide an opportunity to interact with the stakeholders and potential employers
and thus appreciate field situations that will also generate information for curricula
review and improvement.
 To develop the understanding of work ethics, employment demands, responsibilities
and opportunities.
 To enhance and strengthen linkages between University and various stakeholders.

From the two years of studying Electronics and Telecommunications at the University Of
Zimbabwe, various courses have been learnt such as Transmission lines and Access
Networks, Data communications, Lasers and Optics, Programming as well as
Communication Skills to mention just a few. Such courses were very useful in the industry
during time of attachment. It was notable that most of the day to day duties were relevant to
the degree program especially how to perform various duties, speak professionally with
superiors when conducting meetings or looking for a solution to a problem and
communicating with customers. An important skill acquired was how to communicate with
both technology literate customers and to those that are not as literate with the use of layman
terms.

Corporate Solutions Department Overview

The Corporate Solutions Department is under the managerial of the head of National
Implementation in TelOne. The Manager is in charge of all the projects, corporate
installations and the staff that is the telecommunications engineers, chief telecommunications
technician, telecommunications technicians and lastly the assistant service technicians. The

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Department’s main concern is installation, connectivity of corporate organizations all over
Zimbabwe using TelOne infrastructure. The department is responsible for Local Area
Networks, IP PBX and VPN links to the corporate world. Corporate Solutions is the
department with the upper hand when it comes to modern equipment used in the
telecommunications sector in this digital era. All the duties and daily routines were relevant
to the degree and to the studies done at the University of Zimbabwe such as Mobile and
Wireless, Communication Skills, Laser and Optic Fibre, Microprocessors, Transmission Line
Systems and Programming.

CHAPTER 2

Duties

On this industrial attachment various duties were expected to be done by a student trainee.
There was a good opportunity to learning new tools and equipment in the industry and how
they are used to solve various problems. Below are the duties that were done during the
attachment period at TelOne.

Splicing Optic Fibres

Splicing is the process of joining two optical fibre cables together. This process is done using
an optical splicing machine. At TelOne a Fijikura 80s splicing machine model was used. How
to interpret results from the splicing machine such as splicing errors measured in dBs and
also errors on the fibre that prevented the machine from splicing was learnt during this
period.

Using an OTDR

An optical time domain reflectometer (OTDR) is a device used to precisely detect faults in an
optical fibre link of a communication network. Its function includes generation and
transmission of a series of high-speed optical pluses within the fibre. How to use the OTDR

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to measure and troubleshoot live and faulty optical fibre links using different optical
wavelengths from the OTDR was also learnt.

System Troubleshooting

During the attachment period it was necessary to be able to troubleshoot systems and find
problems so that it could be easy to find the solutions to the problems found. Therefore it was
important to understand protocols governing particular systems so as to find solutions without
violating any system regulations. The knowledge on the use of various computer software
was necessary since all the troubleshooting was done using computer software.
Troubleshooting efficiency and accuracy was very important and necessary to use as field
engineers

Installing Local Area Networks

A local area network (LAN) consists of a series of computers linked together to form a
network in a circumscribed location. The computers in a LAN connect to each other via
TCP/IP ethernet or Wi-Fi. A LAN is normally exclusive to an organization, such as a school,
office, association or church. Therefore knowledge of the ethernet protocol was very
important since when installing LAN networks ethernet is used as the media for transmitting
data.

CHAPTER 2.1

Projects
During the time at TelOne, several projects that were supposed to be carried out with the
position of team leader with very minimum supervision from senior technicians were given.
It is safe to say that these projects were done successfully without any problem. Below are
some of the projects carried out.

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MOPSE PROJECT

Duration: 1 February to 28 February 2022

Role: Telecommunication Technician

Objective: LAN Extension of Existing Network

What was done?

1. Area survey
 The area where the project was to take place was surveyed and important
information such as tools needed, labour force required and proposed start and
finish dates were noted down and communicated to the client.

2. Trunking and Termination

 Trunking routes to be taken by the Ethernet cat 6 cables from switch to the
Ethernet port on the wall and to various points where access points were to be
placed.
 Cables were run in the trunking from point to point.
 RJ45 connectors were terminated to cat 6 cables using the B standard.
 Ethernet cables were terminated onto krone modules on the face plates in
different offices making ethernet ports.

3. Cabinet mounting and organising

 Mounted two 6 unit cabinets where two switches and power adapters were to
be housed.
 A router that was in a distant server room was used to uplink the switch hence
the use of fibre and media converters was implemented.
 The cables in the cabinet were organized for the cabinet to be neat.

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 4. Fibre installation
 Since the server rooms were separated by some distance, single mode fibre
was used to connect the server rooms.
 The fibre was spliced at the two end points using a splicing machine. Two
media converters A and B were used to convert the electrical signals to light
which runs in fibre.

5. Access points configuration

 Used the ruckus R310’s, R320’s and T310’s series of access points for
wireless connectivity
 The access points were configured using a GUI hosted on computers.
 The access points were set to have the same SSID and password so that users
have uninterrupted connectivity at any point in the campus where there is
coverage even when they move.
 The access points got uplink from the switch and were mounted at various
strategic positions for maximum coverage.

6. Cisco router upgrade

 There was a Cisco 1900 series router which was faulty and required
replacement.
 The router was removed after all retrievable configurations were captured and
copied to a text file.
 A new 2900 series router was put as the replacement and the necessary
configurations were put back for it to work and give internet access.
7. Job Completion Form
 A job completion form was written and taken to the client so that they could
comment and evaluate the job done by the TelOne team. After being satisfied
the client signed and approved the work done as a success.

Experiences

 Learnt how to splice fibre cables and how to organise then in a fibre patch panel.

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  Learnt how to communicate professionally with clients.
 Learnt how to coordinate work with the team I was working with.

Figure 3 Cat 6 ethernet cables patched on an ethernet patch panel

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Figure 4 A labelled face plate with an ethernet cable patched to a krone module

Figure 5 an organised cabinet with telecommunication equipment

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TEXAS MEATS PROJECT
Duration: 22 November to 3 December 2021

Role: Telecommunication Technician.

Objective: To provide leased internet link through optic fibre at Texas

meats along Speke Ave

What was done?

1. Survey
 Survey was done to identify route to be taken by fibre from the already existing fibre
nearby. The fibre link was for Texas Meats (corner Speke Avenue and Cameroon
Street) but had to pass through Petrol Trade Building where the closest TelOne fibre
is. The route was determined to reach the client’s office without disturbing traffic.
The knowledge of the labour required and the necessary equipment or tools required
were discussed and noted down. A proposal for the start and finish dates for the
project were also discussed and noted down.

2. Running fibre
 About 200m of optic fibre cable was run overhead since there was no underground
access to the client’s premises. The distance from the nearest TelOne fibre link was
short since there were free cores at the Petrol trade PBX room that terminated at the
JNW exchange, hence the fibre was ran from the client’s server room to the Petrol
Trade PBX room where the first two cores were spliced.

3. Splicing fibre

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  Spliced 2 cores of the new fibre to the old existing fibre in a doom box for protection
at the Petrol Trade PBX room. The first 2 cores (Blue and Orange) of the new fibre
were spliced at client side in a patch panel. The first core was for internet and the
second one was a redundant link just in case of faults in the first core. The first core
was connected to the ‘B’ type media converter using a ST to SC fibre patch code.

4. Communication with Main Exchange

 Light was injected into the first core at the client’s side so that it could be seen at the
data centre. After the light was seen at the data centre in a patch panel. An ‘A’ type
media converter was connected to the fibre with the light coming from the client’s
server room. Communication was done with the main exchange since the link was
supposed to be configured as an internet link. A port was provided on the switch at
the main exchange that could be managed by the main exchange staff remotely.
Connected the media converter facing the client side and the configured switch using
an ethernet cat 6 cable. The bandwidth was tested at the client’s side using ookla
website (https://www.speedtest.net/ ). Checked IP address and gateway address at
client end.

5. Map Drawing
 Went to the drawings office to get the existing fibre map for areas close to Texas
Meats. The new link to Texas Meats was drawn clearly showing all joins and bends
the fibre took to reach Texas Meats via Petrol Trade. The map was submitted to the
drawings office so that the new link could be added to the system for future reference.

6. Job Completion Forms

 A job completion form was written and taken to the client so that they could comment
and evaluate the job done by the TelOne team. After being satisfied the client signed
and approved the work done as a success.

Experiences

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  Learnt how to give orders to a team professionally.
 Learnt how to perform tasks with zero supervision from my superiors
 Learnt how to communicate with clients and workmates professionally.

Figure 6 Fibre termination in a patch panel using a Fijikura splicing machine

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ZEC PROJECT
Duration: 21st to 25th March 2022

Role: Telecommunication Technician

Objective: Setting up a call centre

What was done?

1. Area survey
 The area where the project was to take place was surveyed and important
information such as tools needed, labour force required and proposed start and
finish date were noted down and communicated to the client.

2. Cabinet mounting, Trunking, cabling and organisation

 Mounted a 15 unit network cabinet in a server room where an ethernet patch
panel cisco router, Trendnet 24 port switch and an IP PBX were to be housed
safely.
 Installed 40mm by 40mm trunking in which cat 6 ethernet cables were ran
from the cabinet to their various points in the call centre room. The trunking
also housed power cables from the wall sockets to the cabinet.
 The cat 6 ethernet cables were terminated into an ethernet patch panel using a
krone tool. Then in the call centre room the ethernet cables were terminated
into RJ45 krone modules and put into their respective face plates mounted on
the walls.
 Organised the router, IP PBX and switch in the cabinet. Then also used a
brush tidy to organise cables in the cabinet.

3. Splicing fibre

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  The router in the call centre room was uplinked using fibre. Therefore two
cores were spliced using a Fijikura splicing machine, having one end at the
main server room and the other end at the call centre server room.
 Media converters type A and B were made to face each other with type A at
the main server room and the type B at the call centre server room.

4. Registering IP phones and configuration

 Powered all Grandstream IP phones and connected them to the already
installed Trendnet switch and waited until they had each obtained IP
addresses.
 Registered each IP phone into a gateway using each phone’s GUI.
 Configured extension numbers for each IP phone.
 Then using a GUI on a browser of laptop machine, the newly created
extension numbers were registered into the IP PBX.
 Using the GUI for the IP PBX found on a browser, SIP numbers were
registered to the IP phones so that they could be able to make outbound calls.
 Configured all settings for the IP phones using the GUIs.

5. Training of Staff
 Offered a training session to the ZEC staff on how to use and work with the
newly set up call centre which had vast telecommunication technology.
Answered various questions the staff asked and gave maximum effort in
assisting where assistance was needed.

6. Job Completion Form

 A job completion form was written and given to the client so that they could
comment and evaluate the job done by the TelOne team. After being satisfied
the client signed and approved the work done as a success.

Experience

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  Learnt how to communicate with clients and staff.
 Learnt how to explain large professional terms in the simplest way possible for
all clients to understand.
 Enhanced my skills on working as a team.

Figure 7 A cabinet with telecommunication equipment

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Figure 8 Configuration of IP phones and system testing

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LIVINGSTONE HOUSE (OPC) PROJECT

Duration: 6th June to 16th June 2022

Role: Telecommunication Technician

Objective: LAN Extension of Existing Network

What was done?

1. Area survey Commented [u1]:

 The area where the project was to take place was surveyed and important
information such as tools needed, labour force required and proposed finish
date were noted down and communicated to the client.

2. Trunking and Termination

 Trunking routes to be taken by the Ethernet cat 6 cables from switch to the
Ethernet port on the wall and to various points where access points were to be
placed.
 Ran cables in the trunking from switch to the various points in different
offices.
 Terminated RJ45s using the B standard on both the RJ45 and krone modules.
 Terminated Ethernet cables on to krone modules on the face plates in different
offices.

3. Cabinet mounting and organizing

 Mounted two 6 unit cabinets where two switches and power adapters were to
be housed.
 The cables in the cabinet were organized for the cabinet to be neat.

4. Fibre installation and Up linking switches

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  An 80 meter fibre cable was run from the 8th floor to the 19th floor.
 The first two cores in the blue tube were spliced at both ends using a Fijikura
splicing machine. Two media converters were used to convert the electrical
signals to light which runs in fibre.
 The switches in the 19th floor got uplink from the fibre running from the 8th
floor.

5. Access points configuration

 Used the ruckus 510 series of access points for wireless connectivity
 The access points were configured using a GUI hosted on computers.
 The access points were set to have the different SSID and passwords since the
offices were in different departments
 The access points received uplink from the switch and were mounted on
various strategic positions for maximum coverage.

6. Testing and Fault correction

 After completion the network was tested to see if everything is working as it
should according to the demands of the client. All faults were corrected if any
were found. The client was given brief information on how the system is
supposed to work and what they should do if faults happen in the future

7. Job Completion Form

 A job completion form was written and taken to the client so that they could
comment and evaluate the job done by the TelOne team. After being satisfied
the client signed and approved the work done as a success.

Experiences

 Perfection of my fibre splicing skills.

 Managed to use professional terms when explaining to clients and workmates.
 Improved my work coordination skills.

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Figure 9 an organised 15 units cabinets housing telecommunication equipment

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Figure 10 Ruckus r510 GUI

CHAPTER 3

TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT USED DURING THE INDUSTRIAL ATTACHMENT

Optic fibre Splicing Machine

The type of splicing machines that were used are Fujikura 80s, 85s and 90s fusion splicer
model. Fusion splicing is to join two optical fibres end-to-end so that light passing through
the fibre is not scattered or reflected by the splice and the joint should not exceed a maximum
loss of 0.05db. The splice should be as strong as the intact fibre

25
Figure 11 Optic Fibre Machine with a striper and Cleaving Machine

From the left is a cable stripper which is used removed the cladding from the optic fibre as
was learnt that the function of the cladding is to provide a lower refractive index at the core
interface in order to cause reflection within the core so that light waves are transmitted
through the fibre as well as protecting the core from external stretches from the principles of
Optic Fibre and Lasers that we learned. Enough experience and confidence was gained in
using this machine even with minimum supervision.

From the right it is the cleaving machine it is used to cut two optic fibre ends equally. Proper
cleaving is so important because joining two fibers requires merging two fibre ends. If the
fibre ends are not precisely cleaved, the ends will not merge properly. If the cleaved ends are
at an angle, there will be a gap between the fibers that will cause loss in a mechanical splice
or uneven fusion splicing

OTDR Optical Time Domain Reflectometer

An Optical Time Domain Reflectometer (OTDR) is a device that tests the integrity of a fibre
cable and is used for the building, certifying, maintaining, and troubleshooting fibre optic
systems. Hand-held OTDRs build a virtual image of the fibre optic cable to determine the

26
condition and performance capability of the fibre cable. These tools can also test components
along the cable path like connection points, bends, or splices to analyse the cable’s capability
from start to finish. The process of running these tests requires the OTDR tool to input a light
pulse into one end of a fibre cable. The results are based on the reflected signal that returns to
the same OTDR port. Some of the light transmitted through the cable will scatter and some
will be reflected and returned to the OTDR. This returned scatter and reflections are
measured to gather useful information about the cable, such as loss and distances to
connectors or faults. This is measured by recording the time it takes for signals to return to
the OTDR.

Figure 12 Testing the Frampol link with OTDR

Visual Fault Locators (VFL)

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Figure 13 Visual Fault Locators
Visual Fault Locators (VFL) are used for installation, fault finding, continuity checking, and
polarity checking, verifying a signal path, and identifying fibres.

Krone Tool

Figure 14 Punch down tool

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Also referred to as krone tool, the punch down tool is a small hand tool most often used by
telecommunications and data network technicians to install wiring for telephone, computer
and various audio networks.

Crimping Tool

Figure 15 Ethernet crimping tool

A crimping tool is the tool used to deform the material and create the connection. Crimping is
commonly used in electrical work, to attach wires together or wire to other connectors such
as RJ45s.

Tone Sender

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Figure 16 Tone sender

This is a standard network cable tester, with additional option tone generator and receiver.
Tone generator is connected to the cable with a connector, or with alligator clip and generates
the tone which can easily be found with tone receive even in the big bundles of cable. When

30
the receiver is placed near the connected cable, it starts generating a tone and it amplifies as
the receiver nears the connected cable.

CHAPTER 4

EVALUATION OF THE ATTACHMENT

Conclusions
In conclusion the student benefited a lot in the field attachment in a way that the student
managed to apply the theoretical knowledge from the university into practice through the
many activities/tasks/assignments the intern was instructed to do. The intern improved the
skills like interpersonal, listening, presentation skills, acting freely around people, critical
thinking as an engineer, conflict resolution, organizational skills to mention but a few. The
student learnt many lessons which included; how to troubleshoot networks, how to install
new networks, how the working environment runs, etc. The student got different ideas from
the different people (employees) at the Organization and also through interacting with other
interns from various universities and this contributed a lot on the knowledge and experience.
Finally, the industrial attachment was a huge success and was very fruitful.

Success of modules studied as compared to organizational

operations:
Many of the courses studied managed to link well with the duties and projects performed
during the attachment period. For clarity the Data Communication course was greatly applied
and used to handle a variety of configurations such as configuration of cisco routers, access
points, mikrotik routers and other various devices. Courses such as optical systems came to
play when dealing with problems having to do with fibre. Communication skills came to play
in communication with superiors and clients. Programming courses helped when it came to
solving problems having to do with software components of various devices. Mathematical
courses helped with critical thinking which was required constantly. So it is safe to say that
TelOne provided the opportunity to link technical work well with what was previously
studied and apply both to several duties and projects

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Challenges faced and possible solutions implemented

Improper cable records

Before implementing the optic fibre in TelOne as field engineers one had to visit the Drawing
office under the National Planning Department to obtain the updated maps of existing cable
routes for the area that needs to be provided with service. The major challenge as a trainee
engineer was improper cable records in TelOne and the information was not efficient
sometimes the roads on the maps were wrongly named, wrong cables on the site according to
the maps. As a trainee engineer a good suggestion to the company was the implementation of
an application that should be used by the field engineers and technicians to update the cable
records in their areas, records of optic fibre cores used and the name of the client being
connected as well as the GPS coordinates of the manholes. It also has to be the technician’s
challenge to make sure the changes made on the existing fibre networks is updated to provide
accurate results in the future.

Shortages of materials
The company has many engineers that perform various duties and projects, so the tools and
equipment to perform these duties has to be enough. The shortage of tools was one of our
major problems faced for the on ground engineers. The only possible solution to this solution
was to share the tools available. Field engineers should be advised to handle and keep their
tools safe to avoid disappearance of tools.

Unmaintained network infrastructure

TelOne infrastructure was laid in the 1980s especially the underground ducts around the CBD
in Harare, residential areas around Harare and other parts of the country. The main challenge
faced was that it was very difficult to perform faulting in areas with old infrastructure since
the old equipment would have collapsed or worn out hence making it difficult to maintain.
Moreover in the rainy season it will be difficult to connect a customer in time since these
manholes are full of water and this would force technicians to end up taking a lot of time
using water pumps to remove the water. As a trainee engineer, suggestion to the company
was that there should be a department that is responsible for maintaining the underground
network.

Customer handling

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During this industrial attachment there, was s lot of interaction with various people from
different social groups, ethics, ideology, languages and background. It was necessary to apply
the use of communication skills from the university to good effect to help in building some
good relationships with customers especially assisting them with their internet faults or other
work related problems.

Success of the attachment

Good communication and interpersonal skills

Student had the opportunity of interacting with various people of varying social groups,
ethics, ideology, languages and backgrounds in the industry. With the skills the student
acquired while studying the Communication Skills module at the university the student was
able to conduct meetings with customers during preliminary site surveys.

Managerial skills
In the industry the student learnt on how to be accountable and responsible by being left
alone in the field leading a group of more than ten casual workers, reporting daily activities to
superiors of the work progress. The student managed to do this and managed to lead different
teams to carrying out huge projects from start to finish with minimum challenges.

Good decision making skills

Critical thinking and timely decision making was tested in most encounters whenever a
technical problem had to be solved. During the industrial attachment the student was trusted
to make huge calls and big decisions whenever a problem was encountered. The student was
trusted enough to carry out site surveys for different customer and clients.

Recommendations to the Organisation

Improve and update underground cable records

It should be every technician’s duty to make sure that all changes made on the already present
network have to be updated at the drawing office. Also making sure old networks are up to
date and correct.

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Implement of antitheft cable alarm system in the network
Due to the high cases of cable theft occurring at TelOne which has led to various customers
having to live for some time without service. It is best that the organization installs antitheft
cable systems that help reduce theft of cables. This can be done through the use of high
technology such as motion sensors and alarm systems that help prevent or detect theft at the
moment of occurrence.

Improve the client service

Customers complained that the company takes too long in installing new networks for them
and also too long when it comes to dealing with faults that are reported by the customers. The
best solution to this is if the company provides transport and tools to all technicians so that
there are more efficient when dealing with faults reported and also for new installations.

Discussion
During the nine months at TelOne the student managed to improve by gaining a lot of
technical skills mentioned in the report above. Student successfully managed to turn the
theory learnt at school into practical which helped lot to improve skills as an engineer.
Student was able to work under minimum supervision or no supervision which showed that
the student was able to take the acquired skills into practice and still get the job done without
any problems. Despite the many various challenges faced during the attachment period the
student successfully managed to make it to the end with lots of experience gained.

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Referencing

http://www.comms-express.com/infozone/article/pabx/

https://www.toolbox.com/tech/networking/articles/what-is-local-area-network/

https://th.nec.com/en_TH/product/telephony/SME_Phone_Systems/sv9100.html

https://www.cableorganizer.com/categories/telecom-datacom

https://support .ruckuswireless.com/articles/000001959

https://www.3cx.com/pbx/ip-pbx-overview/

https://www.speedtest.net/

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