Telecom fibre routes
OFC Route Survey for Airtel Fibre Projects with GPR
We scan the alignment before your HDD rig or trencher starts, so every crossing on an Airtel fibre route is known and marked.
Quick AnswerAn OFC route survey for Airtel fibre work sweeps the alignment with ground penetrating radar (GPR) and a cable locator before any trencher or HDD rig arrives. Every crossing is painted on the ground with its depth. Contractors use it to avoid cutting other services and to fix pit positions. Rates start at ₹24 per metre; you can see telecom operator projects for the wider picture.
What does an OFC route survey for Airtel fibre work cover?
It is a record, made before the first pit is dug, of each duct, pipe and cable already lying along the line the new fibre will follow. We scan the route, mark crossings and depths on the ground, and hand over a drawing the HDD or trenching crew can follow shot by shot. The radar sends short radar pulses into the footpath, and the receiving antenna records each return signal, so the screen can image the subsurface in real time.
Bharti Airtel runs a large fibre network in India, carrying mobile backhaul, enterprise leased lines and Airtel Xstream Fiber home broadband. Execution contractors build new links and route extensions to the operator's design. Our survey sits between that design and the first bore, and it shows the crew what occupies the ground at each point. You can read about OFC route GPR survey methods in more detail on our service page.
Why scan before the HDD rig moves in?
Because a drill head cannot see. It follows the bore profile it is given. Unless someone has located what lies on that profile, nothing stops it from passing through a water main or another operator's duct. One strike can cost more than the whole survey once repair, penalty and idle crew time are added up.
On a typical town route the footpath and road shoulder are already crowded. Along a 2 km stretch we commonly find:
- two or three existing telecom ducts, some abandoned and some live;
- LT and 11 kV power cables, often without any warning tape;
- water pipes and sewer lines crossing at every side road;
- storm drains and culverts that force the bore deeper;
- in some cities, a gas distribution pipe on the same side of the road.
Our HDD route survey details how these findings set entry and exit pits, bore depth and clearance from each crossing. The drilling plan is then built on what is in the ground.
What changes once the scan is done?
On most routes the alignment stays, but pit positions, bore depths and one or two road crossings move. That is the point of doing it before mobilising the rig, not after a strike.
Three situations we meet often show the pattern. On a market road, a planned pit can sit directly over a cluster of LT cables feeding shops; shifting it a few metres along the footpath clears it. At a four-lane crossing, an old cast iron water main may run deeper than the design assumed. The bore profile then drops to pass under it. On a service lane, the scan sometimes reveals an old duct bank missing from every record, and the bore has to be taken below it for the whole block.
None of these is dramatic on paper. On site, each one is the difference between a clean day of drilling and a stopped job with an angry utility owner at the pit.
How reliable are the depths we give?
GPR depth depends on the soil, so we state it as an estimate with a tolerance and tell you where it is weakest. Dry sandy ground in Rajasthan or western Uttar Pradesh gives clear, deep signals. Signal reach falls sharply in soaked black cotton soil, salty coastal ground and fresh backfill. High electrical conductivity in such soil conditions swallows radar energy.
At a critical crossing, such as a high-pressure pipe or a big trunk sewer, one hand-dug trial pit at that spot is our advice for proving the depth. It costs little and removes doubt before the bore.
How does our crew survey an Airtel fibre alignment?
In six steps, from the route file to a marked-up drawing. A 3–4 km urban stretch takes about a day; longer highway sections move faster.
- Route file. You send the KMZ or design drawing with chainage, pit locations and the duct count.
- Desk check. We note road crossings, flyovers, drains and the agency that owns each road. The licence holder or its contractor files the telecom Right of Way application on the Gati Shakti Sanchar portal; we do not handle that step.
- Utility alerts. The stretch is checked against Call Before u Dig, the Department of Telecommunications app launched in 2023 through which anyone excavating can warn the owners of buried assets.
- Scanning. Radar crosses the alignment at close intervals and over each proposed pit, while the cable locator picks up live metallic services.
- Ground marking. Paint on the surface shows every service found, its type and its estimated depth.
- Drawing. A depth-marked CAD drawing and KMZ follow, with the radargrams from data collection behind each crossing.
Cities add their own problems: narrow lanes, heavy traffic and multiple road owners. City routes are covered in OFC Route Survey in Delhi NCR.
OFC route survey for Airtel work at a glance
| Feature | On an Airtel fibre route |
|---|---|
| Survey method | Radar lines across the route, locator on energised services |
| How deep it sees | Roughly 2–3 m in dry ground, less in wet clay |
| What it finds | Voids, ducts, cables, and pipes whether metal or not |
| Ground marks | Service type and depth painted on site |
| Files | Crossing list by chainage, radargram set, KMZ, drawing in DWG + PDF |
| Crew arrival | Same day or within 1 working day in Delhi NCR |
Why the crossing list matters: damage to someone else's fibre is rarely cheap. The Mezux guide: Fibre Cut Penalty in India sets out who pays and how claims arise.
What does the survey cost per metre?
Standard GPR scanning costs ₹24 per metre and an L-section survey ₹32 per metre, with GST extra. The minimum order is ₹50,000 in Delhi NCR and ₹1,00,000 elsewhere in India. There is no minimum length.
| Standard GPR scan | ₹24 per metre |
| L-section (longitudinal profile) | ₹32 per metre |
| Minimum order | ₹50,000 Delhi NCR · ₹1,00,000 rest of India |
| Whole-order discount | 25% above 100 km · 40% above 500 km · 50% above 1,000 km |
Example: a 12 km standard scan on a district road in Rajasthan comes to 12,000 × ₹24 = ₹2,88,000 plus GST. A 1.5 km link in Gurugram works out at ₹36,000, so the ₹50,000 NCR minimum applies.
What should you send us to start?
The route file, the pit list and a short note on the method you plan to use. If the Right of Way or traffic permission is already in hand, tell us the working hours it allows, since some city roads only open at night.
Fibre routes are scanned only by our staff on equipment the company owns, and no part of the work is sub-let. The same crews handle underground utility mapping for other operators' optic fibre routes. Bharti Airtel has awarded Mezux Touch route surveys on its own work orders, and its OFC execution contractors book our crews as well. Company names on this page are used only to describe the type of work; all trademarks belong to their owners. For a written quote, or to confirm scope and dates for a route, ask our engineers.
Frequently asked questions
Do you need Airtel's approval to scan a route?
The scan runs on a work order from Airtel or its executing contractor, and we have worked both ways. The road owner's permission is still needed in most cases, and our crew works under it.
Can GPR find an empty HDPE duct?
Often yes. An empty duct is a buried object with strong contrast, and it shows as a weak but clear hyperbola, especially in dry soil. In wet clay a small empty duct is tougher to pick out, so uncertain points are checked at the pits.
How deep should a fibre bore go under a road?
Bore depth comes from the operator's design and the road owner's terms. What we provide is the depth of services already there, so the bore can pass them with room to spare.
Is a survey worth it on a short 500 m link?
In most cases, yes, if the link crosses busy roads. The minimum order applies, so many contractors group several short links into one visit. Our price list gives more on GPR survey rates.
Do you also drill?
Yes. Our fleet includes 18 HDD rigs, which is why the survey engineers plan like drillers. This page covers the survey; drilling is quoted separately.
What format is the drawing in?
DWG and PDF, a KMZ for Google Earth and an Excel crossing list with chainage, service type and depth.
Get a written quote for your fibre route
Telecom company pages
Written by Saniya Parveen · Technically reviewed by Rahul Rai · Updated 8 November 2026