Systems grounding: management and troubleshooting

In recent years, increased local and global competition has led to revision of all aspects of 'life' in a telecommunication facility, including installation cost and maintenance of equipment grounding systems. In this ever-changing world, it is important to contain costs by eliminating all unnecessary expenses and reducing ongoing expenses, be they one-time (such as initial installation) or ongoing (such as occasional troubleshooting investigations, system expansion or periodic maintenance). By summarizing the authors' years of experience in auditing and troubleshooting telecommunication systems, this paper not only provides insight into the main issues that affect the ongoing operation of the network but also identifies the network trends and key elements of an audit that will help in planning and management of the network.