• Installing fiber optic cable to use in a fracking operation is likely to cost several hundred thousand dollars. The basis for the new technology is the increased return on investment compared to other technologies.
• A research team from Berekley University has experimented with using the thousands of dark fiber optic cables that are installed under ground and currently go unused. The experiment was successful but no information was available on this aspect.
• The cost of installing fiber optic typically costs between $1 to $6 per 30 cm. No indication was given if this changed when it was to be used in a fracking operation.
• A sample of 152 fiber optic installations is available here. This does not breakdown the cost of personnel.
• Personnel installing fiber optic cable typically receive between $25 and $33 per hour.
• It is unclear if the charge out rate would be the same in a commercial operation but when working on fiber optic repair and installation in a residential setting, a technician with truck is $150 per hour and a supervisor $250 per hour.

Summary

• We have spent this hour of research attempting to locate the personnel costs associated with the installation on fiber optic cable for fracking with limited success. The information sought does not appear to be publicly available. We have located the charge out rates of a technician in relation to a residential setting but without knowing the time it would take to install in a fracking setting cannot complete a triangulation.