Civil &amp; Underground Services

Civil Works, Ingrounds & Public Domain Works

Comtex and our specialist civil division, PON Projects, deliver underground civil works across New South Wales and Queensland. Our focus is communications and telecommunications infrastructure: trenching, pit & pipe, conduit networks and ingrounds that fibre and data networks rely on. Because Comtex is also an electrical contractor, we deliver power and lighting ingrounds too, along with streetscape and public domain works, vac truck excavation and trenchless directional drilling.

TrenchingOpen trench & conduit installation

Pit & PipeTelecommunications pits & conduit

IngroundsComms & electrical conduit and pits

Public DomainStreetscape & footpath works

Vac TruckVacuum excavation & NDD

Directional DrillingTrenchless HDD & boring

Concrete encasement poured over HV and LV conduits in an open trench

Trenching

We coordinate and deliver site-wide telecommunications and utility trenching for residential estates, commercial developments and carrier networks. Our crews excavate, lay conduit to specification, install warning tape and bedding, then backfill, compact and reinstate the surface so the site is left ready for the next trade.

Telecommunications & communications trenching
Shared and joint utility trenches
Conduit and duct installation along roads and boundaries
Backfill, compaction & surface reinstatement
Traffic management to approved TMC plans

Cable pits and conduit installed in a trench

Pit & Pipe Installation

Pit and pipe is the backbone of every fibre network. Since 2012 our teams have built the pit and pipe networks behind more than 320,000 connected dwellings, working to NBN, Opticomm and carrier specifications. We position and level pits, install conduits and sub-ducts with draw wires, and hand over complete as-built documentation.

Pit and pipe for new developments
Telecommunications pits, ducts & conduits
Draw wires, sub-ducts & cable hauling preparation
Pit raising, relocation & carrier asset relocation
Concrete slabs for carrier equipment & cabinets
Pit, cabling & carrier equipment audits

Communications and electrical conduit stub-ups installed as ingrounds

Communications & Electrical Ingrounds

Ingrounds are the conduit, pits and footings installed before the slab, pavement or landscaping goes down. We install the communications ingrounds that our data, fibre and security teams will cable, and because Comtex is also an electrical contractor, the power and lighting ingrounds as well, all from the same drawings. Recent work includes inground infrastructure at Western Sydney International Airport, where Comtex was lead contractor.

Communications conduit & cable pits
Lead-in and building entry conduits
HV & LV electrical conduit installation
Light pole footings & installation
Conduit stub-ups for comms rooms, switchboards & kiosks

Footpath trenching for public domain and streetscape works

Public Domain & Streetscape Works

Upgrading footpaths, plazas and streetscapes means working in busy public spaces. We install the ingrounds for CCTV, public Wi-Fi, smart city and communications services, plus street lighting and power, in footpaths and public areas. We manage pedestrian and traffic control around the work, and reinstate pavers, concrete and turf so the area is safe and open again quickly.

Pits & conduit for CCTV, Wi-Fi & smart city services
Footpath & streetscape trenching
Street & public area lighting ingrounds
Pedestrian & traffic management in active areas
Paver, concrete & surface reinstatement

Vac truck carrying out vacuum excavation at a street dig — Stock photo for illustration

Vac Truck & Vacuum Excavation (Non-Destructive Digging)

Vacuum excavation, also known as non-destructive digging (NDD) or hydro excavation, uses high-pressure water or air and a powerful vac truck to safely expose underground services. It's the safest way to dig around live gas, power, water and fibre, and leaves a clean, tidy excavation with minimal ground disturbance.

Potholing & service proving before excavation or drilling
Exposing and locating underground utilities
Vacuum trenching in congested or sensitive areas
Pit excavation & pit cleaning
Slurry and spoil removal

Horizontal directional drilling rig boring under a road verge

Directional Drilling & Boring

Horizontal directional drilling (HDD), or directional boring, is a trenchless method for installing conduit under roads, driveways, rail corridors, creeks and established landscaping without digging them up. We have bored under roads and along rail lines on major estate projects, keeping traffic moving and reinstatement costs down.

Trenchless conduit installation for telco & power
Road, driveway & footpath crossings
Rail corridor & waterway crossings
Under-boring of established landscaping
Pre-drill potholing to prove existing services

Where Comtex Civil Fits Best

The civil scopes we deliver every week, on their own or alongside our electrical and communications packages.

Communications Infrastructure
Pit & Pipe for New Developments
Trenching & Excavation
Pit Installation

Communications & Electrical Ingrounds
HV & LV Conduit Installation
Light Pole Installation
Service Location / NDD

Streetscape & Public Domain Works
Directional Drilling & Road Crossings
Equipment Slabs & Footings
Backfill & Surface Reinstatement

Why Choose Comtex for Civil Works?

One contractor from the first trench to final commissioning.

Carrier Approved

Telstra TEBA Approved Contractor and Telstra Duct Access Approved Contractor, with NBN enAble trained staff.

Safety First

White Card, confined space entry & rescue, gas detection and traffic management trained crews. Police checked staff, with Defence checked personnel available.

Civils to Commissioning

Our civil crews work alongside our fibre, GPON, ICN and electrical teams, so you manage one contractor instead of four.

NSW & QLD Coverage

Crews and plant based in Sydney and Brisbane, servicing metropolitan and regional New South Wales and Queensland.

Proven at Scale

Trusted by Lendlease, NBN Co, Opticomm and Visionstream on projects including the 2,029 hectare Yarrabilba community in Queensland.

Documented & Compliant

Daily site records, dockets and as-built documentation delivered to carrier and principal contractor requirements.

Who We Work With

Residential estates & land developers
Builders & principal contractors
Telecommunications carriers & NBN delivery partners
Aged care, health & retirement villages
Hotels, venues & commercial campuses
Councils & government

Frequently Asked Questions

What are ingrounds?

Ingrounds are the in-ground communications and electrical infrastructure installed before slabs, pavements and landscaping are finished: trenches, communications conduit and pits, lead-in conduits, HV and LV electrical conduit, light pole footings and the conduit stub-ups for comms rooms, switchboards and kiosks. Getting them right first time avoids costly rework once the surface is poured.

What is non-destructive digging?

Non-destructive digging (NDD), also called vacuum excavation or hydro excavation, uses high-pressure water or air to loosen soil and a powerful vacuum to remove it into a vac truck. It exposes underground services such as gas, power, water and fibre without the risk of striking them with an excavator bucket.

When should I use directional drilling instead of trenching?

Directional drilling (horizontal directional drilling or HDD) is a trenchless method used to install conduit under roads, driveways, rail corridors, creeks and established landscaping where open trenching would be disruptive or costly to reinstate. Trenching is usually more economical for open ground and new estates.

What does pit and pipe mean?

Pit and pipe is the underground civil network that carries telecommunications cabling: pits installed at access points, joined by conduit (pipe) with draw wires ready for cable hauling. It is the foundation of NBN, Opticomm and private fibre networks in new developments.

Where does Comtex carry out civil works?

Comtex civil works are primarily carried out by our subsidiary company, PON Projects, across New South Wales and Queensland from our Sydney and Brisbane bases. We also support larger programs interstate.