A duct can have a sub-duct installed within it. The sub-duct can, obviously, hold cabling (either metallic or glass (or plastic) fibre).
"Rodding" is the process of pushing a semi-flexible rod (either one continuous length from a reel) or discreet lengths, joined together like a chimney sweeps rods and brush, into a duct. Once the rod(s) reach the other end of the duct (so being "rodded") a polypropylene rope (blue coloured) would be attached to a coupling on the "nose" of the rod and the rod(s) pulled back to the point where they were initially inserted, drawing the rope through the duct. The test would be whether the rod(s) could be inserted through that length of duct. Approximately 300 metres of sub-duct (possibly already pre-cabled) would then be drawn into the duct by usage of the polypropylene rope.
If the "rod, rope and test" fails due to a blockage in the duct, the duct would have to be excavated. The existing duct may run under the pavement ("footway" (FW)), the road ("carriageway" (CW)) or verge. Hence notice has been given that excavation my be required in one, two or all three of those surfaces.
The duct route, to which the works refer, is classified as a spine route (a major infrastructure route) to the relevant, nearby, telephone exchange.
As for the "
pulling cables along the pavements all around and running them up the wooden telegraph poles, to a new big blackbox on top", without seeing a picture . . . who knows?
It is what it is, no more and no less.