Summary: This paper deals with the comprehensive design of a distributed network, whose structure includes a large-scale fiber transport network where switching centers are interconnected via optical fiber cable. For real-world applicability, this design study covers in an integrated framework all three major decision sets: locating hub facilities, placing conduits and installing cables therein. The complex problem is formulated as a simple variant of the classical network design model by judiciously redefining commodity-flows. Exploiting the special structure of the problem, a dual-based heuristic is then developed which yields near-optimal design plans. Computational experiments show that the performance of the proposed heuristic is satisfactory in both speed and the quality of the design solutions generated.