Telecom and utilities news and perspectives

• Fiber network management
• 3-GIS | Web
• Fiber deployment
• Fiber network planning

Making the most of duct space: Challenges and opportunities

When people talk about fiber networks, the spotlight usually goes to the cable itself. But ducts, the conduit that carries it all, may be the most undervalued asset in the ground. Managed well, they can speed up deployments, extend the life of infrastructure, and even open up new revenue streams through leasing. Managed poorly, they become a bottleneck that slows projects and inflates costs.

• Fiber network industry and markets
• Communications service providers
• Fiber deployment

How NTIA’s new permitting tool could help BEAD awardees

When the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) released its BEAD Restructuring Policy Notice in June 2025, most attention focused on changes to funding priorities and fiber-first policies. But buried deeper in the guidance is something with real operational weight: a new federal requirement for environmental permitting coordination.

As of now, every BEAD awardee must use the NTIA’s Environmental Screening and Permitting Tracking Tool (ESAPTT) for any project requiring review under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).¹ According to NTIA, this move will “significantly reduce the time and effort required for broadband permitting.”² That could mean cutting 3–6 months off approval timelines—if awardees have their network data ready.

• Fiber network management
• RDOF
• GIS
• FTTH

Why your BEAD build needs a GIS fiber asset management system

Back in 2021, Congress allocated $42.45 billion to the NTIA to create the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program—or BEAD. This was done to bring 100/20 Mbps service to every unserved and underserved location in the country.¹

Why the major investment in fiber? Because our communities depend on it for growth, adding over $1.6 trillion in household income and 380,000 in new jobs, according to a Fiber Broadband Association study.²

• Fiber network management
• App modernization

Beyond the basics: How to use fiber management systems in 2025

A few years back, the telecommunications industry experienced a major shift. Network operators moved away from disconnected processes and basic tracking toward dedicated management platforms. But now that we have experience with these systems, a critical question emerges: Are we actually using them to their full potential?

• Fiber network industry and markets
• Telecom technologies
• GIS

How GIS transforms fiber proposals - Part 3: Creating accurate cost estimates

Cost miscalculations. The silent deal-killers of the fiber proposals process. Following our exploration of slow, manual processes and asset visibility challenges, we now address the most problematic factor that 37% of organizations we surveyed in a recent webinar identify as their biggest hurdle: creating accurate cost estimates.

• Fiber network management
• Telecom technologies
• 3-GIS | Web

How GIS transforms fiber proposals - Part 2: Maximizing success with network asset visibility

Valuable fiber assets often sit unused while providers build costly new infrastructure alongside them. Why? Because many providers simply can't see what they already have.

• Fiber network industry and markets
• Telecom technologies
• GIS

How GIS transforms fiber proposals - Part 1: The cost of manual proposal methods

Ever wonder why some fiber providers consistently win contracts while others struggle to close deals? In a recent webinar, we pulled back the curtain on what's really happening in the proposal process. The (not so) shocking reality? Many providers are losing winnable deals due to slow, manual processes, poor visibility into their network assets, and proposals with cost estimates that miss the mark.

• Fiber network industry and markets
• FTTH
• Fiber deployment

Rural vs urban fiber network planning: The challenges and opportunities

The approach to planning and deploying fiber networks can vary dramatically between rural and urban environments. While modern fiber design software has revolutionized how providers tackle these challenges, the differences in these environments require carefully tailored, data-driven strategies to maximize ROI, reduce deployment risks, and accelerate time to market.