If your organization wins an RDOF block, you will need to come up with a plan to build and manage your new network in a way that will maximize its return. Building large networks in rural areas is a big job with a lot of potential risks. Embracing technology, specifically fiber network management and design software, can help reduce the risk and bring efficiency to all phases of the new network. Here are some of the ways the right software can maximize the ROI for RDOF projects:
Speed of design
Winning an RDOF block requires providers to have service to 40% of the locations by the end of the third year of subsidies. Speed should be a goal for providers, not only to meet FCC deadlines but to see return on their investment faster. Building fiber networks in rural areas means covering long distances. That does not mean the network engineering has to be a long, tedious process. Let the computer work for you. Automated planning software can plan routes 5 times faster than traditional engineering methods. Using guidelines set by the user, an automated process can find the least-cost routing to thousands of destination points in minutes. An engineer can then check the route to make sure it meets the guidelines, then make any necessary changes. Automated design software can generate connected designs while saving 90% design time, and can also quickly provide accurate cost estimates for getting the network built. That speed in the design phase gets organizations into permitting and construction faster, reducing the time to revenue.
Roll with the punches
Each block in the RDOF auction has a designated number of locations to be served. The locations of those homes and businesses are not a certainty. With destination points changing, your design process needs to be agile. Using automation gives you the ability to rerun a route to account for changing or new destination points and find the adjusted lowest cost path in a matter of minutes. With margins likely being thin for many RDOF blocks, your organization cannot waste time and money constantly redesigning the network. The speed automation brings to the design process is even more valuable when the network being created is constantly in flux.
Leave no stone unturned
Automated design software can also help maximize the revenue potential of your RDOF network. There are tools in design software that allow users to set a buffer distance around a route. The tool can find potential customers in that area that could be served by the network that are not included in the RDOF block. The automation software can then determine the least-cost route that will serve the destination points required for RDOF funding and the newly discovered potential customers.
Complete visibility for the life of network
An RDOF network is a long-term investment and technology can help maximize that investment long after the design and construction is complete. With fiber network management software a complete view of the network all the way down to the strand level is just a click away. Using the data produced during the planning and design phases, it allows providers to see all their network assets and how they work together. Network management software makes it easy to locate an outage, find dark fiber in the network, and find the best path to new customers. The right software takes the guesswork out of fiber network management, allowing providers to respond to problems faster and quickly capitalize on opportunities.
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