Telecom and utilities news and perspectives

From fiber-to-the-home to utility grid modernization, there’s no shortage of complexity in network management. Planning, design, mapping, permitting, and database integrity all shape how telecom and utility providers deliver reliable service. At 3-GIS, our team contributes daily to advancing the field, bringing a deep understanding of these challenges and the solutions needed to overcome them. Take a look at our take on what’s happening across telecom and utility networks, from fiber mapping software and OSP design software to smarter approaches for telecom network management and utility network solutions.

Industry news and perspectives at your fingertips

Mar 20, 2026 11:30:00 AM
  • Telecom technologies
  • 3-GIS utilities solutions
  • App modernization

Unilateral recap and recall construction

Editor’s note: Originally published by SSP Innovations under SSP SPANS. Updated by the 3-GIS Team with the current product name, 3-GIS | SPANS, and other revisions. 

Managing electric and communications infrastructure requires constant coordination between pole owners and attachers. In joint use workflows and transfer requests, both parties must exchange information, respond to proposals, and document the outcome.

Structured communication helps make that process consistent.

When proposals follow a defined workflow with standard responses and attached business processes, any user can enter the process midstream and quickly understand its status and history. This consistency also makes it easier for organizations to manage staffing changes and maintain continuity across projects.

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Mar 13, 2026 1:30:00 PM
  • 3-GIS utilities solutions
  • App modernization

How does real-time vs. packet-based incremental sync work in MIMS?

Editor’s note: Originally published by SSP Innovations under SSP MIMS. Updated by the 3-GIS Team with the current product name, 3-GIS | MIMS, and other revisions.

3-GIS | MIMS includes an alternative to real-time synchronization with ArcGIS Server for one-way feature services. This method, called packet-based synchronization, allows incremental updates to be managed and distributed by MIMS Gateway rather than handled directly by ArcGIS Server.

With this approach, changes to facility data are packaged into update packets that mobile clients download from the gateway. This reduces the number of requests sent directly to enterprise systems and improves synchronization performance when working with large datasets.

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Jan 16, 2026 2:00:00 PM
  • 3-GIS utilities solutions
  • GIS
  • App modernization

How utilities are getting more out of the Esri Utility Network

Editor’s note: Originally published by SSP Innovations under SSP Productivity. Updated by the 3-GIS Team with the current product name, 3-GIS | Productivity, and other revisions.

The way utilities manage data today reflects more than a century of innovation shaped by the pursuit of customer service and safety. From handwritten notes on paper maps to advanced tools that calculate restoration times during outages, the methods have changed but the goals remain the same.

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Sep 22, 2025 4:00:00 PM
  • 3-GIS utilities solutions
  • App modernization
  • Fiber deployment

Managing joint use assets in the cloud

Editor’s note: Originally published in July 2023 by SSP Innovations under SSP SPANS. Updated in 2025 by the 3-GIS Team with the current product name, 3-GIS | SPANS, and other revisions.

Joint use management is uniquely suited to the cloud. With growing demands on pole space and increasing regulatory oversight, utilities need tools that keep work organized, documented, and efficient. A cloud-based solution, like 3-GIS | SPANS, keeps communication clear and records consistent.

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Aug 13, 2025 12:00:00 PM
  • Fiber network industry and markets
  • Telecom technologies
  • App modernization

Our top takeaways from ISE EXPO 2025

The 3-GIS team just wrapped a week in New Orleans for the 2025 ISE EXPO. What really stood out? A push for faster operations, smarter automation, and better data utility. From conversations on the show floor to sessions like Leveraging AI and Automation to Streamline Network Data, some themes began to emerge. The solution to telecom complexity? Teams are realizing it starts with better management of the data they encounter day in and day out.

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Jun 30, 2025 5:00:00 PM
  • Fiber network management
  • Telecom technologies
  • App modernization
  • 3-GIS telecom solutions

Three reasons to rethink fiber outage response

The stakes are high for fiber service providers: contracts come with strict service-level agreements (SLAs), customer expectations around reliability are increasing, and the cost of delayed fault response, both in dollars and reputation, is growing. Fiber may be more resilient than copper, but it’s not immune to cuts, degradation, or equipment impacts.

But even with sophisticated systems in place, many operators are still relying on manual fault response workflows—waiting for alarms to stack up, dispatching trucks without a confirmed location, or hearing about issues from customers first.

It’s an approach that isn’t just inefficient—it’s costly too.

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May 29, 2025 5:00:00 PM
  • Telecom technologies
  • App modernization
  • Communications service providers
  • Press

VIAVI and 3-GIS partnership enables faster, more accurate fiber fault location at Windstream Wholesale

Chandler, Ariz., May 29, 2025 – Viavi Solutions Inc. (VIAVI) (NASDAQ: VIAV) and 3-GIS, a market-leading fiber network design and management software provider, today announced a partnership to empower businesses with faster, more accurate fiber fault location capabilities, while also leveraging customers’ existing Geographic Information System (GIS) investments. The combined solution, currently deployed at Windstream Wholesale, automates the current manual processes, offering significant advantages in improving network maintenance, minimizing downtime, increasing revenue and reducing cost. VIAVI, 3-GIS and Windstream will discuss this joint solution and its customer benefits in a webinar hosted by the Fiber Broadband Association on June 12, 2025.

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May 26, 2025 6:00:00 PM
  • 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?

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