News and perspectives from the world of fiber optic networking

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

Telecom industry pulse: June 2025 recap

Network news roundup

June was anything but quiet for telecom. Policy shakeups from NTIA are reshaping how $42.5 billion in BEAD funding can be used, fiber expansion continues in rural markets, and new AI-related bills are tying broadband dollars to regulation. Add in growing sentiment for fiber in underserved areas and a big acquisition in Virginia—and it’s clear the landscape is shifting fast.

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

Faster fibre rollouts start with smarter infrastructure sharing

In a world increasingly defined by speed, connectivity, and digital equity, building faster broadband infrastructure is a national and social imperative. Governments across the globe are pushing for widespread fibre deployment to close the digital divide and supercharge economic development.¹ But as telcos race to deliver, one big question looms: How do we scale quickly, affordably, and sustainably?

The answer, in part, lies in better collaboration, specifically in smarter ways of managing shared fibre infrastructure. But here’s the catch: sharing infrastructure only works if the systems that underpin it are modern, live, and interoperable. Too often, they’re not. And the consequences can be surprisingly disruptive.

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

Telecom industry pulse: May 2025 recap

Network news roundup

The past month has seen significant developments across the telecom space. Major broadband expansions into rural and agricultural areas, industry consolidation through a surprise cable merger, and strategic partnerships in cloud services. Meanwhile, consumer broadband speeds continue to climb, with 500 Mbps now emerging as the new baseline for residential internet service.

• 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.

• Utilities
• Communications service providers
• Fiber deployment

Fibre at the core: Powering the smart cities of tomorrow

One global report estimated that the smart city platform market is set to be worth $292.1 billion by 2028, the primary factor driving this growth being various government initiatives to develop digitised, smart city infrastructure.¹ Meanwhile, at a European level at least, FTTH Council reports that full fibre coverage across the continent has reached 74.6%.² As these two trends converge, the message is clear: the future of smart cities and the expansion of fibre networks are not just parallel initiatives—they are fundamentally connected.

• Fiber network management
• Fiber network industry and markets
• Communications service providers
• FTTH

What did FTTH Conference tell us about the future of fibre?

If this year’s FTTH Conference in Amsterdam made anything clear, it’s that the fibre industry is moving faster, growing smarter, and getting a whole lot more collaborative. The exhibition hall was alive with activity, as rows of booths hummed with demos, meetings, and panel debriefs. Conversations were wide-ranging: AI and automation, sustainable transformations, new builds, rural challenges, and, of course, how to plan, deploy, and manage networks that are only getting more complex.

But as much as the conversations varied, there were some common threads.

• Internet service
• Communications service providers
• Altnets
• FTTH

From buildout to buy-in: What's driving full fibre take-up in the UK?

The UK’s full fibre broadband market is at a critical inflection point. With billions invested in network buildouts over the past few years, the focus has firmly shifted to take-up—how many households are actually subscribing to services. Several recent industry reports have provided various insights and discussions around the current state of play and what’s shaping adoption across the country.