News and perspectives from the world of fiber optic networking

• Fiber network management
• Fiber network design and automation
• Telecom technologies

Enabling network deployment at velocity: GIS more than network mapping

The year was 1994 and at the time I had visions of saving the planet. I was determined to enter into an environmental profession and my Alma Mater had only one program that resonated, Environment Science and GIS. As I progressed through the program I learned to not only understand the meaning of GIS but also began to appreciate the power of the technology. After graduating, I worked with an environment engineering firm evaluating the efficacy of GIS technology for business providing utility services. It was the utility companies that were migrating networks consisting of water, gas and electric from CAD based solutions to GIS based solutions. 

Article

• Fiber network design and automation
• Telecom technologies
• Utilities

Avoiding fiber deployment roadblocks in the utility market

Fiber networks are the future for utility companies and co-ops to bring new services to their market. Getting these networks deployed with accurate data to successfully avoid costly deployment roadblocks that could lead to insufficient reports, time loss, and operational frustrations is key to bringing network services to their customers faster and achieving better business operating results. So, what are the possible problems and obstructions utilities could encounter? And what tools are available to help prevent them from disrupting their deployment efforts?

Article

• Fiber network design and automation
• Telecom technologies

ML/AI for the digitized physical layer

Why digitize the physical layer?

Deploying new infrastructure - from fiber cable laterals to new active equipment - is fundamental for 5G network readiness and network transformation. As the number of connected devices increases, so does the complexity of asset management. Layer “zero” transformation is more than using digitization and geolocation, and maintaining the connectivity of the assets; it involves applying Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) about the assets and situational data

Article

• Fiber network construction
• Fiber network management
• Fiber network design and automation

Don't lock yourself out of your data

Proprietary data structures and closed vendor ecosystems of yesteryear are out-of-date. Today’s enterprise applications are increasingly defined on standard data structures. It’s all about openness and collaboration.

Telecom companies often focus on how hard or easy it is to get data into an asset management system - rightfully so considering ease of use is key to user adoption and quality data. But is the potential pain of adopting a new system really worth the reward? Our easy answer: yes.

Video

• Esri
• Fiber network management
• Fiber network design and automation
• Fiber network industry and markets

3-GIS CEO Tom Counts is on set

3-GIS CEO Tom Counts was interviewed for a video series called GIS Cafe at the 2019 Esri User Conference. During the segment Tom gave his thoughts on the future of telecom, the importance of a fiber network management system that can scale and the direction of 3-GIS’s product development. Watch Tom’s interview below.

Tom explains more about 3-GIS | Web and 3-GIS | Mobile, which help engineers, service providers, and utilities design, construct, and manage their fiber optic networks. These solutions are developed on a platform of ArcGIS server that could reach the entire enterprise using a thin client. The GUI is  focused singularly on designing, building, and managing fiber networks and underneath at the server side we are ready to scale. 

Video

• Esri
• Fiber network management
• Fiber network design and automation
• Fiber network industry and markets

Esri puts the spotlight on 3-GIS

As winner of Esri’s Expanding to the Cloud award 3-GIS was featured in an Esri Spotlight video. Watch to hear CEO Tom Count’s take on how fiber will change our everyday lives and how 3-GIS is leading the way for faster fiber deployments and better network management.

Article

• Fiber network construction
• Fiber network management
• Fiber network design and automation

End-to-end economics of digitizing the outside plant

In the context of digital transformation, data management of conduits, strands, poles, manholes, and other elements of the outside plant have not typically been part of the discussion about the “digital network”. As network services become more dependent upon an increasingly complex network architecture, the physical network data has become more crucial for making business and operational decisions. Obtaining, documenting, and modeling the connectivity of this changing and extending network has not been easy.

Article

• Fiber network construction
• Fiber network management
• Fiber network design and automation

Automated Networks ≠ Autonomous Networks

To thrive in today’s hyper-competitive market, engineering companies need to transform their own work processes to the speed and data requirements of their telecom customers. They need to guide the evolution of their work processes since they cannot uproot everything at once. There will remain a need for human subject-matter-expertise, even as companies strive to reduce costs and increase flexibility. Because of this, a question frequently being asked is how engineering companies can begin to achieve better business results while moving toward automation and getting high-value expertise from their team members?