Telecom and utilities news and perspectives

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

Beyond the build: Why operational truth matters more than ever

At some point in almost every transformation conversation, someone will say, “We just need a digital twin”. It sounds like the right answer. It signals progress, modernisation, and ambition. Yet in practice, what usually follows is far less transformative; dashboards that look impressive but change little, pilot projects that never quite scale, and operational teams quietly returning to spreadsheets once real-world complexity sets in.

• Fiber network management
• GIS
• Communications service providers

Putting broadband customer experience in the fast lane

Today’s broadband customers expect more than just a fast, reliable connection. They expect flawless service experiences.

For operators, that makes customer experience (CX) the ultimate differentiator. Price and speed still matter, but loyalty is increasingly won, or lost, based on how smoothly you manage your network, how quickly you respond to problems, and how confidently customers feel you’ve got them covered.

• Fiber network management
• Fiber network industry and markets
• Telecom technologies

How the telecom skills gap is reshaping operations

Telecom networks are expanding faster than ever. Today, fiber is available to more than half of U.S. households, a share that continues to grow as public and private investment ramps up.¹ Fiber is pushing deeper into communities, funding programs are compressing build timelines, and expectations for reliability keep rising. 

At the same time, the people who know how these networks actually work, and more importantly how to keep them running, are becoming harder to find.

• Esri
• Fiber network management
• Telecom technologies
• 3-GIS telecom solutions

What is Esri’s Telecom Domain Network (TDN)?

When Esri introduced the Telecom Domain Network (TDN), it marked an important step forward for modeling communication networks within the ArcGIS Utility Network (commonly referred to as the UN). At the same time, it also raises new questions about how the TDN relates to existing fiber asset management systems, including 3-GIS | Web.

3-GIS has long worked within the Esri ecosystem to help telecom providers get the most from GIS technology. With the TDN emerging, we’re helping lead the conversation on what it means for the future of network management.

• Fiber network management
• Press
• Partners

TAPCO partners with software company 3-GIS to offer fiber network management

3-GIS's fiber optic network design and management software will provide transportation agencies with access to enhanced infrastructure management

Brown Deer, Wis. – October 7, 2025 – Traffic and Parking Control Co., LLC. (TAPCO), manufacturer, distributor and service provider of roadway safety innovations, is excited to announce our new partnership with 3-GIS, a software company providing communities with intelligent fiber network mapping and management software.

• Fiber network management
• Fiber network planning and design
• Fiber deployment
• 3-GIS telecom solutions

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 management
• Fiber network industry and markets
• Press

Telecom industry pulse: July 2025 recap

Network news roundup

July brought a mix of expansion, consolidation, and rising urgency around telecom infrastructure. From surging enterprise demand for network-as-a-service to billion-dollar fiber acquisitions and growing alarm over network vandalism, the month highlighted just how vital fast, secure, and adaptable connectivity has become. Meanwhile, federal leadership shifts signal new momentum for broadband funding, and the 2025 Esri User Conference showcased how GIS technology continues to reshape fiber planning, data integrity, and field operations.

• 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.