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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?
In fiber network operations, change is constant. Whether turning up a new customer, rerouting around a break, or expanding capacity, the underlying network data is always in motion. Planning those changes within fiber network management software helps ensure accuracy, visibility, and alignment across teams—but executing them without disrupting the live operational environment presents an entirely different challenge for network operators: the need to understand both what’s currently installed and what changes are planned.
Valuable fiber assets often sit unused while providers build costly new infrastructure alongside them. Why? Because many providers simply can't see what they already have.
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.
Welcome to the 2025 Q2 edition of Along the Path. In this issue, we’re exploring scalability. Often overlooked during the buildout frenzy, scalability is reemerging as a critical component of fiber network management. From operational scalability to system scalability, telcos need the flexibility to adapt to project needs without worrying about overburdening their people or processors.
It feels like the European fixed line telecom market is in change. After a frantic 10 years of network rollout, the industry is finally taking a breath and taking stock of the situation. For many, this pause in capital spend and network build out is allowing them to focus attention on system improvements and efficiencies, namely digital transformation.
With the surge in fibre network rollouts, the demands on network management solutions are greater than ever. Yet, many telcos are still navigating the complexities of managing their operations without a solid, scalable physical network inventory (PNI) solution at the heart of their infrastructure.
In Part 1 of this series, we explored how fiber mapping software can optimize both CapEx and OpEx by improving accuracy, streamlining operations, and reducing unnecessary expenses. Now, let’s take a closer look at how 3-GIS software and services specifically address these challenges—helping network operators accelerate deployment, minimize costs, and maximize returns.