Telecom and utilities news and perspectives

• Fiber network management
• Fiber network industry and markets
• Altnets

Consolidation: The hot topic sweeping the UK fibre market

Consolidation. The word on everyone’s lips. If you work in the fibre industry, and you happen to have the privilege of residing in the home of bad weather that we call Great Britain (but would we live anywhere else?), then the only way you won't have heard this word is if you’ve been on a 6-month sabbatical to Tasmania studying wildlife.

Like everyone else, I’ve been reading the latest news stories, and, overall, agree that the UK fibre market is about to go through a period of volatility, shift, and then, eventually, stability. But this was always the plan, right?

• Fiber network management
• 3-GIS | Mobile
• 3-GIS | Web

Using 3-GIS | Web and Mobile to find a fault location

We all know it’s going to happen eventually. It does not matter who are you or how prepared you think are; your fiber is going to break. There are an unfathomable number of miles of extremely thin glass hanging in the air, buried underground, or just looped over and over.  

When a fault occurs, it can be a daunting task to test and locate exactly where that may be. Fortunately, there are tools and technology available at our fingertips to locate these faults quickly and accurately, so we can get the network back up and running as quickly as possible. Let’s look at a few of the tools 3-GIS users have at their disposal that can help during an outage scenario.

• Fiber network management
• Telecom technologies
• App modernization

Revolutionizing network data collection: AI and the opportunity ahead

The efficient and accurate collection of data is paramount in telecom but has historically been a challenge. Traditional methods often involve manual data entry, cumbersome paperwork, and the potential for errors, leading to challenges in data quality, currency, and operational efficiency. However, the emergence of cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), computer vision, and augmented reality (AR) presents a transformative opportunity to revolutionize fiber network data collection processes. 

• Fiber network management
• Telecom technologies
• GIS
• Fiber deployment

Leveraging GIS for environmental sustainability: Reducing impacts and costs

Businesses globally are striving to reduce their ecological footprint and optimize resources, and telecom network operators are no exception.¹ However, in today’s rapidly changing landscape, it can be especially difficult to deploy optimal networks in a timely manner that also account for varying environmental factors including avoiding hazards, protecting biodiversity, and minimizing impact. By integrating geographic information systems (GIS) into their processes, telcos can make more informed decisions by synthesizing and visualizing complex data in a spatial context.

• Fiber network management
• GIS
• Communications service providers
• Fiber deployment

Navigating the network lifecycle: Field verification

The network lifecycle is a complex and interconnected process, with each step building upon the previous one. We've explored the planning and engineering phases, uncovering the challenges and strategies involved in our endeavor to support The West Coast Company (WCC) in their nationwide fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) buildout. Now it's time to dive into field verification.

• Fiber network management
• GIS
• Communications service providers
• Fiber deployment

Navigating the network lifecycle: Engineering

Welcome to part three of our blog series detailing the highs and lows of the network lifecycle. In the first installment, I shared my experiences supporting a nationwide fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) buildout with the West Coast Company (WCC). While, in the second installment, I dove into the significance of strategic planning. 

• Fiber network management
• GIS
• Communications service providers
• Fiber deployment

Navigating the network lifecycle: Planning

Welcome back to our blog series on the journey of building fiber networks from the ground up. In the first installment, I shared the whirlwind beginning of our endeavor to support The West Coast Company (WCC) in their nationwide fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) buildout. Today, we delve into a critical phase of the network lifecycle: planning.

• Fiber network management
• GIS
• Communications service providers

Navigating the network lifecycle: An introduction

For those of you that have been in the telecom industry for some time, the following story will more than likely resonate with your own experience. I was introduced to 3-GIS through one of its owners, Tom Counts, and was intrigued with the niche that they had built for themselves specifically in the fiber market.