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People are at the heart of everything we do. Each team member brings their own unique experience, perspective, and passion to the table. That’s why we love taking a moment to spotlight the faces behind the work. This time, we caught up with Ed Bagnall, Managing Director for the EMEA region, to chat about his background, thoughts on the industry, and what he’s excited about in his new role.
The 3-GIS team just spent the week with over 15,000 geospatial professionals from 130-plus countries at the 2025 Esri User Conference.1 The show brought about conversations discussing integration, fiber rollout hurdles, and the always encouraging success stories. From the booth to speaking sessions and side-hall conversations, a few consistent themes emerged: how can we scale networks faster, protect critical assets, and navigate volatile funding with proven, integrated tools. Here’s a look at the biggest insights and standouts from the week.
Back in 2021, Congress allocated $42.45 billion to the NTIA to create the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program—or BEAD. This was done to bring 100/20 Mbps service to every unserved and underserved location in the country.¹
Why the major investment in fiber? Because our communities depend on it for growth, adding over $1.6 trillion in household income and 380,000 in new jobs, according to a Fiber Broadband Association study.²
Cost miscalculations. The silent deal-killers of the fiber proposals process. Following our exploration of slow, manual processes and asset visibility challenges, we now address the most problematic factor that 37% of organizations we surveyed in a recent webinar identify as their biggest hurdle: creating accurate cost estimates.
Ever wonder why some fiber providers consistently win contracts while others struggle to close deals? In a recent webinar, we pulled back the curtain on what's really happening in the proposal process. The (not so) shocking reality? Many providers are losing winnable deals due to slow, manual processes, poor visibility into their network assets, and proposals with cost estimates that miss the mark.
GIS is essential for network planning, management, and optimisation. Telecom professionals rely on these tools to make sense of complex spatial data, helping them make informed decisions to keep networks running smoothly. But one aspect of GIS can easily get overlooked: accessibility.
The rollout of a fiber network is a complex, multi-phase process that involves meticulous planning, design, surveying, and execution. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) play a crucial role at each stage, ensuring that the network is deployed efficiently and effectively. In this blog, we walk through the various stages of fibre network rollout, detailing what takes place in each stage and what needs to be achieved.
The world of telecom is changing fast, and managing complex networks is getting harder. But there's good news: GIS (Geographic Information System) is here to help and is changing how we plan, design, and manage our telecom networks. Let's explore a few ways using GIS makes a big difference.