News and perspectives from the world of fiber optic networking

Article

• Fiber network industry and markets
• Telecom technologies
• Internet service

Restore outages faster, your reputation depends on it

Ever have to send the service interruption letter and have your PR team explain the situation to the news media? In November 2018, internet, cable tv and phone customers across 3 southeastern US states received one of these letters from their service provider. The cut fiber line left affected customers without service for nearly one full day, leaving the provider with the unenviable task of apologizing to unhappy customers.

Article

• Fiber network construction
• Telecom technologies

Bringing fiber to the city: cable de-coring

Are you ready for another new fiber deployment method? We’ve been focusing on technologies and methods being developed for fiber network densification projects in preparation for 5G, IoT, Smart Cities, and more. Thus far, we’ve touched on micro-trenching, and 200µm fiber and collapsible ribbon. This week’s topic: cable de-coring.

Getting permits approved. Rerouting traffic. Interrupting pedestrians. Digging up and repaving roads. It all sounds fun right? Not so much. 

Article

• Fiber network construction
• Telecom technologies

Bringing fiber to the city: 200µm fiber and collapsible ribbon

This series is centered around technologies and methods being developed for network densification projects as communities across the world prepare for the 5G revolution. This push for higher speeds and lower latency has driven the creation and implementation of many new technologies and construction trends that will allow for easier deployment of fiber networks. The first trend we discussed was the use of micro-trenching in infrastructure construction. If you missed that post, you can read it here. This week, we’ll discuss the use of collapsible ribbon and 200µm cables.

Whitepaper

• Fiber network design and automation
• Telecom technologies

The impact of machine learning on fiber network engineering

Fabion Kauker, 3-GIS Product Architect, presents the results of his research in a paper awarded at the 2018 Human Computer Interaction International conference as the best paper of the Human Interface and the Management of Information thematic area. The research looks at the trade-offs between three approaches that can be developed for fiber network planning to interpret satellite imagery and determine the location of residences or businesses.

Article

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

Let technology power your rural broadband project success

If your organization wins an RDOF block, you will need to come up with a plan to build and manage your new network in a way that will maximize its return. Building large networks in rural areas is a big job with a lot of potential risks. Embracing technology, specifically fiber network management and design software, can help reduce the risk and bring efficiency to all phases of the new network. Here are some of the ways the right software can maximize the ROI for RDOF projects:

Article

• Telecom technologies

Improve network data using GIS

New telecommunication networks are being created at a rate never seen in our lifetime. There is a rush to get things built and new clients online to generate revenue. This fast - paced world is pushing for new technology to be adopted while causing pinch points in some areas and over-building in others. The cost difference of installing a 48-strand cable verse a 96-strand cable is nominal, so many companies put in more than needed in order to generate revenue from the dark fiber.

Article

• Telecom technologies

1996 called - it wants its network management system back

Over the past year I’ve come across several old cell phones and made a little museum of them in my office. It’s fascinating to think of how far we’ve come technologically over the past 20 years. From the bag phone to Motorola’s famed StarTAC, Blackberry, and now Apple - phones have changed a tremendous amount since the early 90’s. So what would you think of a company who asked their employees use StarTAC phones as their main method of communication with clients? No voicemail, texts, or emails, just good old 1996 technology.