Telecom and utilities news and perspectives

• Telecom technologies
• 3-GIS utilities solutions

Lighting the way for 5G joint use

Editor’s note: Originally published by SSP Innovations under SSP SPANS. Updated by the 3-GIS Team with the current product name, 3-GIS | SPANS, and other revisions.   

5G is here. One after another, carriers are announcing go-live dates for new 5G networks, racing to meet the demand for faster speeds. For the average user, the goal is simply more bars on their phone. But behind the scenes, the implementation of 5G is complex and creates unique challenges for providers. 

• 3-GIS utilities solutions
• GIS

How utilities are making their field tools easier to use and manage

Editor’s note: Originally published by SSP Innovations under SSP MIMS. Updated by the 3-GIS Team with the current product name, 3-GIS | MIMS, and other revisions. 

Mobile technology continues to evolve, and in the utility industry, mobile solutions are now everywhere. Many utilities run multiple applications from different vendors, often without a cohesive strategy for managing them. Some are essential, others overlap, and a few may even duplicate functions. So how do you get control of your mobile environment and make sure it supports your goals? The answer is to develop an enterprise mobile strategy. 

• Esri
• 3-GIS utilities solutions
• 3-GIS telecom solutions

Our top takeaways from Esri IMGIS 2025

The Esri Infrastructure Management & GIS Conference (IMGIS) brought together telecom, utility, and infrastructure professionals looking to build smarter, more connected networks.

For 3-GIS, this year marked a milestone. With the addition of our full utility product line, both telecom and utility teams came together under one roof for the first time. That shared presence reflected what’s happening across the industry as fiber and utility networks converge, facing the same challenges in data accuracy, field coordination, and system integration.

• 3-GIS utilities solutions
• Press

3-GIS strengthens market leadership with enhanced focus on delivering advanced geospatial solutions for utilities

HUNTSVILLE, AL — 3-GIS today confirmed its expanded market position, now serving both telecom and utility providers with intelligent, cloud-based geospatial software solutions. This positions 3-GIS to deliver greater value to infrastructure providers navigating increasingly complex network design, deployment, and management demands.

• 3-GIS utilities solutions
• GIS
• Press

Powerful new capabilities now available in 3-GIS | MIMS and Productivity release 5.4

Release 5.4 of 3-GIS | MIMS and 3-GIS | Productivity introduces enhancements in mobile GIS functionality, enterprise network information management support, and user experience optimization. These updates extend the capabilities of both platforms while maintaining compatibility with the latest Esri technologies. 3-GIS | MIMS (formerly SSP MIMS) and 3-GIS | Productivity (formerly SSP Productivity) are now fully aligned under the 3-GIS software portfolio.

• 3-GIS utilities solutions
• App modernization
• Fiber deployment

Managing joint use assets in the cloud

Editor’s note: Originally published in July 2023 by SSP Innovations under SSP SPANS. Updated in 2025 by the 3-GIS Team with the current product name, 3-GIS | SPANS, and other revisions.

Joint use management is uniquely suited to the cloud. With growing demands on pole space and increasing regulatory oversight, utilities need tools that keep work organized, documented, and efficient. A cloud-based solution, like 3-GIS | SPANS, keeps communication clear and records consistent.

• Fiber network industry and markets
• Telecom technologies
• 3-GIS utilities solutions
• Communications service providers

Telecom industry pulse: August 2025 recap

Network news roundup

August underscored the push-and-pull between rapid digital infrastructure growth and the constraints of existing systems. M&A momentum remained strong with regional and national fiber consolidation, while operators like Lumen and T-Mobile expanded their reach into data centers and broadband markets. At the same time, the U.S. grid is feeling the pressure of skyrocketing demand from AI-driven data centers, and advocacy groups are urging regulators to scrutinize big wireless spectrum reshuffling. Across the Atlantic, Openreach is piloting new ways to turn fiber into a multi-purpose sensor grid.

• 3-GIS utilities solutions
• Communications service providers
• Fiber deployment

Fibre at the core: Powering the smart cities of tomorrow

One global report estimated that the smart city platform market is set to be worth $292.1 billion by 2028, the primary factor driving this growth being various government initiatives to develop digitised, smart city infrastructure.¹ Meanwhile, at a European level at least, FTTH Council reports that full fibre coverage across the continent has reached 74.6%.² As these two trends converge, the message is clear: the future of smart cities and the expansion of fibre networks are not just parallel initiatives—they are fundamentally connected.