In a recent Fiber Broadband Association webinar, David Smith, Chief Network Officer at Lumos, joined 3-GIS's Director of Product Management, Andrew Wright, to discuss how modern network management solutions are enabling unprecedented scaling in fiber deployments. The conversation revealed how Lumos is leveraging 3-GIS technology to transform their operations enabling them to connect millions of homes.
The journey to modern network management
Lumos' transformation began in 2021 with 80,000 homes connected. Today, they're reaching over 400,000 addresses and passing more than 15,000 new homes monthly. This remarkable growth required a complete reimagining of their technology stack and operations.
Rather than seeking an all-in-one operations support system and business support system (OSS/BSS) solution, Lumos chose to adopt a “best-of-breed" strategy, placing 3-GIS | Web at the center of their network management ecosystem.
"Normally you would start at the beginning and push down through the systems... but by working with 3-GIS, we're pushing the other way." - David Smith, Chief Network Officer, Lumos
This innovative approach places 3-GIS at the core of Lumos' operations, where it:
- Serves as the primary system of record for network data
- Initiates the flow of information to other systems
- Enables real-time field updates and data synchronization
- Standardizes engineering and design processes across partners
Standardization through technology
This new approach has helped create consistent templates for engineering partners, ensuring uniformity across all projects regardless of who performs the work. The streamlined quality control processes have significantly reduced review time, while enabling direct input from engineering teams has eliminated traditional bottlenecks. Perhaps most importantly, they've done away with the time-consuming data ingestion problems that previously slowed down operations. Where teams once had to manually process and clean up CAD file imports, they can now work directly in the system, allowing for faster deployment and more accurate documentation.
The community impact
Smith emphasized that successful expansion requires more than just technology – it requires strong community relationships and reliable service. "We're going into communities that haven't seen that type of investment in their infrastructure probably ever," Smith noted. Through their innovative "island approach," Lumos identifies and evaluates underserved markets that traditional expansion strategies might overlook. Rather than limiting themselves to contiguous footprints, they assess each community's needs and potential, targeting areas where they can make the most significant impact.
"We're still going to keep that same attribute of trying to be first to fiber in the markets we go into and giving that underserved experience that Lumos brings into those areas when there's that service not getting what they need." - David Smith
The transformation of Lumos from serving 80,000 homes to targeting 3.5 million demonstrates what's possible when innovative thinking meets the right technology solutions.
Want to learn more about how Lumos is managing this remarkable expansion? Watch the full webinar for detailed insights about their strategic approach to growth, technology integration, and maintaining service quality during rapid expansion.
