Defining a cohesive FTTx rollout strategy to ensure that Plan, Build, Operate and Maintain proc- esses are optimized to meet business, regulatory, competitive and time pressures for the provision of new ser- vices and =Homes Passed‘.
Reducing CAPEX and OPEX is a critical factor for deployment, which requires estimating costs accurately before starting plan and build work; scaling resourcing to increase efficiencies, and optimizing costs in network planning, design, implement and operate phases.
Deploying fiber for Greenfield or Brownfield/ Overlay implementations, such as incumbent operators with existing copper network infrastructures, require critical planning and design decisions to be made in terms of selecting the right access technology (e.g. GPON, EPON or P2P ), and FTTx architecture ( e.g. FTTh/p/b/c/n).
Training and deploying teams effectively to deliver and support FTTx solutions and services due to resources, often trained in legacy copper infrastructure, lacking core skills in fiber network planning, engineering processes and systems.
Competitive high speed broadband service offerings from mobile, cable and internet service providers using technologies including 3/4G, LTE, Wi-Max, DOCSIS 3.0 and VDSL .
Pressures , including tight timescales on incumbents for the provision of =Homes Passed‘, from government initiatives for expansion of FTTx based broadband services, local loop access and network interoperability issues and obtaining civil and municipal permissions (way leaves) for laying fibre network infrastructure.
The complexities of legacy copper/fiber network inventory data sys- tems and their migration to integrated NGOSS systems, pose a significant challenge to providing effective physical/logical network inventory management and operations support, pre and post deployment. Service ful- fillment and assurance requirements necessitate enhanced OSS capabilities if broadband investments are to deliver business value.
To meet the challenges of deploying Next Generation Fibre Networks, service providers can utilise or develop delivery frameworks that leverage a mix of strategic, business, technology and marketing skills to enable the successful deployment of scalable and cost effective FTTx access networks. This approach enables service providers to realise key business objectives, provide customer satisfaction, reduce churn and build average revenue per user (ARPU) through the fast and efficient delivery of next generation services.
An example of such a framework is Cyient’s ‘Plan to Build‘ seven step FTTx deployment process, that aims to ensure that service providers‘ Next Generation Fibre Networks are optimized and deployed to budget and on time. The process delivers the complete end-to-end lifecycle for FTTx implementation from market analysis through to work order recording and maintenance.
The process lifecycle is comprised of the following steps: Market Analysis, Network Planning, Cost Analysis, Plan & Cost Approval, Network Design, Field Implementation and Work Order Recording Services or support can be offered in each or all of these areas, based on the service provider requirement:
By using best practice processes and software tools to produce detailed reports (including customer demographics, topography, property details and competitor analysis), service providers are pre- sented with a clearer understanding of customer demand and market conditions required to implement their FTTx strategy.
Skilled planning and engineering professionals trained in industry recognised proc- esses, tools and systems can be utilised so that service providers ensure the network is planned to meet projected customer demand. This can be carried out by selecting the right elements and equipment required to meet customer and regulatory requirements.
Industry standard cost modelling techniques and tools are used to validate FTTx strategies with associated construction and equipment costs, ensuring that deployments are optimised whilst balancing capacity and coverage.
Ensures approval by the network planning department for the implementation of spe- cific deployments at regional or exchange level, and compliance with the selected FTTx technology
The management of the information necessary to enable detailed design and construction of the planned network is a critical step in the deployment process. This can be achieved by using leading edge design systems and tools, and supported by skilled and certified resources. This will help to prepare and process design work orders that capture details related to network path, facilities, equipment, and connectivity required to implement the planned network.
After approval of the costing and design by the network planning department, field engineering implements the construction of the physical network converting work orders to As-built states. Careful management and co-ordination of the process hand-offs between field engineering, operations support teams and invariably, third party contractors, is a key factor for ensuring effective and timely deployment.
Triggers payment for the construction stage by supporting accurate recording of the network as it is deployed, thereby eliminating backlog. The integration and automation of systems and tools required to effectively track and manage work orders and As-built records is essential in ensuring that recording and verification activities are efficiently managed and supported during and after deployment.
A critical consideration in supporting the FTTx deployment process is the management of the physical and logical network inventory data, and operations support systems necessary in delivering service fulfilment and assurance. This requires service providers investing in Next Generation OSS (NGOSS) capabilities to ensure that customers and services are effectively managed by consolidating and centralising provisioning, inventory and assurance functionalities. In this context overcoming the challenges in the following areas are critical to successful pre and post deployment support:
