The approach to real-time data management had dramatic implications for faster network deployment, service activation and reparation, and better reporting. But what did it cost to change? Not surprising, there were hard and soft costs.

Although it seems self-evident that accurate and real-time data can provide the best operational and strategic value, it came at the expense of letting go of familiar methods and integration into existing environments. These insights are shared to help guide the costs to make the change.

Topics of discussion:

• Why has it taken so long for telecommunications to adopt a geospatial approach to building and managing their assets?

Join us as we discuss the unique challenges faced by service providers when designing and installing rural networks. Rural networks are more challenging on many fronts, including density, network reach, labor availability, operation, and maintenance. But with great challenges come great opportunities, and here you will learn about leveraging the network you build for revenue-generating opportunities as well as strategies to simplify and address some of these challenges.

Topics of discussion:

• Why is there such a large focus on rural deployment?

There’s simply no doubt that the world of data centers and enterprise networks are extremely critical to our current way of life and for the foreseeable future. Can one even imagine where we would have been the last year and a half with the Covid-19 pandemic and the inability to work remotely, communicate via video, and supply ourselves with essentials without ever leaving our homes?

Of course demand changes like this most always drive an increased need for flexibility. And that’s no different in Data Centers and Enterprise Networks where increased amounts of fiber, changes in density and changes in technology regularly require changes to the hardware holding the network together.

Of course, all of this drives massive growth in those things that data centers and enterprise networks provide, and with that growth is the inevitable change… and change of course inherently drives the need for flexibility.

On this podcast we will explore a variety of common products that are available in the marketplace that provide a greater level of flexibility – and therefore lower costs and more efficiency – when that inevitable need to change comes.

Topics of discussion:

• Is it possible to change genders on MPO or MTP connectors?

Service providers are facing an incredible challenge, which is also a tremendous opportunity. Today, the demand for 5G deployment and the promise that it can bring to communities is at an all-time high.

Companies who find innovative ways to adapt will be the ones to claim the lion’s share of the emerging market. However, getting there requires change. In this podcast, John Sciarabba, CEO of Alden Systems, explains exactly what changes your company can make now to capture more business in the future — even beyond broadband deployment. “It’s really about being positioned for what’s next,” Sciarabba says.

Our current climate is unique because we haven’t seen this kind of volume of work involving so many areas of a company at once, while also requiring coordination among multiple companies within the industry. If any one area can’t keep up with demand, it can bottleneck the whole process.

In this podcast, we discuss:

• Project to Process — How this crucial mindset shift will position your company to gain efficiencies without adding more resources

As the work of 5G deployment and collaboration becomes exponentially more complex, the gains for companies who implement process improvement now grows immensely. Learn how you can reap the benefits by tuning in to this podcast.

Service providers are facing an incredible challenge, which is also a tremendous opportunity. Today, the demand for 5G deployment and the promise that it can bring to communities is at an all-time high.

Companies who find innovative ways to adapt will be the ones to claim the lion’s share of the emerging market. However, getting there requires change. In this podcast, John Sciarabba, CEO of Alden Systems, explains exactly what changes your company can make now to capture more business in the future — even beyond broadband deployment. “It’s really about being positioned for what’s next,” Sciarabba says.

Our current climate is unique because we haven’t seen this kind of volume of work involving so many areas of a company at once, while also requiring coordination among multiple companies within the industry. If any one area can’t keep up with demand, it can bottleneck the whole process.

In this podcast, we discuss:

• Project to Process — How this crucial mindset shift will position your company to gain efficiencies without adding more resources

As the work of 5G deployment and collaboration becomes exponentially more complex, the gains for companies who implement process improvement now grows immensely. Learn how you can reap the benefits by tuning in to this podcast.

The COVID-19 pandemic forced populations to make an immediate shift to working and schooling from home full-time, driving all of us to connect via the Internet. At Telia Carrier, we saw a 56% year-on-year traffic growth which remains high. The pandemic highlighted the Internet’s essential role. By providing the critical foundation of the Internet and enabling the core services that facilitate ubiquitous conferencing and e-learning, backbone networks have enabled us to stay in touch.

Our reliance on the Internet also exposed the lack of reliable broadband, especially in rural areas of America. According to the FCC, it is estimated that at least 6.3 million households in electric co-op service areas lack reliable, high-speed internet access, which can lead to a loss of $68 billion over 20 years. Electric cooperatives in the US are addressing this deficit by building broadband communications to bridge the digital divide between urban and rural populations. Service providers connecting to these rural consumers need more diversity in routes between major markets. Telia Carrier is continually expanding across the US to build a more scalable network.

From a technology perspective building and operating a multi-layer architecture requires a transition to more open optical and packet networking allowing the use of technologies like 400ZR pluggables, lowering the cost of entry, creating a more cost-effective solution for service providers and leading to greater network expansion. Telia Carrier was the first to test 400ZR coherent connections between Cisco’s NCS 5700 and Cisco 8000 platforms over a third-party open line system and plans to rollout these solutions in the coming months.

Telia Carrier is also trailblazing a path in the 4G subsea market by evolving its networks to support the explosive traffic growth and high-bandwidth services driven by the cloud and video streaming. Telia Carrier and Aqua Comms recently completed a successful trial of a 400 Gigabit Ethernet service the two plan to offer between New York and Frankfurt, Germany.

In June, Telia Carrier officially became a standalone company with a new owner, Polhem Infra – which is focused on long-term infrastructure investment – allowing Telia Carrier to accelerate the network growth. This podcast will share fresh perspective from Telia Carrier’s CEO about the future of the company, the role of empowerment in building a culture of excellence, thoughts on the Digital Divide, and this unique time we are living in to reimagine and rearchitect the Internet backbone.

Topics of focus:

• The impact of COVID-19 on our business and on the network

How are Broadband Service Providers (BSPs) leveraging technology tools and field-proven processes to improve operational workflows, collaboration and documentation during the installation process? How can this help reduce repeat install visits and ensure you deliver quality, speed, and lower your costs?

Join us in this podcast discussion to learn:

• Innovative and modern approaches to improve installation processes.

Sumitomo Electric Lightwave was the first company to bring Air-Blown Fiber (ABF) technology to the United States over 30 years ago, and since then is the market’s leading company to provide the best ABF solution. Sumitomo’s FutureFLEX® Air-Blown Fiber® provides innovative ways to create a network path with 3 easy steps using 5 components.

Topics of discussion:

• What are the 5 components of Air-Blown Fiber (ABF) technology? (Also see below for the list.)

As we all know, there are a ton of buzzwords and hot topics being thrown around the industry these days; 5G, IoT, Future Proofing, etc. However, there’s one topic that seems to be on everyone’s minds but, for some reason, doesn’t get quite as much attention: ADSS (All-Dielectric Self-Supporting).

So today, we’re going to dive into all things ADSS: what makes it unique, why it’s a hot topic, and most of all, why you should care. And who better to accompany us on this exploration than one of the foremost authorities on ADSS, PLP (Preformed Line Products).

Topics of discussion:

• What exactly is ADSS, what makes it unique, and how does it differ from lashed messenger?

5G transport deployment uncovers new challenges within every element of the network – core, transport, and radio access network (RAN) – when transitioning from 4G to 5G. It will also change the fiber optic technology that serves as the backbone connecting it all. Service providers, data center management, and technicians responsible for the deployment, installation, and maintenance of these networks will need to consider synchronization and performance issues and solutions.

Testing capabilities to meet 5G standards and performance metrics need to be efficient, easy to use, and versatile enough to address maintenance of existing 4G infrastructure and achieve 5G network KPIs with optimal deployment, installation, and operation. The importance of fiber will continue to grow in mobile fronthaul, as expanding 5G use cases require greater network speed.

To achieve faster data speeds and higher bandwidth associated with 5G, millimeter-wave (mmWave) bands will be utilized. The consensus is to distribute timing via the RAN using Precise Timing Protocol (PTP) as defined by IEEE. PTP is utilized for synchronization of frequency and phase.

In this podcast, we will discuss the 5G RAN drivers that have an impact on transport test requirements such as network timing and synchronization, timing methods that are used for 5G RAN, and PTP synchronization failures and how to prevent them.

Maintaining synchronization quality will help ensure your network meets 5G latency requirement.

Topics of discussion:

• 5G time and synchronization challenges