DEPARTMENT: PLANNING / DESIGN
THE PROBLEM:
Provisioning is the process of providing new services to customers while ensuring that network availability will satisfy future demand. This involves identifying and assigning available capacity within the network to support new connections at specific locations. This may include feasibility analyses to identify alternative routes and connection points, with the goal of providing the most efficient service, while maximizing longer-term capacity planning and optimizing network utilization. Typically, specialized teams such as capacity management and network planners are responsible for these tasks, but tend to rely on manual research and analysis.
Capacity management teams must adhere to a defined set of rules to locate and allocate the most suitable network resources—such as fibers and ports—for new connections. This search and selection process is often performed manually within a fiber management system, or even using just GIS or CAD. Ideally, such systems should offer an up-to-date, comprehensive view of the fiber network at the fiber-port level, integrating physical, logical, and service-level data. However, generating this integrated view is complex, and most network information systems lack this capability, which significantly complicates the tasks assigned to capacity management teams.
HOW DFG iNTERACTIVE SCHEMATICS™ SOLVES THE PROBLEM:
iNTERACTIVE SCHEMATICS™ effectively addresses these challenges by providing a holistic view of the network at the fiber-port level, on demand, and dynamically. Additionally, using predefined rules, it can automatically generate a list of alternative connections or paths using available network resources. These rules-based alternative fiber paths can be visualized on an
interactive schematic diagram, eliminating the need for manual resource searches and enabling visual inspection and confirmation of the optimal path for a new customer.
iNTERACTIVE SCHEMATICS™ can function as a standalone solution or as an extension to a fiber management system / operations support system with automated network planning capabilities. Its intuitive interface allows users to manage and refresh schematics and splicing diagrams dynamically whenever there are changes in the network planning output or edits to the documentation system, whether they be from manual intervention or from an automated planning tool. This ensures that visualizations always reflect the latest network configurations.
“We wanted to consolidate physical, logical, and service data into a single, interactive view to help capacity management teams optimize the use of available fiber and ports. This gives our customers more efficient network resource management and planning capability. The best part is, real-time visibility into network capacities can significantly reduce provisioning time, allowing teams to handle new connections more quickly.”
“Our capacity management team consists of over 30 members whose primary responsibility is to check for spare capacity across the network. This includes requests for new connections from residential or business customers, central office relocations, or even line abandonment. Previously, we utilized disparate databases, each providing a separate view of the network, often only in tabular format. Now, with iNTERACTIVE SCHEMATICS ™, we have a detailed and easy-to-understand visualization of our network available at all times. The task of spare capacity management is drastically simplified, delivery times are shorter, and our results are more
consistent across the team.”
CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS AND BENEFITS:
• Improved business continuity through more accurate capacity planning and network utilization;
• Improved capacity management for all network requirements including ISP, sales, mobile, and other business units;
• Network capacity optimization through an always current network understanding;
• Reduced “capacity waste” due to non-optimal connections;
• A drastic reduction in time-to-market, connecting customers faster and generating revenues quicker.