Fiber management for telecommunication companies has historically been a complex and time-consuming endeavor, often relying on outdated systems and manual processes. PRTC, a telecommunications cooperative, experienced these challenges firsthand. Their previous system was cumbersome, required extensive customization, and struggled to keep pace with their rapid network expansion. This led to significant delays, inefficiencies, and communication gaps across their operations.
The Challenge: Overcoming Outdated Systems and Manual Processes
For over two decades, PRTC had relied on a combination of Esri and other GIS tooling to support multiple business and operational processes as well as reporting. While Esri offers robust GIS capabilities, its general-purpose nature meant PRTC had to invest heavily in coding and software development to support workflows, integration between it and other fiber management tools and reporting. Each upgrade from Esri rendered previous customizations obsolete, forcing PRTC to rebuild their integrations repeatedly. This cycle of continuous redevelopment became unsustainable, especially with the accelerated pace of their fiber network buildouts driven by grant funding like the ARPA grants.
PRTC’s challenges included:
Lagging Data Updates: The GIS team couldn’t keep up with the speed of new construction. This meant critical network data, such as fiber counts and splice information, wasn’t immediately available to field technicians, leading to service delays and extended outage resolution times.
Inefficient Grant Reporting: With multiple ongoing grants requiring detailed reporting on “homes passed” and build progress, the lack of real-time data from the field created significant hurdles. PRTC’s team had to manually gather information, often from disparate sources, to meet reporting deadlines, sometimes requiring extensions.
Fragmented Workflow: Manual processes dominated the workflow from staking and design to construction and invoicing. Paper-based notes, multiple data transfers, and constant back-and-forth communication between teams resulted in significant delays, errors, and reworks.
Limited Collaboration and Oversight: Without a centralized, real-time system, different departments and external contractors lacked immediate visibility into project progress. This led to repeated inquiries, miscommunication, and a lack of holistic oversight for management.
Suboptimal Customer Service: During outages, identifying impacted customers was a time-consuming process. The GIS team had to manually extract customer information, delaying critical communication to customers and the network operations center (NOC).
The Solution: A Unified Fiber Management Platform with VETRO
PRTC sought a purpose-built solution that could seamlessly integrate with their existing Operations Support Systems/Business Support Systems (OSS/BSS) and streamline their fiber management. After exploring various vendors, VETRO emerged as the clear choice, particularly due to its existing integration with CDG/MBS, a platform widely used by many of PRTC’s fellow cooperative customers.
Once PRTC completes its data migration, VETRO will revolutionize their operations in several key areas:
Streamlined Data Management and Real-time Visibility
VETRO’s specialized fiber management capabilities will replace PRTC’s custom Esri solutions, providing a more intuitive and efficient platform. This will enable:
- Automated Data Flow: Data from field activities, including staking and construction, will flow directly into VETRO in real-time via mobile applications. This eliminates manual data entry, reduces errors, and ensures the GIS map is always up-to-date.
- Enhanced Data Quality: Features like the “rewind” capability will allow administrators to track changes, review edits, and maintain greater control over data integrity, preventing mishaps and eliminating the need for extensive rebuilds.
- Faster Loading Times: VETRO’s optimized performance means records and tools will load significantly faster, improving the daily productivity of Randy, Marcus, and the entire GIS team.
Empowered Field Operations
The transition to VETRO will significantly impact PRTC’s field crews:
- Mobile Accessibility: Field technicians will have access to real-time network data directly on their mobile devices, allowing them to add assets, update information, and access critical details like fiber counts and landmarks on-site.
- Reduced Rework: By minimizing paper-based processes and providing immediate data access, VETRO will reduce the need for multiple site visits to verify information or resolve discrepancies in cable lengths and other construction details.
- Improved Efficiency: Tools like integrated Google Street View will allow field personnel to quickly locate pedestals and other infrastructure, saving valuable time and improving accuracy.
Accelerated Grant Reporting and Monetization
VETRO’s robust mapping and reporting features will significantly improve PRTC’s ability to manage grant obligations and support sales and marketing efforts:
- Automated Grant Reporting: The seamless integration with MBS will enable VETRO to automatically transfer customer sign-up data to the map, providing accurate “homes passed” metrics for grant reporting. This eliminates the manual “hounding” of contractors for information.
- User-Friendly Dashboards: VETRO’s easy-to-build dashboards will provide marketing and sales teams with live, accurate data on penetration rates and service availability, empowering them to target potential customers more effectively.
- Granular Reporting: PRTC will be able to easily differentiate between grant-funded and general-funded build areas, ensuring precise reporting to state agencies while also providing internal stakeholders with a comprehensive view of network expansion.
Proactive Outage Management and Customer Communication
VETRO will enhance PRTC’s ability to respond to and communicate during network outages:
- Precise Impact Analysis: With real-time and accurate asset tracking, PRTC will be able to quickly pinpoint which customers are impacted by a cut or damage, even in newly built areas.
- Automated Customer Notification: The integration with CDG/MBS will enable mass text notifications to impacted customers, providing them with timely updates on service disruptions and estimated restoration times, improving customer satisfaction.
The Future: Enhanced Efficiency and Strategic Growth
PRTC anticipates being fully operational with VETRO within the next month, including the critical integration with MBS and SiteTracker for comprehensive project management. This transition represents a “very large switch changeover” to their workflow, but one that promises significant returns.
Donny Colson, PRTC’s Engineering Manager, highlights the driving force behind this change: “We want one hundred percent no paper and for everything to flow from the field to the mapping to OSS and BSS and back.” Looking ahead, PRTC expects to move from a “breakneck pace” of building to a more manageable rate, focusing on daily services, construction, and maintenance. VETRO’s capabilities will continue to be vital for reporting on ongoing grants until 2029 and beyond, ensuring accurate data for compliance and internal analysis.
Randy Weber, a member of PRTC’s GIS team, emphasizes the expected impact on daily operations: “My biggest goal is to get rid of swivel chair and having to do things over and over again. I want to streamline from the field and have that data come straight into the platform instead of manually transferring four different times.”
The success of PRTC’s VETRO deployment may also pave the way for their power cooperative partner to adopt similar solutions, leveraging the proven integration between plant data and VETRO for improved disaster recovery and network management.
By embracing VETRO, PRTC is not just upgrading its GIS system; it’s transforming its entire operational workflow, moving towards a future of greater efficiency, real-time insights, and improved customer satisfaction.
About VETRO
At VETRO, our vision is to empower network operators to master escalating complexities and lead the charge in defining the future of global connectivity. Our Network Infrastructure Management and Orchestration Platform is the cornerstone for building future-ready infrastructure, transforming the entire lifecycle of physical network assets. By establishing a cohesive system of record and enabling intelligent, automated workflows, we empower our clients to move beyond legacy systems, unlock efficiencies, deploy advanced technologies, and connect more communities to the digital world faster than ever before. vetrofibermap.com
