Defining the Communications Network Asset Lifecycle
The effective management of the network will be critical to NBN and the other providers, as their aggressive deployment and operational plan consists not only documenting the network as it's deployed, but also leveraging the network throughout the asset life cycle. While every network development project will have some unique characteristics, a typical network life cycle has emerged, and one view that has been promoted generally consists of the following life cycle phases:
How does SPATIALinfo® support this network asset life cycle? Here are some highlights at each step in the life cycle.
Plan
The spatialSUITE® provides desktop, web, and mobile applications for planners to accurately develop the overall network layout. Planning communications networks can be complex, and requires tools to be able to model a large number of network elements all the way down to individual customer connections. spatialNET® and spatialWEB® provide a comprehensive set of planning tools that encompass the development of inside and outside plant networks. Moreover, by leveraging standard integration with Google Maps, planners can lay proposed fiber networks over a map and/or imagery backdrop, providing real world views of the proposed layout well before the system is constructed.
Design
spatialNET is the market leader for communications network design, and models all of the network equipment used in RF and fiber communications networks, from the CMTS, modulators, transmitters and couplers in the head end, through multichannel fiber networks, down to nodes and sites in the field. spatialNET includes advanced route design, cable management and splicing tools along with a complete job management system to analyze alternative designs and calculate cost per subscriber in order to optimize customer acquisition costs and network robustness. These capabilities are critical since deployments may include integrating multiple legacy and new network technologies such as DSL, PON, and/or active Ethernet.
Construct
spatialNET's Map Production System (MPS) provides the capability to produce the hard copy maps that are often required for construction crews, ensuring that the network is built as designed. For construction crews who have access to mobile computers, spatialOFFLINE® allows field jobs to be created that can be used for capturing any as-built changes in digital form. By synchronizing those updates with the corporate network database, accuracy and currency of the network asset inventory is optimized as it is constructed.
Provision
spatialNET's integrated inside and outside plant model from wire center to customer premises, including wiring schematics connected to plant maps, supports the integration with provisioning systems that model the connectivity of the complete fiber network from the home terminating device to the ISP termination on a rack or cabinet. Using spatialSUITE's integrations web services, the time from network planning to network activation is reduced through integration with logical inventory systems that enable seamless, flow-through provisioning. This integration also introduces process improvements through integration with circuit provisioning systems for mapping services and customers together on the network, as well as managing up to date master circuits that carry status information indicating current usage and priority.
Operate
Requirements for operating complex communications networks go far beyond the ability of CAD or GIS technology alone. Fiber networks require intelligent tools for assessing network status and detecting faults using spatial and connectivity relationships. Moreover, many networks include combinations of technology such as copper, PON, and active Ethernet, which means all combinations of the network must be represented so that operations personnel have a complete view of the infrastructure and can manage it efficiently. spatialNET allows engineers and NOC technicians to manage the entire network in a single database, streamlining the operational view of assets. For fiber in particular, the spatialNET network model provides robust real-world modeling of the entire network, including the ability to maintain the complex relationships between underground conduit and individual fiber cables.
Maintain
One of the key criteria in fiber rollouts is "future-proofing" the network for a planned lifespan of 30 to 40 years. Even though the optical fiber and cable technology should not require replacement, other components of the network will certainly evolve in that time frame. For example, new technologies such as dense and coarse wave-division multiplexing (DWDM/CWDM) that allow multiple channels on one fiber require the ability to understand the relationship between individual physical fiber cables and multiple carrier signals, which will be critical for managing the network over the next 40 years. On a more routine basis, it is inevitable that parts of the network will become damaged or defective over time. Repairs can be difficult if the network is poorly documented or if network asset information not readily available to maintenance personnel. spatialNET's ability to accurately document and manage complex fiber networks is critical for network maintenance regardless of whether the task is reconfiguration or repair.
In the field, spatialOFFLINE provides critical maintenance tools for field technicians. It allows users to access a complete view of the network model in the field and provides network tracing and fault analysis tools to record updates to the network and synchronize them with the operational database.
There are a number of variations on this simple network asset life cycle, and we're interested in hearing how your organization defines the network asset life cycle.
