Step Telecoms Increases Efficiency with Asset Management Using ArcGIS

Step Telecoms is an Irish telecommunications company primarily serving the data center industry. The company currently owns and manages over 250,000 meters of duct network and has installed and maintained over 500,000 meters of fiber-optic cable linking key data center sites in Dublin. With network reliability and connectivity being the primary concerns of their clients, Step Telecoms needed a more efficient way to visualize and manage their network.

Network asset data came from several sources in formats that included Excel, PDF, KMZ, and DWG files. Each file had to be manually cleaned up and translated before it could be imported into the network management system. This daily process was time-consuming and prone to translation and human mistakes, resulting in significant delays for updating the system.

Step Telecoms needed to update and unify information about its network assets into a single, standardized platform to provide greater internal visibility and management. Streamlining the complicated tasks of maintaining the network infrastructure, managing complex connectivity, and tracking network inventory was crucial. In addition, the company needed to determine where outside plant assets were located and how they were connected without lengthy manual workflows. 

The goal for creating a new platform was greater efficiency for the company and increased network reliability for their clients.

The company turned to Esri Ireland in Dublin for help and selected ArcGIS as their core system to support their needs. Esri Ireland connected Step Telecoms to Esri partner Khatib & Alami (K&A), a large geospatial systems integrator and a digital services provider. K&A has extensive experience in designing and implementing telecom solutions built with Esri’s ArcGIS software.

With both Step Telecoms and its clients in mind, K&A implemented a solution based on the ArcGIS Utility Network, using custom migration tools and Kapcite’s Telco+ for the recording, design, and management of the network data. This allowed Step Telecoms to model both the operational and structural networks and create an easily understandable digital representation of Step Telecoms complicated fiber network. Network and attribute rules for the customized build would reduce errors and boost data integrity as well as address Step Telecom’s most urgent goal of improved efficiency.

Once the solution was in place, data migration and validation could begin. This was crucial to ensure that network data was not only correct but also conformed to the formats and rules specified in the new network management system. 

During migration, 70 percent of the existing network data was easily converted to the network topology with some additional corrections. 30 percent of the connectivity data (e.g., splicing and patching matrices) were in Excel files and converted to the data model through K&A’s custom migration and validation tools.

Step Telecoms staff have now successfully verified approximately 500 kilometres of fiber-optic cable using established network topology and attribute rules. One of the greatest benefits of using an ArcGIS based next generation Network Management system is that the company can trust that this verified information conforms to the software's rules which automatically enforce data integrity and reduce data entry errors.

After implementing the next generation network management system, Step Telecoms achieved a 60 percent reduction in the time required to complete the data migration process, compared to the several hours a day needed for the previous, manual method. The time needed to validate and correct data has dropped by 40 percent. And data manipulation and network connectivity updates now take 80 percent less time to complete—proof that the tools are helping the company achieve its goal of increased efficiency.

Data validation and quality control are easier, due to more sophisticated and precise network modeling with network rules. This means increased efficiency due to reduced errors and inconsistencies within network data, leading to more dependable, data-driven operational decision-making.

Step Telecoms now has advanced asset management capabilities within its network management solution. Staff can model complex asset relationships and configurations and easily locate outside plant and connectivity. This has streamlined maintenance, reduced downtime, and extended the life of the company's assets. If there is an event that impacts network service, staff can address it quickly without the need to manually piece together data from several sources.

Lastly, the company now has better customer engagement, providing subscribers with timely information about service availability, outages, and estimated restoration times. Staff can concentrate on providing robust support to their customers and look toward expanding both their company reach and revenue in the future.