Investing In Your Network: 3 Ways to Demonstrate the Value of Your Fiber

When we talk about value, we’re often focused on creating value, finding creative ways to go above and beyond to deliver the best data or communicate for the greatest impact. But there’s another side to this, one that focuses on demonstrating value and assets to stakeholders and decision makers.

To do that, teams need to be able to show their network’s true and current value and potential with defensible, reliable data and documentation. To make informed decisions, that documentation needs to be up to date and clearly mapped. When evaluating network worth, there are really three big pieces that internet service providers need to be able to visualize and present both current assets and locations and work in progress. 

Assessing Current Assets 

To communicate the potential of a network, we have to have an accurate snapshot of the network’s most recent state. This data helps answer questions such as: 

• Where is the network?

• How big is it?

• Where are the access points? 

• Who is being served? 

These answers help investors visualize regional feeders and ISPs plot out their own footprints, creating value propositions based on current network size and scope. Finding these answers relies on excellent, defensible data. Teams have to be able to show exactly where overhead and underground assets are and who is being served by the network. 

Timelines and speed of delivery matter here, and rapid photo inventories can help teams get that data faster, while still providing reliable and accurate information. Current conditions tied to real geolocations (not just projected or approximate coordinates) help teams prove what assets exist and how valuable their footprint is. 

Of course, true network value isn’t just based on what currently exists but on what will be built in the next few weeks, months, and years. 

Tracking Work in Progress  

Networks aren’t static– work in progress is constantly shifting and changing records, whether that’s maintenance and upkeep or new builds and upgrades. Tracking work as it progresses doesn’t just keep records accurate (and thus more valuable). It also answers questions like: 

• How healthy are programs (and what kind of timelines are teams running on)?

• What’s the permit status of work in progress? 

• What work is planned, but hasn’t begun yet? 

• What customers will be connected? 

Planned work offers enormous value if it can be shown and presented in a compelling manner. If ISPs can give proof of work in progress tied to real timelines and progress statuses, they can demonstrate current and future value and growth.  

By leveraging other processes such as post-construction inspections and robust maintenance routines, teams get to capitalize on other work to keep their data accurate and up to date with true field conditions. 

Showing the Value 

Teams need to figure out what data is essential and what’s just noise, and they need to be able to collect and present that data quickly. The right filters and deliverables give a detailed view without getting lost in the weeds. The right data collection and data management tools help teams collect and create the most potent visualization of assets and their worth. 

Thanks for reading! We’re working on fiber-to-the-home tools to help teams quickly gather and organize this data. Reach out to our team for more information!