Mar/Apr 19 - ChannelVision Magazine

Zettabytes new services” and “switching custom- ers from existing OSS to new OSS” both among the top four fiber migration challenges. “Integrating fiber custom- ers onto legacy OSS systems” was the number two activation and manage- ment challenge, followed by making or- dering and billing changes to integrate new networks with IT. As for other primary challenges, operators say network design during deployment is one of the biggest, along with fiber serviceability and testing networks and equipment. Switching customers from legacy networks to new fiber networks, from both a business and technical perspective, topped the list of migration challenges, and in many cases it’s the upgrading of the customer premises equipment that causes the worst headaches. “It’s much more of a migration issue on the customer’s IT than the network IT,” said one large Western European provider. Beyond technology and operations, the study suggests that cable compa- nies and carriers are simply challenged by the unrelenting pace of installing so much fiber. “It’s a challenge really of scale,” said one respondent. “It’s been a fast deployment, especially compared to copper.” Providers also say the pace is putting a strain on their capabilities to hire and train technicians and subcontractors prop- erly to install new network equipment and CPE, as well as manage and monitor the quality of their efforts. “It’s a multi-faceted situation,” explained one North American MSO executive, one that involves the dif- ficulties of both upgrading employee skills and changing the organizational mindset to focus on the fiber future. “It has to do with culture and train- ing,” he continued. “That in itself is a bit of a challenge.” “Fiber brings significant complexity to operational processes that impact the speed at which new fiber services are launched,” said Ragu Masilamany, vice president of products at Incognito. “However, fiber can also be a catalyst for service innovation in areas like IPTV and smart home, and MSOs and telcos need a new approach to op- erationalizing innovative new services over fiber in weeks versus years.” o Technologies for Retrofitting Current OSS Stack DOCSIS provisioning over EPON (DPoE) 42.9% DOCSIS provisioning over GPON (DPoG) 40.3% Radio frequency over glass (RFoG) 29.2% Other 5.2% We do not plan doing this 19.5% Source: Incognito; Heavy Reading 47 March - April, 2019 | Channel Vision