VETRO Blog

Introducing: The Plan Estimation Tool

The Plan Estimation Tool (PET) is a collection of new features that offer a comprehensive overview of the material and labor costs associated with a fiber network build. Click here for a quick introductory video.

This past week was Digital Inclusion Week, which raises awareness about the inequality of internet access. According to the National Digital Inclusion Alliance, the campaign works to ensure "all individuals and communities have the information technology capacity needed for full participation in our society, democracy and economy." The digital inclusion gap largely occurs in more rural communities, where connectivity can be especially scarce, and census data inaccuracies result in less federal support for network infrastructure improvements.

According to Cisco, the number of global internet connected devices is estimated to hit 50 billion in 2020. This demand, coupled with an increasingly competitive telecommunication industry, is forcing internet service providers (ISPs) to reduce subscription prices and continuously find better ways of optimizing and automating operational processes to support faster adoption.

VETRO FiberMap is pleased to announce the availability of their Geospatial Wrecking Crew (GWC), an in-house concierge GIS services group handling mapping data conversion jobs for network design engineers and fiber management platform users.

VETRO FiberMap is proud to be included in Broadband Communities (BBC) Magazine’s list of the Top 100 FTTH companies for the third year in a row. BBC is a respected industry voice, and a convener of municipalities and other community broadband stakeholders striving to build a fiber connected world. We’re excited to continue to work alongside this organization and participate in their events. Their efforts are part of an overall groundswell of new broadband activity in communities, spurred by collaboration, new owner-operator models, and increased political support for broadband funding.

Bottom line, we need better broadband

The world increasingly depends on connectivity in daily life; in emergency response, access to education, agriculture and communication, to name a few. We choose where we live and work based on connectivity, so why is it so hard to get everyone on the grid?

Last month I had the opportunity to attend the ITW Telecommunications Week conference in Atlanta, GA. One of the major topics from the show was the announcement of a consortium of telecommunication companies and software companies converging to develop a blockchain solution that will create a "frictionless" payment settlement process across the telecommunications sector.

Mountain Connect is known for fresh content. This year’s event in Keystone Colorado was no exception, focused on municipal broadband, community development, wireless and fixed wireless, and emerging technologies. The most common theme was how to leverage existing infrastructure, increase efficiency, and lower cost to provide high-speed broadband to rural areas. 

Analysis with Polygons allows more reporting flexibility

Our product team recently released improvements to our Analysis with Polygons toolset, which provides engineering and sales teams alike with clear network asset information, market data, and build cost estimation. Click the video below for a brief introduction.