Augmented reality, reality capture, computer vision, and machine learning will automate data capture of physical broadband infrastructure for service providers.

A group of new innovations – including Wi-Fi 6, 6 GHz spectrum and Wi-Fi 7 – will open new opportunities for delivering and supporting Wi-Fi services over the next three years.

5G may continue to grab headlines in 2021, but the telecom industry will be dominated by the edge and by automation, enabling service provider networks to adapt to shifting traffic and usage patterns.

As the broadband industry looks to transform fiber to the home to fiber to everything, the advent of 25G has the potential to play a key role in connecting consumers, enterprises and cities and accelerating 5G.

The first virtual edition of the Fiber Broadband Association’s annual conference, Fiber Connect, held in December, showcased many fiber community success stories and a variety of innovations that promise to expand fiber deployment. The show highlighted how communities are banding together and working with state and federal agencies to build out broadband in underserved communities. It also brought to light the need to increase bandwidth and provide flexible service during the pandemic, along with the problem of permitting obstacles and other challenges.

The new head of the Fiber Broadband Association shares his vision for the industry.

The 2021 broadband plans of incumbent telcos, independents, cable operators and electric co-ops will have a ripple effect on consumers and businesses.

Synergies between the organizations made the choice a natural one.

As UpStream Network becomes part of Single Digits, the company becomes part of a large, well-capitalized organization that will be better able to serve current and future clients.

More than 5 million premises are likely to get broadband connectivity, but for some, it may not be as good as promised.

Broadband should bring people together, not drive them apart.

Charlie Vogt, a telecom veteran who has led a mix of voice, video and optical vendors, took the reins of DZS in August. He aims to solidify the company’s position in fiber to the home (FTTH), 5G, smart homes, connected building/city solutions and software-defined networking.

The operational simplicity of capacity upgrades becomes increasingly important as bandwidth explodes.

A reflection on how networks coped with unprecedented challenges brought on by the pandemic, how it changed the way the industry thinks about connectivity, and how broadband networks can prepare for what’s next.

Because of COVID-19 facility closures, 50 million K–12 public school students have had to learn remotely from home.

Americans know how to design and build fast networks. Now we need to identify how to use them to make our lives better.

In its annual conference, which will be held virtually from December 14–16, 2020, the Fiber Broadband Association will bring together experts in all aspects of fiber to the home (FTTH).

This year’s event is our best ever – 30 sessions with more than 100 of the industry’s top experts plus plenty of opportunities to network and engage.

At the Broadband Communities Virtual Summit 2020, participants shared stories about finding new methods to extend broadband into underserved and unserved rural markets. Following are some highlights of conference sessions focused on the rural broadband market.

Electric cooperatives and investor-owned utilities are partnering with competitive providers and telcos to close the systemic rural broadband gap.

The emerging model presents a scalable option for communities that lack the expertise or interest to operate networks or act as ISPs themselves but want to own and control the core communications assets in their communities as a means of securing the benefits of broadband internet. Here’s a look at the model’s business case, technical elements and risks.

A town may not be ready to take the plunge on building a network, but there are steps it can take to attract private investment.

MDU owners should conduct careful research before entering into new contracts with broadband service providers.

Investors have been needlessly spooked about new satellite technology. Individual satellites are cheap, but thousands must be deployed and periodically replaced. So satellites are competitive – and welcome – but only in limited situations.

Broadband partnerships can take many forms. Communities in search of better broadband should familiarize themselves with a wide range of successful solutions.

The IT edge will play an important role in what 5G becomes and how it is optimized, but ownership of that edge remains an open question. The answer could be transformative for telcos and data center operators alike.

CenturyLink cites time to market and network speeds as the reasons to migrate to XGS-PON as the next evolution in its fiber-based broadband plan for consumers and business customers.

The city is the first in the nation to enable 911 staff to take and dispatch calls from home during the pandemic.

The partnership takes on Germany’s goals to nationally expand gigabit networks by 2025 and to expand fiber infrastructure in schools and local enterprises.

It’s actually cheaper to build in rural than in urban areas, and FTTH systems in rural areas can be profitable even with very few subscribers.

At the Broadband Communities Virtual Summit 2020, participants shared stories about how they are driving broadband into multifamily properties to enable higher speeds and provide a host of IoT services for residents and building owners. Following are some highlights of conference sessions focused on the multifamily market.

Private construction of multiple-dwelling-unit buildings is hitting a new record this year, with about 525,000 housing starts expected.

The pandemic has laid bare the critical importance of network infrastructure and the importance of the multifamily industry’s relationship with connectivity providers.

Gigabit services often bypass MDUs and home clusters because of the construction disruption and high cost of bringing fiber to each housing unit.

Emerging broadband technologies and smart devices have the potential to provide strong value for channel partners and their MDU customers.

New solutions promise faster installation of high-speed broadband in MDU buildings.

New business models by technology suppliers are making TV as a Service a possibility for MDU specialists. Can the industry benefit from these changes, or are the quality of service risks too high?

Service providers find new opportunities to build managed Wi-Fi networks that support voice, data and building-management applications.

Expanding broadband access and consumer cost-reduction subsidies is a cost-effective way to reduce child poverty. In fact, it can easily pay for itself.

With demand for remote health care and mental health services on the rise, pursuing telehealth is a smart marketing strategy for broadband service providers.

There’s a new reason to provide more funds for broadband deployments, and a new tool for deployers to target the counties most in need – especially in rural areas.

The I3 Connectivity Explorer allows users to assemble and analyze essential data needed to assess their communities’ current situations, envision their goals, and develop action plans.

The FCC’s support for mmWave wireless systems in the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund gives rural operators another option to extend broadband services to more customers.

Service providers bidding on the FCC’s RDOF auction should consider the long-term cost variables of using fixed wireless or FTTH to extend broadband to rural areas.

Fixed wireless access is set to become a key driver in current and future 5G deployments, offering greater bandwidth and better spectral efficiency than LTE networks.

New research by the Fiber Broadband Association shows that all-fiber networks are much less expensive to operate than cable or copper networks.

COVID-19 is accelerating tech adoption in multifamily housing. Technologies that remain relevant post-pandemic will need strong connectivity, underscoring the importance of critical broadband infrastructure.

New research identifies tactics for connecting unserved communities.

The FCC’s upcoming RDOF auction, scheduled for October, will give rural communities a chance to bid on support for fiber-to-the-home networks.

Communities hoping to improve their broadband service have several different models to choose from. Here’s how to go about making the choice.

By defining goals, gathering data and asking the right questions, communities can develop broadband master plans that lay the groundwork for high-speed networks.

As the community overcomes its business-sector broadband challenges, it looks for ways to extend services to residents who have poor broadband access options.

UTOPIA Fiber is expanding through Utah and beyond, proving that fiber-to-the-home deployments can succeed even in small, rural towns.

Stacking subsidies may be the only way to get fiber to the home built in some of the most rural areas.

There’s more than one way to get better broadband – but how should communities decide what’s best?

It is suddenly cost-effective to borrow money for small deployments, or to arrange a self-amortizing lease. Here’s why – and how.

Bulk managed Wi-Fi must have airtight network security plans to protect multifamily owners and residents. Here’s what that takes.

Fiber networks are susceptible to failure when damaged by extreme weather such as hurricanes, floods, fires, snowstorms and earthquakes. Disaster recovery plans that include proper procedures and tools are essential to keep networks functioning.

Service providers have a wide variety of last-mile optical PON platforms to converge multiple wireline consumer broadband, business and wireless services.

The COVID-19 pandemic highlights how the U.S. broadband deficit remains a glaring and painful gap between haves and have-nots.

The pandemic sheds light on the gaps in online education today – and opportunities for improving it now and in the future.

Communications infrastructure has the power to help rural, underserved areas of the United States achieve greater success, but it means the broadband industry must ramp up its commitment to connect more of the country.

Speed, continuity, flexibility and creativity enabled the company to meet the challenges staff and customers face as COVID-19 changed the ways people live and work overnight.

As pandemic-related disruptions make the United States more dependent than ever on reliable broadband, FTTH deployers find ways to continue building out their networks.

Lisa R. Youngers, president and CEO of the Fiber Broadband Association, delivered this testimony before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, & Transportation in March.

Fiber-to-the-home leaders and innovators for 2020

The pandemic will have a lasting impact on the way people live and work through technology.

Independent providers are tackling the challenge of being an essential service for MDU residents during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The pandemic highlights the ways broadband is essential to how people work, study and play.

New technologies, new funding programs, and the vastly expanded need for work-at-home broadband have trashed old business plans but made many new plans possible. Here are key strategies for deployers to consider, and ways to fund their dreams and to make necessary changes in federal rules on such issues as spectrum use and lien priority.

Fiber to the home proves its worth during the pandemic.

The latest offerings from top broadband hardware and software suppliers, distributors and service providers. 

The USDA’s ReConnect Program and the FCC’s Rural Digital Opportunity Fund will help bridge the digital divide and drive the community broadband movement.

The Michigan Moonshot initiative addresses the student and community broadband access gap in Michigan by leveraging the efforts of a broad coalition of stakeholders.

The technology is slated to support a broad range of applications for business and government in the year ahead.

Although 5G will capture headlines, the fiber-based wireline network will serve a dominant role for supporting wireless traffic as well as providing high-bandwidth services to residential and business customers.

As the multifamily industry embraces intelligent buildings and self-service apartments, the importance of telecom infrastructure comes into greater focus.

Internet providers and building owners are taking advantage of G.hn technology to deliver gigabit internet access and other services over existing copper wiring or coax cabling.

Automated open-access networks enable any number of independent service providers to lease capacity, so customers can choose different services at competitive prices.

The electric cooperative’s fiber broadband service attracts second homeowners and telecommuters to communities in the Southeast where broadband was once nonexistent.

A feasibility study can sometimes seem like a necessary evil, but it can be a major contributor to the long-term success of a community’s broadband project.

New challenges for ISPs mean if you aren’t growing, you’re dying.

~ This article will appear in the March/April issue. ~

The Rural Utilities Service made good on its promise of world-class service. The first ReConnect grants and loans offer convincing proof that private investment could work in unserved and underserved areas, even though Wall Street shuns them.

The advent of 5G requires equipping network operators with the visibility they need to identify and manage service and operation issues across entire networks.

The National Multifamily Housing Council’s annual conference, OPTECH, held in Dallas in November 2019, showcased how service providers are extending fiber and other technologies into new and existing MDUs to deliver high-speed broadband. The conference also highlighted how wireless technologies – mmWave wireless, Citizens Broadband Radio Service and Wi-Fi – complement MDU wireline connections.

Several state-level political strategies can help convince policymakers to provide support to broadband providers that wish to deploy in unserved or underserved areas.

Everyone agrees the FCC should prioritize the construction of better broadband. What does that mean in practice? Two new studies commissioned by the Fiber Broadband Association help clarify.

The CEO of a leading distributor reflects on the challenges network deployers face – and how distributors can help them meet those challenges.

Large incumbent telcos, independent telcos, cable operators and electric cooperatives set bold broadband plans for 2020.

There’s more to delivering a gigabit connection than stringing fiber around town.

Residents expect the convenience of on-site seamless connectivity. The right network is key to protection.

Streaming video, managed Wi-Fi, bulk internet, smart-home technology and skinny TV bundles are five hot items that will impact the MDU broadband market in 2020.

Broadband Communities authors look forward to the fiber future.

At Broadband Communities’ 2019 economic development conference, held in October in Alexandria, Virginia, participants shared stories about how communities are improving broadband access to facilitate economic development, digital literacy and consumer choices. Following are some of the highlights of the conference sessions.

Blown fiber systems offer numerous advantages over traditional fiber systems, including reduced material and installation costs, fewer fiber connection points, simplified repair and maintenance, and a migration path for future applications.

At the Broadband Communities economic development conference in October, FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks delivered a powerful call to make internet inequality across the United States a thing of the past. A data-driven review of what has and hasn’t worked over the past 10 years will help determine the path forward, he says.

As open FTTH networks emerge again in the United States, investors dedicate capital to community networks that will support an array of traditional internet, telehealth and building management services.

In Sweden, municipal broadband is the rule rather than the exception. That changes everything.

Ocala adds residential internet-only FTTH services to a multipurpose fiber network that will help it become a smart city.

Building out a 5G network will require a new set of network standards and operational methods. Operators should establish a set of best practices around planning, cost-to-revenue analysis, and architecture choices.

Service providers should look to their already deployed Wi-Fi networks to support emerging motion-sensing and smart-home monitoring services.

Broadband providers must take the long view and build networks that will meet consumers’ rapidly rising demand for bandwidth well into the future.

Individuals and government alike worry about TikTok’s foreign ownership.

The rise of streaming doesn’t mean traditional pay TV is dead. With some creative strategies, it can even thrive.

Internet providers and building owners that want to offer gigabit services should investigate G.hn technology and reuse the existing copper wiring or coax cabling.

Questions about kids’ screen time and digital privacy are not going away, and parents, advocacy groups and the government are grappling with how to respond.

Facilities-based IoT can boost a multifamily building owner’s net operating income and give building management and maintenance staff insight into how HVAC, security and alarms run across a property via a cloud-based connection.

Multifamily broadband providers should consider offering music streaming services as a way to avoid the commoditization trap.

Consumers’ desire for on-demand content drives migration away from traditional linear TV.

A new study finds that inadequate broadband may be a major reason for low adoption of telemedicine. Other experts argue that even slow broadband can help build rural health care capacity.

Abundant, inexpensive bandwidth could boost health care efficiency, efficacy and capacity – but only if a number of barriers are overcome.

Though there are still challenges to implementation, smart technology – from thermostats to lighting – stands to benefit everyone.

This year’s show featured advanced aerial cameras, multifunctional TVs and even high-tech cookware.

Depression and anxiety are major problems for teenage social media users.

Rural providers are taking aim at rural businesses with fiber and DOCSIS 3.1–based broadband services. But providers must educate this segment about using these new services to become more viable in the online world.

A forward look at live sports streaming

As boomers transition to senior housing, keeping up with technology needs is crucial.

Smart home technology is a hot new trend. How does a provider know which vendor to pick – or whether a DIY approach would make more sense?

Before adopting smart-city technologies, communities should make sure they have processes in place to ensure the success of their projects. American Planning Association research identifies best practices in this emerging field.

Cord-cutters are starting to boomerang back to traditional pay TV after finding that over-the-top services are no less expensive.

Parents and children watch the same screens but have different reactions.

Telehealth holds the promise of reducing health care costs and improving health outcomes. However, inadequate broadband in both rural and urban areas prevents telehealth services from reaching those who most need them.

Telehealth is beginning to prove its worth as a means of delivering better health care at lower cost. Better broadband is needed to make the promise of telehealth a reality.

The internet of things promises to streamline municipal functions. Key to the success of any smart-city initiative is a robust fiber backbone.

Villanova and Rutgers universities share new research on a hot-button subject.

The consumer tech industry celebrated its mid-summer product launches at CE Week. Our reporter checked out all the new gadgets so you don’t have to.

Digital culture embraces movies, TV, games, music, virtual reality and online viral hits. The blurring of the lines, the proliferating remixes and the cross-platform references don’t faze today’s digital-native kids.

Highlights of the 2018 Broadband Communities Summit held in May in Austin, Texas

SXSW EDU 2018 made clear that as education technology advances, the demand for fast, reliable broadband will continue to grow.

This column introduced the Generation Z audience in last year’s May-June issue. New research sheds more light on the first “native internet” generation.

In March, 36 local elected officials from Next Century Cities member communities sent the following letter to the FCC in defense of local decision-making for 5G investments, small-cell deployment and the use of public rights-of-way.

In this issue, the New World of Video column takes a break from video to address a trend that will soon affect all aspects of life – including video services.

Living without pay TV isn’t as hard as it sounds. All it takes is great internet access.

Here’s a good-news story: The drive to provide high-quality internet service to U.S. schools has made tremendous progress, and the goal of universal connectivity is within sight.

Viewers develop strategies for sorting through streaming, SVoD, cable and other video platforms to find shows to watch.

Has Disney traded the cable TV model for a handful of magic beans?

Property owners should secure their buildings’ smart technology.

Cable providers need better ways to appeal to viewers who have new viewing habits – and better ways to measure viewer engagement.

As video streaming services become more sophisticated and add original content, they compete ever more effectively with traditional pay TV. What strategies can cable operators use to keep their customers?

The newest generation isn’t easily impressed. What can broadband providers do to win over these skeptics?

Exciting new technologies are coming your way, and they all require lots more fiber.