Consider APIs as part of your fiber network management strategy

Documenting network assets in a system that makes it possible to understand current and potential usage, and doing so in a system that's integrated with business support systems (BSS) and operations support systems (OSS), can lead to protecting the veracity of data, generating more revenue, and providing an improved customer experience. 

Guests Michael Measels, Vice President of Product Management at 3-GIS, and Matt Sherrod, GTM Americas Service Provider at Blue Planet, joined Host Hilary Kennedy on a recent Fiberside Chat podcast episode to discuss customers’ desired shift from traditional models of fiber network management to open systems.

Today, communication service providers (CSPs) want to know that APIs can connect to downstream systems. Measels stated, “The market is saying we must have more connectivity with APIs.” He added, “Customers are coming to the table in a more informed way.” Increased customer knowledge has raised expectations for service value and reliability. Sherrod added, to be able to meet these new expectations “you really need a set of integrated GIS and inventory”.

According to Sherrod, when CSPs attempt to manage fiber networks with siloed apps, they can expect inefficiency and poor customer support. “Without an openness, without APIs to share that info, they would just be stuck in silos trying to throw manpower to solve a problem and you simply can’t do that when you’re a market that has to scale this efficiently,” Sherrod explained. Open APIs allow visualization of services that depend on specific cable routes. Because of this, traffic rerouting can repair a link without impacting others. 

Measels believes, “The future is already here in terms of expectations from customers [CSPs] in the market.” He continued, “There are data silos that exist today, and getting the data to systems that can interoperate with data is the most important thing moving forward.” 

So, how can enterprises implement APIs to deliver complex services faster, generate increased revenue, improve customer experience, and facilitate faster subscription growth?

Listen to the entire episode to find out.