Bell Canada improves fiber optic network design and deployment

The challenge

As Canada’s largest telecommunications provider, Bell Canada offers a broad range of wireline and wireless communication services. In response to increasing customer expectations for faster internet service, Bell has been investing hundreds of millions of dollars annually upgrading its infrastructure with fiber.

However, as the rollout of fiber increased, legacy systems and practices failed to keep pace with demand. Designers worked with a number of local computer-aided design tools and needed to recreate as-built plans in the GIS, which introduced delays and errors in updating engineering records.

To reduce inefficiencies and errors in its design and provisioning process, Bell Canada needed a fiber network design solution that would improve operational productivity, ensure data quality and integrate with other back-office systems.

The solution

A Hexagon customer since 2000, Bell uses Hexagon’s HxGN NetWorks to maintain a definitive source of reliable, location-based information describing its networks and connectivity. To leverage this infrastructure information for its massive fiber deployments, Bell added HxGN NetWorks Comms, a module that extends the fiber network model to HxGN NetWorks.

With HxGN NetWorks Comms, Bell has improved the productivity of its 550 concurrent users by automating critical design steps and reducing redundant data entry. Data integrity and access have also improved, including design consistency and downstream data integration. Overall, Bell has shortened its fiber deployment cycle, which allows quicker expansion into new service territory.

By reducing its time from network design to provisioned service, Bell is able to deliver high-speed access to customers faster and improve its competitiveness.