Digpro enables VX Fiber to provide excellent service and value to their customers
VX Fiber is a Swedish Technology company – a digital infrastructure specialist with more than 20 years’ experience building and operating full fiber FTTP open access networks globally for hundreds of thousands of customers. VX Fiber has built, and is rapidly building, fiber networks in various geographic areas in Germany.
Digpro provides the foundation for processes
The VX Fiber success derives from the team’s extensive fiber deployment and operation experience, which has enabled them to create best practice processes for planning, designing, building and operating everything related to the fiber network.
These processes allow for productivity and control, as well as to create a sustainable value of the fiber networks which VX Fiber build and operate. As a foundation for the processes, VX Fiber has chosen dpCom, a Network Information System (NIS) from Digpro. With dpCom, which was selected after a meticulous evaluation, VX Fiber creates a Digital Twin of their fiber networks.
Requirements
VX Fiber has a strong IT vision, and they are adamant that each of their fiber networks has to be correctly documented from the start.
“When planning, designing, building and maintaining a fiber network, all data must be collated in one system. That is how to create an excellent service and a sustainable fiber network. A silo-based approach is time consuming and error prone. The data types are not always compatible, and different teams may follow separate procedures. This causes higher costs, and dilutes the short- and long-term value of the fiber network”, says Jan Backman, Country Manager VX Fiber and CEO at LilaConnect GmbH.
The requirements for a NIS were compiled from the VX Fiber team’s extensive experience, which is gained from several fiber networks implementations on the German market. Productivity in high level planning, as well as the reuse of data throughout the process is critical. This creates an efficient way to exchange information for everyone involved in the VX Fiber team, enabling informed project management and efficient communication in the team. It was also of great importance that the system was adapted to German requirements. Even if standardized processes are a key to the competitive advantage of VX Fiber, the local needs had to be met.
Solution
VX Fiber scrutinized a host of systems before implementing dpCom. With dpCom, VX Fiber has a NIS which provides control and productivity, as well as the ability to scale their business. dpCom collates all data in one system, provides a holistic view with support for all the core processes of the network lifecycle: plan, design, build and operate.
With dpCom’s mobile applications, the project management team stays in close contact with the building team, for progress reports and change management. When the fiber network is deployed, dpCom continuously supports the operations and maintenance.
Stefan Axelsson, CTO VX Fiber, confirms that dpCom provides best in class support for the network life cycle.
“We have consolidated our network information in dpCom, and it is today the backbone that we rely on for every facet of the network lifecycle. The quality of the network model is key to our efficient operation, and to provide the digital connectivity our customers expect. We rely on the Digital Twin, which gives the physical network a digital representation. It allows for our Operations Center to have all the data needed to preempt and solve problems, as well as to optimize connections and plan network extensions for all our fiber networks”, Stefan says.
Result
With best practices processes, VX Fiber produces predictable results, and provides a top-quality service. By having full control of their fiber network, VX Fiber can take on demanding customers that provide good margins. To keep up with the tough Service Level Agreements, (SLA), a system like dpCom, which supports the maintenance process, is required. Network redundancy can be controlled and single points of failure avoided. With a Digital Twin, issues are immediately indicated in the system. Appropriate actions with the right skills, the right parts and to the right place can be taken to avoid and limit the effects of an outage. Customers can also be kept properly informed.
“Together with Digpro’s experts, we have trained our staff and ensured that dpCom is implemented according to the processes we need. We consider Digpro a partner in our development, and that we in collaboration improve and refine our business and service. Digpro understands the needs of a fiber developer and operator, both with development resources to provide the comprehensive system needed, and with a personal touch in all interactions”, Stefan states.
“dpCom enables our processes and helps us to provide excellent service and value to our customers in the very demanding German market,” continues Jan.
The Digital Twin creates value for operators, customers and shareholders alike. With dpCom, VX Fiber keeps control of their assets, which is a vast percent of their balance sheet. And should VX Fiber wish to sell or partner with other investors, regards to one or several of their fiber networks, dpCom can provide full transparency of their networks. Thereby, everyone involved can be assured a sustainable and fair value.
VX Fiber and Digpro are both satisfied with the partnership, and look forward to continuous success when helping Germany to achieve its broadband targets and sustain satisfied customers.
Jan Backman
Stefan Axelsson
VX Fiber activities in Germany
VX Fiber is active in north Germany, mainly in Wolfenbüttel in the region of Niedersachsen, where they have acquired the existing utility company (Stadtwerke) FTTH network, as well as built homes passed together with their partner Wayss & Freytag. The project aims to supply about 30 000 homes until 2025. In south Germany, they are involved in the FTTH rollout in the city and region around Singen, which is of similar size.
The current project pipeline of VX Fiber comprises over 100 000 homes passed in three main regions.
VX Fiber is renting fiber networks that either are existing or being built, operating their Open Access FTTH platform and NOC. Their own FTTH network deployment is used to enter markets in the first phase, and their end-user brand LilaConnect leverages pre-sales activities to reach initial take-up, and acts as an initial service provider (ISP) on the FTTH wholesale layer.
