Maximizing the return on investment for FTTX-rollout through the use of GIS street maps and geomarketing data

Abstract

Over the last decade the bandwidth required for services such as High Definition TV and Internet has grown explosively. Telecom operators are developing business cases evaluating the deployment of high speed Fiber to the Home (FTTH) networks. The major limiting factor is the deployment cost, mostly related to civil works. Consequently, telecom operators often hesitate to invest and delay the deployment of FTTH networks or opt for gradual and slow deployment. Current FTTH deployment strategies are often motivated by business cases focused on cost aspects. This leads to a deployment strategy minimizing the cost or - for a fixed investment - maximizing the network coverage. This paper introduces a new methodology that identifies the optimal areas for deployment by maximizing the overall return on investment. Through the combination of GIS-based network design and geomarketing-based revenue projections, an increase in revenue of more than 10% can be obtained for the same initial investment.