Three Strategies CSPs Can Apply Today to Mitigate Fiber Tech Shortages and Training Issues
By Guest Author
Sometimes, looks can deceive.
Despite long periods of business growth and network expansion, communication service providers have long expressed concerns with the industry’s chronic shortage of trained network technicians, potentially limiting their abilities to respond quickly to new opportunities requiring rapid network deployments.
Entering the 2020s, the accelerating demand for high-speed Internet and 5G services fueled a surge in network build-outs at a pace forecasted to require 850,000 technician man-years through 2025 in the U.S. alone. Additionally, in 2022, the U.S. federal ‘Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program’ allocated $42.45B to expand the availability of high-speed Internet, primarily through investment in fiber broadband infrastructure. The Fiber Broadband Association (FBA) estimated the need for 205,000 new technician jobs over five years to construct, operate, and maintain the new fiber networks built through BEAD funding.
So, here in 2024, we have accelerating customer demand in a growth market, willing private sector capital investment, significant government funding, and we seem to have largely overcome COVID-related supply chain issues. Start the party, right? Well, not so fast there—we never solved the chronic shortage of fiber network technicians, did we?
The bottom line is that fiber tech shortfalls mean delays, and delays mean bad things for service providers’ bottom lines.
What’s the root cause and who’s going to fix it?
We can distill the root causes down to an aging and shrinking workforce, little awareness of fiber tech career paths among those entering the workforce, and the absence of industry-standardized fiber tech training curricula at local training facilities.
As with most industry-wide issues, the solution will take an industry-wide effort. Industry associations like SCTE, BICSI, FBA, and FOA, along with industry-leading manufacturers and B2B media companies are all contributing to industry-wide solutions. Unfortunately, cooperative industry-wide solutions take time.
Can you afford to wait?
Probably not. Here are three strategies that CSPs can apply today to achieve faster fiber deployments and better results with less training, fewer fiber specialists, less waste, fewer call-backs, lower costs and faster time-to-revenue. The common principle is to make fiber deployment systems an essential part of the workforce solution with intuitive installation features that minimize requirements for specialized fiber skills while increasing installation quality and yield.
- Look for fiber deployment systems designed for specific network applications.
For example, fiber deployment to subscriber premises in MTU/MDU properties is a high-volume network application. Fiber systems with FTTS (fiber-to-the-suite)-specific rapid deployment features allow CSPs to complete subscriber connections quickly with fewer techs.
- Leverage fiber technologies and fiber system features to reduce requirements for specialized fiber techs.
Systems with modular architectures, factory-terminated modules, and pre-terminated fiber cable assemblies offer fast, reliable plug-and-play fiber deployments without specialized fusion splicing techs.
- Expect more than documentation and support from manufacturers.
Look for comprehensive installation guides, quick reference refresher guides, on-product QR codes with links to product documentation, training videos and other resources, as well as instructor-led classroom courses and train-the-trainer programs to limit installer error and speed up deployment.
Matthew De Zordo
Product Manager
Wirewerks
Matthew De Zordo is a Product Manager at Wirewerks, a manufacturer of advanced fiber and copper structured cabling solutions. He earned his degree in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Montreal. He has contributed to the design and implementation of XGSPON solutions that have been widely adopted by major carriers across North America.
