Telecoms build their communication networks to be secure and highly redundant. However, fiber cuts still play a major role in service disruptions, which could leave customers without internet for hours, even days. The inability to repair these cuts in a timely manner, could result in financial losses and service providers have to reap the sour fruits of bad customer experience.

Most telecoms do not have visibility over the physical layer of their network - the outside plant (OSP). The numerous cable routes, off-premise cabinets, manholes, etc. are often catalogued only on paper. You need to send Barry to the basement to go get them every time. And don’t even think about updating them...  As a result, the outside plant is often a risky blind spot for the operations team.

Typically, service providers detect faults by monitoring the active devices. If a link goes down, Barry and his team get into a truck to chase down the precise location of the fault manually, using hand-held OTDRs. This is a reactive approach. It is time-consuming, requires too much manpower and unnecessary truck-rolls. At the same time, it can’t provide real-time operational information.