More than 50 power companies in Norway now invest in broadband, according to a new report from the Ministry of Business and Industry. A number of 130 broadband operators have been identified in Norway, but the total number is probably higher, according to Norwegian Telecom.
With 130 identified broadband operators it is obvious that there a consolidating process within the broadband sector is necessary, especially since many of the operators are relatively small, Aarønæs writes in his report. This will be one of the greatest broadband challenges, in addition to covering the last remaining sections of Norway’s population. Furthermore Aarønæs predicts that the question of local and public support from municipalities or operators in the power market, as well as the question of profitability of the projects, will be debated indeed in the coming years.
Powel recognise that many of our customers work with and offer these broadband services. Large resources are being invested in including broadband fibres in the same routings as the cables, and we therefore want to support these investments by adapting our solutions to them.
We would like to support Network companies using Powel NetBas as a system and who view broadband services as a business opportunity. We have therefore developed a new module that supports the documentation of the communication network, making it easier for the network companies, as subcontractors, to provide documentation and services to the broadband companies. With the new module our customers can assemble network documentation in one place, irrespective of network type. The module makes use of the general functions from Powel NetBas or network information systems. This means, for instance, that the network companies may register fibre cables and switches and information about these in the map (NetBas 7.8). In addition we are working with the integration of an external product supplied by MX Data that will be able to support us in the operation of this type of network.
Broadband selection
At present we experience a great demand for these systems, and customers are keen to cooperate with us in the development of the systems. The result of this is that we have constituted a group of enthusiastic and eager customers in a special broadband committee who endeavours to adapt the product to the needs of the network companies. In general we wish to support all types of cable networks with the help of our products. As of today we have our Utility Management Group, our water and sewage network, our electricity grid and now communications network. In Powel NetBas there will also be options for documenting district heating networks and gas networks.
For more information get in touch with Kjersti Løvseth Ruud at Powel.