NOVOS FiBER innovates to deliver high-speed fiber to Texas communities

The challenge

Finding the best DWDM solution for greenfield rural network

As a greenfield fiber builder that started in the Dallas Fort-Worth area in 2023, NOVOS FiBER has every opportunity to be innovative in network design. The goal is to build fiber in a way to maximize passings and reach underserved communities. To support this goal from the outset, the fiber builder needed to find a DWDM solution with a focus on redundancy, scalability and especially cost efficiency.

 “Despite much funding earmarked for high-speed broadband in the US, we see that many communities are still underserved. NOVOS FiBER is on a mission to change that, which means not just building fiber networks the same old way. We must be innovative and always find the most effective and cost-efficient ways of delivering connectivity,” says Rob Johnson, CTO, NOVOS FiBER.

The Solution

Minimizing license fees – maximizing fiber utilization

The first major fiber deployment for NOVOS FiBER was in the vicinity of Arlington, Texas. Multiple vendors were evaluated to find the most cost-efficient way to light up the new dark fiber in NOVOS FiBER’s new backbone network. Smartoptics open line systems, 400G optics and muxponders stood out and were considered the best choice.

“We aim to invest as much as we can in serving customers and as little as possible on overhead. This is why we appreciate that Smartoptics does not charge any licensing fees for alien wavelengths on its open line systems. The DCP-404 muxponder also helps us maximize fiber utilization by aggregating 4x100G. Overall, the solution is highly cost-efficient, which is decisive for us to better serve our communities,” says Rob.

The Result

Flexibility and innovation to serve more communities

The initial Arlington deployment was successful, reaching distances ranging from 80 to 150 km and serving rural communities with fully redundant and flexible duplex connectivity. The second NOVOS FiBER deployment also leveraged Smartoptics network elements to bring fiber to communities in and around McKinney, Texas.

The Smartoptics Complete Care service package makes it easy for NOVOS FiBER to focus on what they do best with installation assistance, continuous support, quick troubleshooting for any issues, and seamless access to spare parts or replacements whenever necessary.

“My advice to others is to think outside the box when it comes to network architecture. Don’t just do it the same way people have always done it. Listen to input from forward-thinking partners like Smartoptics and go for flexibility. We appreciate their technical expertise, their responsiveness regardless of our size, and their focus on innovation, which is well aligned with our own values. We look forward to continuing to work together as we expand,” says Rob.

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