South Central Rural Telecommunications Cooperative uses Adtran’s ALM to rapidly detect fiber faults

News summary:

• Kentucky service provider needed a proactive fiber monitoring solution to boost availability and enhance network operations
• Adtran’s ALM continuously and non-intrusively monitors SCRTC’s network, enabling fast fault resolution
• Real-time assurance platform locates fiber issues with pinpoint accuracy, shortening repair cycles and reducing operational costs

Adtran today announced that South Central Rural Telecommunications Cooperative (SCRTC) is using its ALM in-service fiber monitoring solution to continuously probe its fiber network for faults and degradations. The comprehensive assurance platform empowers SCRTC to locate and resolve issues before they impact services for its customers across South Central Kentucky. With no need to engage in time-consuming manual fault isolation, SCRTC can leverage its maintenance resources more effectively to improve service delivery for its subscribers. To enhance scalability, SCRTC has implemented Adtran’s ALM 96-port expansion unit at three of its hub sites. This enables efficient monitoring of up to 110 fiber links from a single hub location, significantly enhancing SCRTC’s capability to proactively detect and address faults.

“The moment we plugged ALM into our infrastructure, it notified us of an issue affecting one of our protected routes. We’d been told to expect a quick return on our investment, but to get an immediate demonstration of what it could do for us was a surprise,” said Lonnie Meredith, network manager at SCRTC. “The ALM’s ability to detect, identify and locate fiber faults in real time has had a profound impact on our operations, minimizing network downtime and cutting operational costs. It only becomes clear just how essential the Adtran ALM is once it’s operational in your network. For our subscribers, it means receiving high-speed broadband with unbeatable reliability. And for us, it translates into daily operations that are more efficient and more cost-effective. It’s a tool you can’t afford to be without.”

SCRTC is using the 16-port variant of Adtran’s ALM to continuously monitor its core fiber network and high-traffic routes alongside the 96-port extender at three hub sites. A key component of SCRTC’s network management system is Adtran’s GIS-based tracking solution, Ensemble Fiber Director. This works with ALM to precisely track the location of issues and ensure optimized oversight of SCRTC’s full optical infrastructure. The system acts like a radar that continuously scans fiber optic cables to pinpoint the location of issues such as attenuation, water damage and breaks. By identifying problems early and enabling maintenance teams to immediately track them down, ALM also helps reduce SCRTC’s operational and capital expenditures. What’s more, its fanless operation and low power consumption further contribute to network efficiency and cost-effectiveness.

“When a service outage occurs, subscribers expect rapid resolution. That’s because broadband has become such an essential utility. Businesses, people working from home and families who regularly access entertainment streaming demand consistent, always-on connectivity. That’s why service providers like SCRTC are seeking solutions that take network resiliency to the next level,” commented John Scherzinger, GM of Americas sales at Adtran. “It’s often not until our customers experience the benefits of ALM’s proactive monitoring firsthand that they fully appreciate its critical role in operations. The SCRTC team is now well aware of the advantages it brings in minimizing efforts, bolstering network resilience and ensuring customer satisfaction.”