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Partnership to optimize network construction in line with customer demand and priority service zones, capitalizing on forecasted ~$100B near-term investment in network infrastructure.

Denver, Colo. – January 28, 2021 – Communication Service Providers (CSP) across North America and global markets will now be able to harness real-time, geospatial data to streamline customer sign-up to connection experience and significantly reduce network build-out duration.

Today COS Systems, provider of market-leading software platforms COS Business Engine and demand aggregation platform COS Service Zones, announced a partnership with Render Networks (Render), an innovative Digital Network Construction platform, to optimize the end-to-end delivery of fiber and wireless networks.

With escalating consumer expectations for connectivity and the forecasted $100B near-term investment in network infrastructure, optimal delivery is critical. The industry is looking to efficiencies and ‘best-of-breed’ technologies to accelerate broadband accessibility. This newly formed digital alliance and fully-integrated approach break through traditional network rollout constraints with proven demand, deployment, and network services management technology.

Together, COS and Render enable CSPs to quantify demand, build dynamically in response to evolving priorities, and – with real-time geospatial insights – dramatically improve deployment durations and connection experiences.

The COS software suite provides a customer and revenue-focused approach to network rollouts. COS Service Zones covers everything from initial broadband surveying to driving demand with pre-sign ups that inform deployment priorities. COS Business Engine provides customer-centric delivery of services, from the initial installation of equipment to a self-service marketplace that supports True Open Access Network, increasing customer choice while maximizing network utilization and revenue.

Render’s Digital Network Construction platform converts network designs to sequenced tasks for field crews and enables construction teams to build based on optimal build scenarios without manual, paper-based processes. Accurate as-built data is progressively collected and readily integrated into downstream systems, including COS Business Engine.

“With skyrocketing demand for connectivity and bandwidth, our industry is looking for solutions to rapidly deliver network infrastructure. Previous regulatory and funding constraints have subsided, and it’s incumbent on us to collaborate and seamlessly integrate to enable CSPs to achieve their network objectives.

At COS Systems, we’ve spent more than a decade automating traditional network processes. By integrating with Render, the industry has a highly automated network deployment and operations solution generating significant efficiencies for fiber and wireless projects.” said Isak Finer, CMO & VP North America at COS Systems.

“Given the pace at which the industry needs to deliver these networks, the ability to dynamically build for the greatest potential return has never been more important or achievable with the integration of our respective innovations,”

“Customer expectations are rising, and a digital-first demand to delivery approach can achieve significantly faster network ROI. We’re thrilled to partner with the team at COS Systems to accelerate the delivery of critical communications infrastructure at a time when it’s needed most.” said Sam Pratt, CEO for Render Networks

Both organizations are founding members of the Digital Network Alliance; best-in-class technology innovators with a shared mission to make available an integrated, end-to-end digital value chain for communications infrastructure planning, delivery, and operations.

About COS Systems

COS SYSTEMS is a leading provider of software to plan, deploy and operate modern broadband networks that support services from one or more providers, using a powerful yet simple self-service interface. Specializing in True Open Access Networks, COS Systems takes customer needs and delivers innovative software solutions that streamline operations, accelerate revenue, and deliver more satisfied subscribers. Learn more about COS Systems.

About Render Networks

Founded in 2013 with a mission to build networks better, Render has a successful history of streamlining large-scale network construction for network operators and construction teams across Australia and the United States. Utilizing GIS, mobile and automation technologies, Render’s Digital Network Construction approach solves the complexities associated with network deployment by digitizing design and construction workflows and eliminating manual hand-offs. Render converts a complex network design directly into simple tasks, defined on a map-based interface and sequenced for optimal delivery, resulting in cost and time efficiencies of up to 50 percent. Real-time, geospatial data provides a single, integrated view of progress to all stakeholders, improving project visibility and control across network rollouts.

For more information about Render, visit www.rendernetworks.com and follow Render on LinkedIn and Twitter

For additional information contact:

Isak Finer
CMO & VP North America
COS Systems
+1 (540) 988-3224
isak.finer@cossystems.com
www.cossystems.com

Nokia and COS Systems Partnership Logo

COS Systems is specializing in software to operate broadband networks open for multiple providers delivering services on a shared infrastructure. Nokia is a global leader in fixed and wireless networks and networking technologies for open network architectures, software defined networking and network slicing. After recent integration work the cooperation between the companies is now formalized as COS Systems becomes a Nokia Fixed Networks OSS Connected Partner.  

With new types of services emerging, such as telehealth, internet of things and smart services, it is becoming increasingly important to have a network open for multiple providers. Instead of building a proprietary network and trying to produce all the services current and future customers will need, it is attractive to provide a robust infrastructure and then open it up to multiple specialized providers on a wholesale basis.

“In 2014 when we established COS Systems in the United States Open Access was almost unheard of, but in just a few years this has changed dramatically. Especially municipalities are realizing that their best choice is not to become a provider of telecommunications services, but to ensure that this critical infrastructure is in place, just as with other utilities such as roads, water and electricity,” says Bjorn Wannman, Sales Manager at COS Systems.

With COS Systems heritage from Sweden, where their BSS/OSS platform COS Business Engine is used to operate more than a hundred municipal and utility fiber networks, this is not something new. For over a decade COS has enabled True Open Access Networks, where subscribers can access an online marketplace and choose freely between any type of services provided by many competing service providers. The competitive nature of the marketplace brings service innovation, increased quality, and lower prices. This is also where the partnership with Nokia comes into play. For a network deployed using Nokia Fixed Access equipment COS will be able to fully automate the subscribers’ interaction with the marketplace. As subscribers are managing their services on the marketplace, COS Business Engine will instruct Nokia’s management and control platform to instantly perform desired changes in the network.

“With the tools to simplify business and network operations, COS Systems is able to uniquely meet operator needs for network automation. With this cooperation, operators – regardless of whether they are new or existing players in the market – can easily automate the delivery of high-speed broadband services to their residential and enterprise customers. ” says Bassam El-Zakhem, Vice President, Fixed Networks Americas at Nokia.

“We’re excited to be part of Nokia’s OSS Connected Partner Program. They share our visions about open networks and what we see today is just the beginnings of what will come. Working together with a global leader such as Nokia on current and emerging Software Defined Networking and network slicing technology is thrilling. Network owners and operators working with us will know they are choosing an open and future proof solution,” says Isak Finer, CMO and VP North America at COS Systems.

“COS Systems has unique understanding and experience in the open type of networks that are becoming increasingly important. By combining the Nokia AMS and Altiplano management and control platforms with the COS Business Engine, operators can more effectively keep up with rapidly changing customer demands. We’re happy to welcome COS Systems as OSS Connected Partners,” says Bassam El-Zakhem, Vice President, Fixed Networks Americas at Nokia.

About COS Systems
COS SYSTEMS is a leading provider of software to plan, deploy and manage True Open Access fiber networks, using a powerful yet simple self-service interface. COS Systems takes customer needs and delivers innovative software solutions that streamline operations, accelerate revenue and deliver more satisfied subscribers. Learn more about COS Systems on www.cossystems.com.

For additional information contact:

Isak Finer
CMO & VP North America
COS Systems
+1 (540) 988 3224
isak.finer@cossystems.com
www.cossystems.com

COS Systems and Market Broadband
Market Broadband - Group Picture of COS Systems CFO, Partner Manager, and Ken Janc from Lorex Inc

Demand Aggregation and Traditional Marketing

Isak Finér, CMO COS Systems, Ken Janc, CEO Lorex Inc., Bjorn Wannman, Manager Partnerships and Strategic Accounts COS Systems

 COS Service Zones is a cloud hosted demand aggregation solution to effectively engage the community to show their interest in broadband prior to a network build-out. In addition to the built-in functionality to drive word-of-mouth it has proved efficient to boost it with traditional marketing. Marketbroadband.com, powered by Minnesota based Lorex, Inc., with 20 years of broadband marketing experience, now offers a marketing program tailored for COS Service Zones Campaigns.

Elk River, MN – “COS Service Zones is a powerful platform to generate demand for broadband by dividing the intended service area into neighborhood zones, with a take-rate target for the neighbors to try to reach. The neighborhoods are defined by zones on the map with distinct borders. We have been working with GIS based marketing for many years and that is why this cooperation between us and COS Systems is such a great fit,” says Lorex, Inc., CEO Ken Janc. Lorex is the company behind MarketBroadband.com.

When doing a mail based campaign you are normally directed to either ZIP codes or postal routes. Using any of these methods to send your marketing material out means you might inadvertently send it to those you aren’t even intending to build out your network to service. Not only does this incur extra cost, it will also get the hopes up among people you’re not planning to serve. To avoid this, MarketBroadband.com has ways to instead use GIS shapefiles to extract the residential as well as business addresses within the defined borders of the area. This is done at the address-level, so your mail campaign will be precisely targeting the area and the people you want to reach. You are not paying for more than you need.

“For COS Service Zones customers working with Marketbroadband.com, the process is extremely easy. Just let our support team know that you are working with MarketBroadband.com and we will make sure they get all the necessary files for the neighborhood zones. Then you simply direct MarketBroadband.com as to which neighborhoods that you want to target with your mailer. It’s even possible to take the standard reports from service zones with already signed up customers and send to Ken’s team if doing a second mailer. They will then remove those addresses from the mailing list and your even more targeted in your mail-out and minimizing costs, “ says Bjorn Wannman, Manager Partnerships and Strategic Accounts at COS systems.

In addition to this unique approach to pinpointing mail campaigns, Marketbroadband.com can provide all relevant marketing material for a full campaign, including magnetic banners for installation machinery, the perfect marketing for a broadband buildout since it’s something no one misses. Yard signs, banners and other printed material that you might need are also available from MarketBroadband .

“We do our design and printing in-house, so we are flexible and fast,” says Ken Janc.

“With COS Service Zones you want to engage with the local Champions, grassroots who are willing to help you rally their neighbors to sign up for your services and get the word-of-mouth about the build-out going on Social Media etc. But you need to spread the awareness of your project in the first place and for that, traditional marketing and in particular mailers are very powerful. Everyone checks their mailbox daily, right? We are very fortunate to have found an established and experienced US partner, that has an offer that fits like hand in glove with ours. This cooperation makes our customer’s even more successful in their demand aggregation campaigns ” says COS Systems CMO Isak Finer.

About Marketbroadband.com, powered by Lorex, Inc.

 MarketBroadband.com has been helping ISP’s and other home services providers execute highly effective marketing programs for over 20 years. Using proprietary GIS Mapping and Targeting tools, clients can target at the address level within—and only within—their serviceable market. Learn more about MarketBroadband.com by visiting www.MarketBroadband.com. Learn more about Lorex, the engine behind MarketBroadband.com, by visiting www.LorexInc.com.

About COS Service Zones

“Build it, and they will come?” Now, there’s a better way to roll-out fiber-optics by beginning with committed customers. No more deploying from one end of town to the other only to chase customers after. Just follow these steps:

  1. Draw up multiple competing zones across your city or town.
  2. See demand build in real-time as customers signup using your branded website.
  3. Wait until target take-rate is reached before deploying to accelerate profitability.

Our mission: Subscriber-backed, successful fiber, with no more failed projects. COS Service Zones brings broadband to homes all across the globe. Let’s discover the demand in your community.

About COS Systems

COS SYSTEMS is a leading provider of software to plan, deploy and manage modern broadband networks that support services from one or more providers, using a powerful yet simple self-service interface. COS Systems takes customer needs and delivers innovative software solutions that streamline operations, accelerate revenue and deliver more satisfied subscribers. Learn more about COS Systems on www.cossystems.com.

For additional information, contact:

Ken Janc
CEO
Lorex, Inc
1-800-792-8812
kenjanc@lorexinc.com
www.MarketBroadband.com

 

Isak Finér
Chief Marketing Officer
COS Systems
+46 737 51 99 38
isak.finer@cossystems.com
www.cossystems.com

VETRO FiberMap™ and COS Systems announce that the COS Service Zones demand aggregation suite is now fully compatible with the VETRO FiberMap

VETRO FiberMap™ and COS Systems announce that the COS Service Zones demand aggregation suite is now fully compatible with the VETRO FiberMap
VETRO FiberMap™ and COS Systems announce that the COS Service Zones demand aggregation suite is now fully compatible with the VETRO FiberMap fiber network GIS platform, delivering a seamless solution for ISPs seeking industry leading solutions for both demand generation and network infrastructure management.

Portland, ME–(March 20th, 2017)-  VETRO FiberMap™, a leading provider of solutions for fiber network mapping and broadband infrastructure management, and COS Systems, makers of broadband survey and demand capture tools and network operations software, today announced that VETRO and COS Service Zones now share data and work in concert, enabling superior network planning, building and ROI.

Accurately assessing demand for high speed, fiber-based internet service and deploying assets wisely are keys to ROI and overall success for ISPs. Laying out the engineering design, defining cost and building the network requires effective and easy to use GIS based mapping tools. By combining COS Service Zones and VETRO FiberMap™, ISPs have the opportunity for best of breed tools for both demand generation and network planning and management. This is a powerful combination for ISPs that face both fierce competition and time-to-market constraints.

The COS Service Zones toolset helps ISPs assess the current landscape, measure interest in new service through direct survey, and enable peer-to-peer promotion and publicity.  As would-be customers register their interest, an internet service provider gains data-driven insight into where to deploy network profitably.  VETRO FiberMap™ provides unprecedented functionality and ease of use for the network planning and inventory requirements of these same growing ISPs. Maintaining accurate and up to date inventory of network assets, including details about individual fiber strands, circuit paths, and splicing, is imperative for network operations.

“COS Service Zones is winning worldwide adoption amongst ISPs, Utilities, Coops and Public Private Partnerships.  They have discovered that COS Service Zones boosts their ability to build out in a more smart and targeted way.  The demand information captured in Service Zones and fed seamlessly into the VETRO FiberMap™ network engineering and asset management platform gives our customers a legitimate strategic advantage,” says Isak Finer, CMO for COS Systems.

 

“The VETRO FiberMap™ network GIS platform was built from the ground up to integrate with powerful specialty tools and core business applications. Our open API stack and design philosophy makes swift integration with great partners like COS Systems easier than ever,” says VETRO FiberMap™ co-founder Will Mitchell. “The network map is at the heart of all key business for an ISP, from the demand aggregation stage of planning to build and maintenance of plant. Our platform exposes the network map in harmony with new subscriber demand, bringing together marketing, engineering and logistics to give network builders the data and continual network awareness they require for game changing network expansions with highest possible ROI.”

About VETRO FiberMap™

VETRO FiberMap™ is a product of NBT Solutions, LLC, founded by experienced GIS mapping professionals who have long provided innovative technology and services to wireline and wireless telecommunications customers.  Our VETRO FiberMap™ Solution is a unique cloud based fiber network inventory platform, with an unrivaled suite of tools for the small and mid sized ISP.  Our fiber network GIS solution has the functionality, affordability and scalability to help level the playing field.  To learn more about the VETRO FiberMap™ solution, arrange demos and request a free trial please visit www.vetrofibermap.com, email us at sales@vetrofibermap.com or call 207.221.6627.

About COS Systems

COS SYSTEMS is a leading provider of software to plan, deploy and manage modern broadband networks that support services from one or more providers, using a powerful yet simple self-service interface. COS Systems takes customer needs and delivers innovative software solutions that streamline operations, accelerate revenue and deliver more satisfied subscribers. To learn more about the COS Service Zones demand aggregation solution, visit www.cossystems.com or email us at sales@cossystems.com

Will Mitchell
CEO
VETRO FiberMap
+1 207.650.2057
will@vetrofibermap.com
www.vetrofibermap.com

Isak Finér
Chief Marketing Officer
COS Systems
+46 737 51 99 38
isak.finer@cossystems.com
www.cossystems.com

Comsof and COS Systems announce that FiberPlanIT, used for automated FTTx network planning, and COS Service Zones, used for Demand Aggregation, have been verified to be used collaboratively to enable fast and accurate fiber plans and deployment cost estimates based on actual customer demand.

FiberPlanIT and COS Service Zones in collaboration for FTTX network planningcos-sz

Ghent, Belgium – The starting point of every fiber network build-out is to decide which addresses to serve. These addresses to connect are needed to generate automated fiber network plans with FiberPlanIT, developed by Belgian software company and fiber deployment experts Comsof. FiberPlanIT creates network designs in a fraction of the time required to do it manually with a layout that minimizes the long and short term deployment and maintenance costs. Its advanced algorithms take in all the geographic information of the area and in the blink of an eye provide a detailed network design connecting every serviceable location at minimum cost compliant with the desired network architecture.

 

In the industry, the addresses to connect have traditionally been chosen based on estimates on where demand will be greatest or where deployment costs will be lowest. Now, with COS Service Zones you can instead choose a customer centric approach by targeting your future subscribers neighborhood by neighborhood with a demand aggregation campaign to pre-sell the fiber connections. With neighborhoods reaching take-rate thresholds and addresses where customers have already signed up as input for FiberPlanIT’s algorithms you can be sure to design a network that will start generating revenue from day one after deployment.

 

With the deployment cost calculations from FiberPlanIT and the revenue from subscribers pre-signed up in COS Service Zones as input your will have a complete Business Case to base your deployment decisions on.

 

“We have verified that the COS Service Zones data fits perfectly with our network design platform. The first step in a fiber project is to decide your target area, for this you need address information. Now we can propose a tool for them to use to get that address list from the most reliable source – their future subscribers. We are excited to help deliver not only well designed networks, but also networks with subscribers from the start, which guarantees profitability,” says Comsof CEO Raf Meersman.

 

“So many fiber projects have failed due to the wrong decision on where to start the build-out. We developed COS Service Zones to eliminate these unprofitable networks. But knowing the future revenue is only a part of the picture. FiberPlanIT will ensure that deployment costs are kept low and will give you the important cost component needed to make an optimal deployment decision. We look forward to see our customers build profitable networks designed with the help of FiberPlanIT,” says COS Systems CEO Peter Lidstrom.

 

About FiberPlanIT

FiberPlanIT is a software solution that turns FTTx network planning into profit by lowering planning and design time, avoiding design errors, and reducing construction costs. This is made possible thanks to FiberPlanIT’s unique automated and optimized design capabilities based on GIS data.

Learn more about FiberPlanIT at www.fiberplanit.com.

 

About Comsof

Started in 1998 as a spin-off company of the internationally recognized Department of Information Technology (Intec) of Ghent University, Comsof keeps in close touch with the state-of-the-art in ICT.
The success of Comsof is based on a team of highly-skilled professionals who combine an extensive technological knowledge concerning telecommunications, computer networking and multimedia with a broad experience in software development.

 

About COS Service Zones

“Build it, and they will come?” Now, there’s a better way to roll-out fiber-optics by beginning with committed customers. No more deploying from one end of town to the other only to chase customers after. Just follow these steps:

 

  1. Draw up multiple competing zones across your city or town.
  2. See demand build in real-time as customers signup using your branded website.
  3. Wait until target take-rate is reached before deploying to accelerate profitability.

 

Our mission: Subscriber-backed, successful fiber, with no more failed projects. COS Service Zones brings broadband to homes all across the globe. Let’s discover the demand in your community.

 

About COS Systems

COS SYSTEMS is a leading provider of software to plan, deploy and manage modern broadband networks that support services from one or more providers, using a powerful yet simple self-service interface. COS Systems takes customer needs and delivers innovative software solutions that streamline operations, accelerate revenue and deliver more satisfied subscribers. Learn more about COS Systems on www.cossystems.com.

 

For additional information, contact:

 

Jan Moeremans

Global Sales Director
Comsof
+32 9 275 31 00
jan.moeremans@fiberplanit.com
www.fiberplanit.com

 

Isak Finér
Chief Marketing Officer

COS Systems
+46 737 51 99 38
isak.finer@cossystems.com

www.cossystems.com

A young woman with a curious expression stands in front of a map, attentively examining it with her finger tracing a route. She appears engaged and focused, ready to explore and navigate the world

COS Systems

‘Bing Maps offered the best interoperability with COS Service Zones reporting software, which reduces time-to-market. And its ease of use appeals to service providers and homeowners alike.’

“We’re honored COS has been selected by Microsoft as a way to highlight their products’ functionality, Bing’s mapping features and Azure’s hosting power have been so helpful for us in our goal of making it easy to find and meet demand for broadband”

said COS Systems CMO Isak Finér.

In the case study, COS Systems Chief Executive Officer Peter Lidström describes how Microsoft helped lay the framework for the Service Zones™ solution.

“High-speed fiber networks are becoming as important as highways,” Lidström said. “We set out to build a web-based solution to help communications providers, communities, utilities, and network planners deploy high-speed networks when and where it makes good economic sense.” Read more