The prestigious Gold Awards cover eight areas and were presented during INCA’s 2021 annual conference where the combined entry of IQGeo and Swish Fibre was recognized as the winner of the Technical Innovation category.
INCA (Independent Network Cooperative Association) is one of the UK’s leading trade associations dedicated to the development of world-class digital infrastructure, working to deliver 100% broadband coverage for a net zero economy. The Gold Award for Technical Innovation focuses on the key role that innovation plays in the telecommunication industry. As the pace of new network construction accelerates and the size of networks under management scales up, innovation is a game-changer in terms of streamlining all aspects of the design, build and operation of fiber networks.
Swish Fibre uses the IQGeo software to automate many operational areas across its network lifecycle from design to construction and through maintenance. This evolving solution provides the Swish team and their construction contractors with a near real-time view of the state of their fiber network assets. Key to achieving this has been the mobile capabilities of the IQGeo software.
Using tablets and mobile phones, field teams are given an accurate live view of the network model. This allows them to manage tasks and interrogate network assets without the need to contact office-based engineers. The field teams can quickly capture as-built information using forms and photographs to ensure that the network data remains accurate for future maintenance activities. The result is dramatically improved network visibility and process efficiency that contributes directly to the bottom line.
Chris Cope, CTO at Swish Fibre commented: “At Swish, we are building both at pace and on many fronts and the IQGeo software has been key in supporting our roll-out plans for Full Fiber broadband to communities and businesses across the South of England. Together we've been able to innovate, digitize and automate our operational network lifecycle from design to construction to maintenance. Innovation drives our business at every level and so to win the INCA Gold Award for Innovation with IQGeo is a real honour and is testament to the forward thinking of both teams as we continue to cultivate this fantastic partnership.”
“The Technical Innovation award focusses on the key role that innovations play in our industry as it works to deliver Gigabit Britain. Innovations can be game-changing in terms of streamlining all aspects of the design, build and operation of networks. We’re delighted to have recognised the key players driving forward the possible capabilities of the country’s fibre landscape at this year's INCA Conference,” said INCA CEO Malcolm Corbett. “Overall, we’ve been thrilled by the response to this year’s INCA Golds Awards and it was a real honour to be able to give the UK’s altnets the recognition they deserve as they work hard to improve our digital infrastructure and deliver high-quality networks to customers.”
“The entire IQGeo team would like to congratulate Swish Fibre on its well-deserved INCA Gold Award,” says Richard Petti, CEO at IQGeo. “It has been very rewarding to work with Chris Cope’s team at Swish over the past year to help them automate their design, construction and maintenance process. Swish recognizes how crucial it is to move quickly and efficiently across all areas of its operation to be successful in the UK’s highly competitive broadband market. At IQGeo we share this relentless focus on innovation and speed with our field-proven approach to geospatial network management. The partnership with Swish Fibre has already delivered amazing results and the story is far from over; both organizations have very ambitious plans for the future. Watch this space!”
Swish Fibre are an independent ISP, powering the Home Counties with their ‘Full Fibre’ 10,000 Mbps capable FTTP Network to an initial 33 towns in the South of England, which will see Swish made available to over 250,000 premises.
Commencing in Marlow, Buckinghamshire, during the early stages of the pandemic, Swish Fibre have now also connected customers to ‘Full Fibre’ broadband in Farnham, Princes Risborough, Beaconsfield and Gerrards Cross. Building continues in Ascot, Bagshot, Bourne End, Chinnor, Farnham, Flackwell Heath, Godalming, Haslemere, Hazlemere, Penn, Sunningdale and Thame with more towns set to receive the service in the near future.
Swish are dedicated to helping people work, surf and play beyond the limitations of today’s broadband network with a focus on improving lifestyles and enhancing the future of communities by connecting people, businesses and services instantly through reliable broadband.
With growth plans that will see investment in excess of £250M over the next few years, Swish is poised to create vital UK infrastructure to serve the data consumption needs of future generations.
About IQGeo
IQGeo delivers award-winning geospatial software solutions to telecommunication and utility network operators around the world ranging from large multinationals to smaller regional providers. The IQGeo software suite improves productivity and collaboration across enterprise planning, design, construction, maintenance, and sales processes reducing costs and operational risks while enhancing customer satisfaction.
Our mobile-first, cloud-native software helps companies create and maintain an accurate view of their increasingly complex network assets that is easily accessible by anyone, wherever and whenever needed. Whether using our Enterprise IQGeo Platform or targeted OSPInsight fiber planning and design software, we enable a “System of Action” that breaks down information silos, improves data quality and accelerates decision making.
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