Operator best practices for LTE and FTTH deployments

BOSTON, USA: Capex optimization is key to addressing telecom operators' shrinking profit margins. In order to help operators maximize capex savings Pyramid has developed its own proprietary framework: MASI, presented in a new report.

Capex Optimization Strategies: Operator Best Practices for LTE and FTTH Deployments presents a selection of 17 techniques for deploying LTE and FTTH in a capex-efficient way. They result from the application of the MASI framework to the capex profiles of a wide variety of operators.

Two sections of this report, one on LTE deployments and another on rollouts of fiber access networks, develop each of these capex-effective techniques and illustrate them with examples of fiber and mobile broadband implementations from the Middle East and Africa as well as some developed-market players. Operators can already use these best practices for controlled 4G and FTTH deployments.

Pyramid's methodology for developing techniques of saving on capex produced the following examples of levers for controlling and optimizing capex going into LTE and FTTH rollouts:

* Defining an efficient spectrum strategy, choosing converged or shared networks and relying on C-RAN implementations will help keep capex down during 4G rollouts.

* Adopting a build-to-demand path and using existing utilities can save capex dedicated to FTTH rollouts.

Operators such as Airtel, AT&T, Etisalat, MTN, NTT Docomo, Orange, Ooredoo, STC and Vodafone are making use of some of the capex-saving techniques discussed in this Insider.