VX Fiber AB blog

VX Fiber Executive Briefing Series: Introducing Open Access 2.0

Martin Cross — Tue, 01 Sep 2026 14:42:56 GMT

The Market is Changing

Fiber markets are entering a structural transition. The industry’s primary source of value creation is shifting from expanding footprint, to extracting greater value from the footprint that already exists. It is now competing to monetize and scale networks that already exist. Investors and operators increasingly view revenue growth, utilization, and capital-efficient expansion as the primary source of value creation. Put simply retail providers are expanding subscriber growth by leveraging already built fiber networks via acquisition and partnership.

Open Access as one form of fiber expansion has been enormously successful. But the operating environment has changed. The original definition no longer fully describes what operators are trying to accomplish – and that shift has reached a point where it now deserves its own terminology. Open Access 2.0.

At the same time, the industry is producing more heterogeneous market structures: wholesale-only networks, open-access platforms, joint ventures, public-private builds, and partner-owned access domains. Traditional (first-generation) open access remains important. It is still one of the expansion strategies for retail providers.

But traditional open access is no longer sufficient for the industry’s current scaling problem.

The traditional challenge was how to enable many retail ISPs on one network. The emerging challenge is how one market-facing retail provider can sell, fulfill, assure, and govern services coherently across many different networks.

What is the Impact  

The question is no longer how quickly more fiber can be built, but how quickly subscribers can be added. And this in turn comes down to how efficiently already-built fiber can be monetized, activated, and scaled through operating-model discipline.

That does not mean the buildout opportunity is finished; it means the economics of extending coverage are becoming more demanding, so extracting higher utilization and revenue from fiber already in the ground is becoming more important to value creation.

New fiber build is time consuming, challenging and capital intensive. And frequently it is not actually new build but rather a new overbuild, which adds direct competition for subscriber acquisition as an additional element of the business case.

Acquisition offers advantages in time and scale. The acquirer can immediately gain footprint and subscribers and can leverage their brand across an existing network, to deliver improved take rates. Financially speaking acquisition is also often accretive – increasing the value of the enterprise more so than new build might.

But investors also look for something else, repeatability. The desire is to make growth via acquisition a repeatable playbook and competitive advantage.

All of this is altering the practical meaning of open access. First-generation open access was designed primarily around one network enabling multiple retail ISPs. That model remains both valuable and necessary: it has improved infrastructure efficiency, expanded retail choice, and supported the rise of wholesale-only and neutral-access business models in multiple markets.

Yet the industry’s scaling problem has changed. Increasingly, the challenge is that one market-facing provider must operate across many access environments: local open-access footprints, national wholesale-only networks, joint ventures and acquisitions, and partner-owned fiber domains.

Once the problem is framed in that way, the current bottleneck becomes clearer. Operational variation compounds with each new partner network until it becomes a constraint on growth.

The market-facing ISP or aggregator absorbs this complexity as manual work, repeated integration, extended cycle times, and exception handling. If the thesis of an acquisition or partnership was time to market and better use of capital then allowing operational complexity to burn through that time and capital advantage is counter productive.

A Strategic Decision Point

So the acquiring operator faces a choice.

Continue to manage unpredictable operational complexity through bespoke integrations, manual processes and just in time fixes
Build a repeatable operational model that scales with future acquisitions.

And increasingly we are seeing the industry must look for ways to scale easily and repeatably if financial objectives are to be met.

If living with the operational complexity bogs down the business, however, bespoke integrations fail the test of repeatability. Each new network added becomes a brand new engineering project. And, in addition, bespoke integration effectively “freezes” your other systems. It is integrated to what is there. Any future evolution will become additional custom integration.

Repeatability as an objective makes complete sense. After all, growth is a continual process in business.

But with repeatability across multiple networks now the objective, as opposed to another custom integration project, we need to begin to think about requirements. What operational capabilities are required. And then, from a solution perspective, what architectural capabilities are necessary to separate the retail operating model from the unique configuration of each underlying network.

The Solution: Open Access 2.0

Open Access 2.0 is the operational model required for repeatable growth across a federation of networks.

It recognizes that the problem has shifted from enabling many retailers on one network to enabling one retailer to operate consistently across many networks.

The missing capability is now operational support for a federation of networks: normalization of serviceable addresses, product interpretation, ordering, activation, assurance, governance, and settlement across networks that were never originally intended to operate as one.

Open Access 2.0 is an operating model in which multiple networks can behave, from a market-facing commercial and operational perspective, as one coherent service platform. without requiring ownership consolidation or technology uniformity.

The strategic significance is immediate. As fiber markets mature, future value creation depends less on raw construction velocity and more on utilization, orchestration, and the ability to turn fragmented asset availability into scalable demand capture.

In that sense, Open Access 2.0 should not be read as a rejection of classic open access. It is better understood as the operating-model evolution of classic open access: from one network with many ISPs to many networks with one coherent market-facing service layer.

Market Requirements

Open Access 2.0 requires a normalized service layer that translates this heterogeneity into repeatable commercial and operational consistency so that new network partners can be onboarded more quickly, products can be interpreted more consistently, orders can be orchestrated predictably, and assurance can be managed transparently across network boundaries. The operations playbook needs to be common.

Crucially, this is not a replacement of the retail ISPs Digital Retail Layer, – the customer facing systems that already exist such as sales, CRM, billing, help desk, etc. Unifying the operational processes of the acquired network under the common umbrella of the acquirer’s customer facing brand or digital retail layer is exactly the objective. Without setting up the scenario where the integration approach has to be rebuilt every time the business grows.

It requires the ability to keep systems already in place and avoid bespoke integrations. And yet it requires something in order to deliver a common playbook. Doing nothing (or doing it manually) creates process congestion and complexity. And complex processes, after all, are never really completely transparent to the customer or to the bottom line. From the install of a new add to the support calls that come in over the lifecycle of the customer, perception of the brand will be impacted.

VX Fiber Achieves This Today

At VX Fiber we offer focus on capabilities to address this challenge.

Consolidation Service - VX Engineering Services

Before committing to an acquisition, investors look for confidence in the plan. And to be confident in their commitments to investors and boards, operators need to understand the operational path from Day 0 (close) to Day 1 (selling under the acquiring brand). This is the first step in securing the time advantage the acquisition offers.

This is not simply an evaluation of the systems and processes the target acquisition has. It is engineering based evaluation designed to provide clarity and confidence in the operational strategy behind your acquisition / partnership.

It is the support you need to evaluate the roadmap to bringing their workflows and systems in line with your own. The intersection between your operational systems and theirs.

VX Engineering Services starts with operational strategy and then provides an assessment focused on identifying workflow dependencies, integration risks, implementation sequencing and the fastest path to operational readiness.

We will help you identify, before close, the challenges you will have to address after Day 0 to capitalize on the time advantage that acquisition can deliver.

VX Suite – Software that supports Operational Federation

Meeting the market requirements will require some basic capabilities. Once the operational roadmap is understood, the next challenge is executing it without forcing a complete replacement of existing systems.

To that end, we offer a fully modern, microservices based, cloud native software solution to bridge the gap between your digital retail front end and the underlying OSS of the acquired network.

Our product abstracts the underlying data from the acquired network and creates a unified and homogenized data layer for consumption by workflows. The workflows are aligned with your existing digital retail layer but go far deeper in the stack to provide end to end capability. Critically we also keep state for inherently asynchronous workflows such as installation and help desk support.

Together these three principles separate the retail operating model from the unique implementation of each underlying network, making operational repeatability – the common playbook – possible.

This solution is not one size fits all replacement. It can be custom tailored to specific workflows (all or some - as your needs dictate), does not mandate replacement of existing systems and is easily extensible when the next network is acquired.

The value of working with VX fiber:

VX Fiber is a Swedish OSS/BSS software vendor backed by Digital Bridge.

We have been focused on fiber network operations for 20 years. With a background as a network operator we have experienced acquisition, wholesale models, and retail service delivery – from greenfield build to decades of network operations.

We have built and refined our software based on our knowledge of what an operator actually faces every day.

Now divested of the fiber operations, we are completely focused on delivery of software and related engineering services.

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VX Fiber to Accelerate the Next Phase of Fiber Growth in South Africa

Chris Butler — Fri, 07 Aug 2026 06:00:00 GMT

As South Africa’s fiber market continues to mature, operators are increasingly focused on improving asset utilization, accelerating customer activation, reducing operational costs, and simplifying the management of increasingly complex wholesale ecosystems. VX Fiber’s cloud-native VX Suite platform addresses these challenges by providing a vendor-agnostic operational platform that automates service delivery, streamlines partner onboarding, and enables operators to scale efficiently across multiple networks and service providers. 

“South Africa has built one of the most dynamic fiber markets in Africa,” said Chris Butler of VX Fiber. “Africa’s fiber industry is approaching a pivotal inflection point. Over the past decade, significant investment has focused on expanding network coverage and increasing homes passed. Today, the challenge has shifted from building infrastructure to maximizing the commercial return on those assets. Fiber network operators are under increasing pressure to improve take-up rates, accelerate customer activation, reduce operating costs, support increasingly complex wholesale ecosystems, and deliver superior customer experiences while preparing for the next wave of digital services. At the same time, investors are demanding stronger asset utilization and faster returns, while advances in automation, artificial intelligence, cloud-native platforms, and open APIs are redefining how modern fiber networks are built and operated. Success in this next phase will depend not simply on deploying more fiber, but on operating networks more intelligently, efficiently, and at scale.”

“For fiber network owners, these market shifts require a broader strategic perspective than simply expanding network coverage. Success will increasingly depend on building operating models that are digital, automated, and commercially agile. Network owners must evaluate how quickly they can onboard retail partners, activate new customers, integrate with multiple technology vendors, automate operational workflows, leverage artificial intelligence to improve decision-making, and deliver a consistent customer experience across increasingly complex ecosystems. Equally important is the ability to generate actionable insights from operational data, optimize asset utilization, reduce the cost to serve, and introduce new products and business models without lengthy systems integration projects. Those operators that invest in flexible, open, cloud-native operational platforms and embrace operational excellence will be best positioned to improve returns on infrastructure investments while remaining competitive in an increasingly dynamic fiber market.”

VX Suite enables operators to:

Accelerate service activation through automated provisioning and workflow orchestration.
Onboard Internet Service Providers in days rather than months using standardized APIs and self-service capabilities.
Reduce manual operational processes through intelligent automation.
Support multi-vendor and multi-network environments with open integrations.
Consolidate operations across regions, acquisitions, and wholesale networks.
Improve operational visibility with diagnostics, SLA assurance, and automated reporting.

Beyond technology, VX Fiber also provides the operational expertise required to help fiber operators successfully launch, operate, and scale their networks. The company supports customers throughout the network lifecycle with a comprehensive portfolio of managed and professional services, including:

Network Operations Center (NOC) servicesproviding 24×7 monitoring, incident management, fault coordination, and operational assurance.
Service Operations Center (SOC) capabilitiesdelivering end-to-end service fulfillment, activation, assurance, SLA management, and customer service support.
OSS/BSS implementation and transformation services, including solution design, integration, migration, testing, and deployment for greenfield and brownfield environments.
Wholesale operations management, enabling efficient partner onboarding, ISP lifecycle management, product catalog administration, order management, settlement support, and ecosystem governance.

These services enable operators to augment internal capabilities or outsource critical operational functions, allowing them to focus on network expansion, customer acquisition, and commercial growth while leveraging VX Fiber’s global experience in operating open-access fiber networks.

For South African fiber operators, where competition continues to intensify and infrastructure investment remains significant, these capabilities help shorten the time between network deployment and revenue generation while creating a scalable platform for long-term growth.

“The next decade of fiber growth in Africa will not be defined by who builds the most network, but by who extracts the greatest value from the infrastructure already in the ground. For fiber network operators, now is the time to reassess whether existing operational models, technology platforms, and business processes are equipped to support the scale, agility, and commercial demands of tomorrow’s market. We invite FNO executives, infrastructure investors, and wholesale service providers to engage with VX Fiber to explore how modern, cloud-native operations, intelligent automation, and open digital ecosystems can accelerate growth, improve returns on investment, and create a stronger foundation for the future of fiber across Africa.”

“The networks that will lead Africa’s digital future are not simply those with the greatest coverage—they are the ones that operate with the greatest intelligence. VX Fiber is committed to partnering with Africa’s fiber leaders to build that future together.”

VX Fiber joins Fiber Broadband Association

Santiago Rodriguez — Thu, 06 Aug 2026 06:00:00 GMT

VX Fiber becomes a Fiber Broadband Association member to help advance access to reliable broadband and digital equity

DOVER, Delaware USA —August 3, 2026 — Today, VX Fiber announced it has joined the Fiber Broadband Association, an organization that is dedicated to accelerating the deployment of fiber broadband networks to ensure digital equity and enable every community to leverage the economic and societal benefits that only fiber can deliver.

“The Fiber Broadband Association welcomes VX Fiber to its membership. Our association thrives on the knowledge, passion, and collaboration of our members, and we know that VX Fiber will be an asset to our organization,” said Gary Bolton, President and CEO at the Fiber Broadband Association. “Together, we will work to provide advocacy, education, and resources for the advancement of fiber broadband technology so that we can connect everyone to reliable, high-quality internet.”

As an active member of the Fiber Broadband Association, VX Fiber will contribute operational expertise in open access networks, wholesale business models, network consolidation, and multi-network operations, helping industry stakeholders address the challenges of scaling fiber infrastructure in increasingly complex market environments.

VX Fiber provides the software that fiber service providers and network owners need to launch, operate, and scale their businesses. Through VX Suite, its cloud-native OSS/BSS platform, VX Fiber enables operators to manage subscriber lifecycle, wholesale and open access services, order orchestration, service activation, billing, partner management, service assurance, and field operations from a single platform.

Combined with engineering, onboarding, and managed operations services, VX Fiber helps operators reduce operational complexity, support multiple service providers, integrate acquired or partner-owned networks, and create a consistent operating model across expanding fiber portfolios.

“Fiber markets are entering a new phase of maturity where growth increasingly comes through consolidation, partnerships, and operational scale rather than greenfield construction alone.” said Peo Lehto, CEO of VX Fiber. “VX Fiber has spent more than a decade helping operators address these challenges through open access, wholesale and multi-network business models and scalable operational platforms. Membership in the Fiber Broadband Association allows us to engage more closely with industry stakeholders, contribute our experience, and support the continued expansion of fiber broadband across North America.”

To learn more about the Fiber Broadband Association, please visit fiberbroadband.org.

About VX Fiber
VX Fiber is a software vendor and services partner specializing in fiber network operations. We enable fiber network owners and service providers to consolidate, automate, and scale operations and wholesale business models. Founded in Sweden during the early development of open access fiber network build, now with over 20 years of operations, service delivery and software development experience, we deliver an OSS/BSS SaaS platform, engineering services and operational services. Operating across three continents and backed by InfraBridge, part of DigitalBridge one of the world’s largest digital infrastructure funds, VX Fiber combines software, services, and operational expertise to support customers from transformation through to daily operations. For more information visit: vxfiber.com

About the Fiber Broadband Association
The Fiber Broadband Association (FBA) is the voice of fiber, helping providers, policy makers, and communities make informed decisions about how, where, and why to build better fiber broadband networks. FBA is the largest and only trade association that represents the complete fiber ecosystem of service providers, manufacturers, industry experts, and deployment specialists. Since 2001, FBA and its members have worked to advance fiber broadband deployment to accelerate innovation and increase quality of life by enabling every community to leverage the economic and societal benefits that only fiber can deliver. The Fiber Broadband Association is part of the Fiber Council Global Alliance, which is a platform of six global FTTH Councils in North America, LATAM, Europe, MENA, APAC, and South Africa. Learn more at fiberbroadband.org.

Press Contacts:
Alexander Sem Borrmann
VX Fiber
alexander.sem.borrmann@vxfiber.com

Christy Barbaran
Connect2 Communications for the Fiber Broadband Association
FBA@connect2comm.com

Network lifecycle management: from plan to performance

Per Schelin — Thu, 31 Jul 2025 22:00:00 GMT

Network lifecycle management aligns people, processes and platforms across every stage of a fiber network: plan, build, activate, assure, optimize and refresh. Done well, it shortens time to service, improves SLAs, lowers cost to serve, and creates a transparent, neutral foundation for multi-ISP growth.

What network lifecycle management really means

Network lifecycle management spans investment choices, design standards, build quality, activation workflows, assurance, capacity growth and technology refresh. The aim is simple: every new street, cabinet, splice, OLT and service should move smoothly from design to live operation, with clear accountability and measurable performance at each step.

“If design, inventory and operations don’t speak the same language, you pay for it later,” says Johan Moreau, Chief Information Officer at VX Fiber. “A single, trusted model of the network lets you automate activation, predict faults and plan expansions with confidence.”

The lifecycle at a glance

Plan & design: prioritize footprints, model demand and costs, and create standards for fiber architecture, resilience and service tiers.
Build & commission: control quality in civils and fiber works, reconcile ‘as-built’ into inventory, and certify handovers.
Activate & assure: use zero-touch provisioning (ZTP), policy templates and tests; monitor QoS, SLAs and MTTR.
Optimize & expand: track utilization, remove bottlenecks, and extend coverage where ROI is proven.
Refresh & retire: plan upgrades (e.g., XGS-PON) and decommission safely with full audit.

Network lifecycle management in open-access environments

In an open access network, neutrality is non-negotiable. Lifecycle decisions must be transparent, with standardized onboarding, shared service catalogs and consistent reporting for every provider. This protects fairness while giving end users real choice, and it allows owners to scale without vendor lock-in.

“Neutrality by design isn’t a document, it’s how you operate,” Moreau notes. “When lifecycle processes and APIs are the same for all ISPs, competition shifts to quality of experience, exactly where it should be.”

Data, automation and the source of truth

Reliable lifecycle management depends on accurate inventory and topology, the source of truth that ties physical fiber to logical services. With that in place, automation can do the heavy lifting: zero-touch activation, change control with guardrails, proactive assurance that correlates alarms to customer impact, and analytics that prioritize the next build. Digital-twin modeling helps test “what-if” scenarios before you commit crews or capital.

KPIs that prove lifecycle value

Measure end-to-end outcomes, not just tasks. Track planning lead time and build velocity; order-to-activate time and first-time-right; availability and MTTR; utilization, cost to serve and energy per service; take-up per footprint and churn/NPS. Publish shared dashboards so municipalities, ISPs and stakeholders see the same facts. For operational context, explore fiber network management.

Common pitfalls, and how to avoid them

Three patterns derail many program. First, incomplete ‘as-built’ data: reconcile field works into inventory the moment you commission. Second, manual activation steps: standardize with templates and ZTP to reduce variation and delays. Third, siloed reporting: align SLAs, incident severity and communications so every provider is managed on equal terms.

For neutral policy context on broadband goals and efficient deployment across Europe, see the European Commission’s connectivity policy overview.

Fiber network management: why it matters & how to scale

Per Schelin — Sat, 31 May 2025 22:00:00 GMT

Fiber network management aligns people, processes and platforms to activate services faster, keep SLAs, and reduce cost-to-serve across multiple providers. Below we cover why it matters for municipalities, ISPs and investors — and the practical steps to scale operations without vendor lock-in.

What fiber network management really means

Fiber network management is more than a set of tools. It is an operating discipline that spans the entire lifecycle: from planning and build, through provisioning and activation, to monitoring, assurance, capacity, change and continuous improvement. In practice, it connects physical assets (ducts, cables, splices, OLT/ONT) to logical services and customer outcomes—so every order, fault and change can be executed predictably.

“You can’t manage what you can’t see,” says Johan Moreau, Chief Information Officer at VX Fiber. “Accurate inventory and service mapping are the foundation. Once you trust the data, automation and assurance become both safer and much faster.”

Why fiber network management matters now

Expectations for uptime and speed to service keep rising while budgets remain tight. Municipalities and utilities need transparent governance and measurable SLAs. ISPs want rapid onboarding and consistent activation across footprints. Investors look for predictable cash flows and reduced operational risk. A well-run fiber management approach addresses all three: it cuts time-to-revenue, lowers OPEX, and proves performance with shared dashboards.

For a broader view on inclusion and outcomes, the OECD overview on closing broadband connectivity divides is a useful reference.

Fiber network management in open-access networks

In an open access network, neutrality isn’t a slogan — it’s the operating model. Management must enforce provider separation, standardize onboarding, and keep performance reporting consistent for every ISP. That means policy-driven provisioning, a shared service catalog, and clear escalation paths across NOC, field teams and partners. It’s how end-users get real choice while the infrastructure owner maintains quality and fairness.

“Neutrality by design keeps the marketplace fair,” notes Moreau. “When the same processes, APIs and SLAs apply to every provider, competition shifts to customer experience — not who has special access.”

5 steps on how to scale your network business

Scaling isn’t about buying more software; it’s about aligning people and process with the right platform capabilities.

Start by establishing a reliable source of truth for inventory and topology.
Standardize the core workflows—order, change, incident and problem—so teams can hand off work cleanly.
Introduce zero-touch provisioning (ZTP) for routine activations, with policy guardrails and safe rollback to reduce manual rework.
Move assurance from reactive to proactive by correlating alarms with customer impact and tracking MTTR end-to-end.
Finally, expose APIs and dashboards so ISPs, owners and stakeholders share the same operational view.

Core capabilities (at a glance)

Under the hood, you’ll rely on five pillars: inventory & topology (physical↔logical↔service alignment), provisioning & activation (templates and ZTP), monitoring & assurance (QoS, SLA and fault management), capacity & change (forecasting and audited changes) and security (RBAC, audit and clean NOC/SOC hand-offs). The goal is simple: first-time-right activations, predictable restorations and fewer truck rolls.

Fiber network management KPIs that prove value

Measure what stakeholders care about. Track order-to-activate time and time-to-first-revenue to show commercial impact. Monitor availability and MTTR to reflect customer experience. Follow provisioning success and first-time-right to quantify quality. Watch utilization and cost-to-serve to manage economics. For open access environments, add take-up per footprint and churn/NPS to understand marketplace health.

What is an open access network – and why it’s the future of digital connectivity

Per Schelin — Wed, 31 Jul 2024 22:00:00 GMT

As demand for faster, more reliable digital infrastructure grows, municipalities, service providers and network operators are rethinking how broadband networks are built and managed. One model is gaining strong momentum worldwide: the open access network.

But what exactly does “open access” mean, and why is it considered the future of digital connectivity?

Defining the open access network model

An open access network is a fiber infrastructure that is shared among multiple service providers, creating a competitive marketplace for end-users. Instead of a single operator owning both the infrastructure and the services delivered over it, the open access model separates these two layers.

This ensures that:

Infrastructure owners can focus on building and maintaining high-quality networks.
Service providers can innovate and compete on equal terms.
End-users enjoy more choice, better services, and fairer prices.

As Johan Moreau, Chief Information Officer at VX Fiber, explains:

“The open access model levels the playing field. It fosters innovation among service providers while ensuring that the underlying infrastructure remains future-proof and available to everyone. By leveraging a software-driven active model, switching service providers is completed within seconds.

That’s what makes it such a sustainable solution.”

Open access vs. traditional fiber: quick comparison

Ownership & roles: Open access separates infrastructure and services; traditional models bundle them.
Market dynamics: Open access enables multi-ISP competition on one network; traditional often limits choice.
Time-to-market: ISPs launch faster on shared infrastructure; traditional requires new builds.
Costs: Shared capex/opex and less duplication; traditional can duplicate assets and effort.
Future-proofing: Neutral, interoperable, API-driven; traditional can lead to vendor lock-in.

Benefits for communities and businesses

Open access networks provide far-reaching advantages:

For municipalities: attract investment, create digital inclusion, and enable smart city applications.
For service providers: lower barriers to entry and the ability to scale faster.
For citizens and businesses: affordable, reliable connectivity and freedom to choose between multiple providers.

In short, the model maximizes value across the ecosystem.

Where open access delivers the most value

Municipal & utility networks: accelerate digital inclusion and attract providers via wholesale access.
Underserved & rural builds: multi-ISP access lifts penetration and de-risks demand, turning marginal areas into investable projects.
5G backhaul & edge: neutral fiber supports multi-operator backhaul and low-latency services.
Enterprise & smart city: open, SLA-backed connectivity for IoT, CCTV, traffic systems, and public Wi-Fi.

Why the open access network model is the future

The digital economy thrives on openness and choice. By separating infrastructure from services, the open access network becomes a platform for continuous innovation. This is crucial as data needs grow and as society becomes more dependent on high-capacity broadband for everything from remote work to IoT and e-health.

The importance of open access networks is also recognized by the European Commission, which highlights their role in driving digital inclusion and innovation across Europe.

“We see open access networks as a catalyst for growth,” adds Moreau. “They empower communities to control their digital future rather than being locked into the strategies of a single provider.”

Beyond consumer broadband, open access underpins enterprise connectivity, 5G backhaul, edge computing and smart city use cases. By keeping infrastructure neutral and programmable, cities can add new services—without vendor lock-in – while service providers compete on experience, performance and value.

Learn more about fiber network innovation

The open access network is just one part of the future of digital connectivity. To fully unlock its potential, organizations also need efficient fiber network management, robust network lifecycle management, and advanced tools such as fiber network management software and network automation software. These solutions ensure networks are not only open and accessible, but also secure, scalable and ready for tomorrow’s challenges.

To maximize outcomes, combine open access with network analytics for build prioritization, digital twin for planning, and network monitoring solutions for transparent SLA reporting across all providers.

VX Fiber: A trusted partner in open access networks

At VX Fiber, we specialize in designing, building and operating open access fiber networks. With years of experience across Europe and Africa, we help municipalities, utilities and private investors unlock the full potential of digital infrastructure.

Our open-access-first platform combines OSS/BSS integration, automation and zero-touch provisioning (ZTP), SLA monitoring and service orchestration. This delivers neutrality by design, rapid provider onboarding, and full service transparency across all ISPs – exposed via APIs so partners can launch, manage and assure offers consistently across the footprint.

We pair technology with a repeatable operating model and governance framework: standardized onboarding and certification for providers, a shared service catalog, clear wholesale SLAs, and proactive assurance. Stakeholders get real-time dashboards and reporting on the metrics that matter – order-to-activate time, availability, MTTR, SLA compliance, take-up per footprint, churn/NPS and cost-to-serve.

The result is a neutral marketplace that scales: communities gain digital inclusion and faster roll-outs with lower total cost, service providers expand without duplicating infrastructure, and end-users benefit from genuine choice and performance.

Learn how we implement neutrality, SLAs and automation at scale in VX Fiber’s open access model.

Key takeaways

An open access network separates infrastructure from services, creating a neutral, multi-ISP marketplace with real choice for end-users.
Delivers business outcomes: faster rollout, lower total cost, and stronger digital inclusion for municipalities, ISPs, and enterprises.
Operate with neutrality, clear SLAs, and robust OSS/BSS integration; use automation and zero-touch provisioning to cut OPEX and activation times.
Track KPIs: service diversity, order-to-activate time, availability/MTTR, SLA compliance, churn/NPS, take-up per footprint, and cost-to-serve.
Future-proof via open APIs and interoperability – supporting smart city services, IoT, enterprise connectivity, and 5G backhaul.

Active Open Access Neutral Operator: the enabler of Digital Transformation

Jan Backman — Sun, 31 Jul 2022 22:00:00 GMT

The UK government is in the throes of a post-pandemic recovery – with plans to ‘Build Back Better’ and a promise to ‘level-up’ all regions in the country. Its aim is to ensure there’s equal opportunity for economic growth and social development, such as access to jobs, education, healthcare and housing, for every citizen from John O’Groats to Lands’ End.

At the heart of this commitment lies a heavy focus on digital transformation to help deliver innovation, foster commercial competition, while at the same time support local authorities in providing their citizens with efficient public services. Intrinsic to any digital transformation project is having access to ubiquitous, high-speed, secure and stable internet connectivity.

With the pandemic accelerating our increasing reliance on digital services, the need for a substantial change to our connectivity options has never been greater. The full needs of both residential and business subscribers are not being met by the major Broadband Service Providers who operate services over closed networks.

As local governments face budgetary constraints, there’s increasing pressure to spend smarter with less money. The approach to digital transformation for their communities as well as their own organizations must change.

In the UK, the vast majority of operators want to control everything from network infrastructure, applications, speed, bandwidth, price, data limits and the number of services available. In these closed networks, subscribers are left with poor service, inflexible contracts and few choices; limiting competition and innovation within the commercial sector, hindering digital transformation and stifling economic growth.

VX Fiber has dismantled this model and opened-up the network by separating the network infrastructure and management of the network from the supply of services. This Active Open Access approach enables the network to become the platform through which new services are delivered – the Fiber Owner(s) or Operator is able to lease its network to multiple Service Providers, enabling them to access the network to deliver their own digital services.

In this cloud ecosystem, the private sector can compete and innovate to deliver a wider range of broadband services, while local government can then deliver more of the vital services their communities rely on at reduced costs. After all, in their intrinsic role of helping to ‘Build Back Better’ and ‘Level-up’, the digital transformation they are expected to deliver is being hampered by budgetary constraints.

What’s become the standard services list of internet connectivity, telephone and TV, will soon be joined by any and all digital services such as Online Health Services, Distance Learning, Smart Home, Private Clouds, Smart Grid, Smart Transport, Emergency Communications, the Internet of Things (IoT), Smart City Applications and many more.

It’s an open road with endless possibilities.

VX Fiber is committed to see communities, people and businesses get the most out of this enhanced, full fiber connectivity. But VX Fiber cannot do it alone – by forming collaborative partnerships and working long-term with Municipalities, we are able to help define the most appropriate business model and solutions for a particular Local Authority – helping to deliver the specific outcomes, based on goals for delivering economic, social, environmental and efficiency benefits – and ending the digital divide.

VX Fiber believes that fiber networks are fundamentally a public good, but they must be open.

To learn more, take a look at our latest video ‘VXFIBER: ACTIVE OPEN ACCESS NEUTRAL OPERATOR’ where we delve deeper into VX Fiber’s Active Open Access Model and the benefits it offers Local Authorities and their citizens.

Why Corporate Real Estate needs full fiber

Jan Backman — Sun, 31 Jul 2022 22:00:00 GMT

Following a summer lull, staff are returning to their desks en masse. On September 16th, traffic at 15 key tube stations in the City of London reached a post-covid peak. At the major banks, the desks are starting to fill up. By early September, attendance at Citigroup Inc.’s office hit more than half of its typical pre-pandemic level. The footfall at JPMorgan rose to 40%, up from about a quarter in August, while the occupancy at Goldman Sachs’s office was about half-half, and that proportion is on the rise.

However, even with this recent surge, most people do not think all workers will return to the workplace full time any time soon. In fact, in a recent survey, 70% predicted that workers would “never return to offices at the same rate”, with the majority preferring to work from home either full-time or at least some of the time. In other words, organizations need to find an agile and flexible solution that will gratify a large number of people with different expectations around what the return to the office should look like.

In this “new normal”, the function of Corporate Real Estate (CRE) is evolving. If work doesn’t strictly depend on office space, then the workplace should enable users to perform better than they would do anywhere else, including the comfort of their own home. If companies are feeling as though their investments in office space aren’t paying dividends, they will simply leave. This presents a challenge for property professionals to make their portfolios as commercially viable as possible.

Connectivity is a foolproof way of ensuring the commercial viability of a space for years to come. You can have the finest building, in the most buzzing cosmopolitan part of town, and all the free tea, coffee, and networking sessions in the world. But if that building isn’t pre-wired with a bulletproof internet connection, then who’s going to want to work there in this day and age?

Workplaces need to be ‘smarter’

“Connectivity, connectivity, connectivity” is fast overcoming location as CRE’s new mantra, and digital transformation is a key element in driving this. Connectivity goes beyond enabling tenants to have a basic LAN with full-strength WiFi bars on their laptops or supporting dedicated internet speeds and uptimes. Savvy tenants are also interested in smart building technologies and automated building management, which further drive the need for connectivity.

For example, remote lighting control and temperature management, driven by IoT (Internet of Things), are becoming expected features rather than luxuries. This is particularly relevant in a time of lowered occupancy rates and hybrid workplace models. Tenants and property managers can save on overhead expenses by using smart building systems to only light up and heat or cool the areas in use.

Smart building systems can also track usage data and be programmed to make changes in response to external temperatures and real-time occupancy. To provide such capabilities, buildings need both internet connectivity and equipment such as sensors for temperature and motion connected to IoT devices.

And while smart offices are already a go-to for companies of all sizes, the demand for these tech-centric office spaces is only going to increase. In fact, the global market size for smart offices is projected to hit more than 57 billion by 2025.

Real estate developers want to futureproof spaces to accommodate this level of connectivity. But the problem is that many are still relying on copper cables that are not built for data heavy services like video conferencing or streaming to deliver this. If they want to effectively futureproof a space, developers must look towards a full fiber strategy that provides fiber all the way to the premises, not the cabinet. It’s widely recognized that legacy copper and coax hybrid networks can no longer support the growing needs of the industry. Full fiber Fiber-to-the-Premises (FTTP) is the most future-proof technology and important for supporting high-capacity mobile networks such as 5G.

Real estate developers and landlords need to understand the economic advantages of investing in their own full fiber networks, which can be easily included as part of new developments. Fiber should be viewed as a real estate investment. Not only will it add value to a property, but it can also lay the foundations for smart services and create ongoing revenue streams. The challenge is that developers don’t know how to be service providers, but there is a model that can offer a solution: Open Access.

Investing in an Open Access model

Traditional monopolistic and vertically integrated networks entail one Service Provider owning and managing all layers of the network: the fiber in the ground, known as the “passive layer/network”; the network management systems which comprises the electronics and software – the “active layer/network”; and provision of services to the subscriber – the “services layer”.

‘Open Access’ typically means the access granted to multiple Service Providers on a wholesale basis over one physical network infrastructure. This enables different Service Providers to reach the subscriber without the need to deploy a new fiber access network themselves. All products and services are made available to subscribers through a web-basedportal via independent Service Provider partners, making it easy to sell, provision and maintain the network with minimal system administration.

An open access model disaggregates the different network layers described above. There are a number of variants of the open access approach – the three-layer model which consists of the separation of physical infrastructure, from operations and service provisioning is the most complex but it provides the most flexibility and highest returns on investment.

This means that property developers and landlords can invest in, own, and monetize fiber (the “passive layer” of the network) while the operation can be handled by third parties. These fiber assets can then be leased to network operators and Service Providers to operate a healthy rate of return. Services provided over the passive network need not be restricted to Internet Access but services requiring internet connectivity such as CCTV, BMS, or IoT applications. Multiple services can be provided simultaneously on the same network to the same location, over the same fiber.

The procurement of an Open Access Neutral Operator, such as VX Fiber, ensures that the developer or landlord does not encounter diseconomies of scale or difficulty in onboarding Service Providers. The result is a more competitive environment with lower barriers to entry for fiber and service owners, and greater choice for the subscriber.

CRE’s connected future

Commercial property owners and managers must be agile, with the ability to quickly pivot to accommodate evolving tenant requirements and respond to disruptive events such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Digital transformation and changing workplace models have had a significant impact on commercial properties in recent years, so imagine what the next five years will bring.

Regardless of what may come, one thing is undoubtedly here to stay — an ever-increasing demand for internet connectivity and capacity. Now is the time to invest in the future by prioritizing a robust and reliable full fiber infrastructure that will help the CRE industry weather the storm today and future-proof its properties for tomorrow.

Our Story: Enabling the digital future of the UK by partnering with Local Authorities

Jan Backman — Thu, 30 Sep 2021 22:00:00 GMT

As part of Total Telecom’s Connected Britain, VX Fiber hosted a special pre-event day on 20th September 2021, “Local Authorities: Delivering Digital Transformation.” Its aim was to further understand and support the challenges local governments are facing when it comes to the roll-out of next-generation digital infrastructure.
It was clear that while all regions have varying infrastructure needs, the barriers in place were resoundingly similar. Crucially, there must be a shift in culture and mindset. Connectivity must be thought of as an enabling infrastructure, in much the same way, we think of roads, for example.

Second, local authorities are accountable to the communities they serve for how they spend their money. Proper arrangements need to be in place, engaging with relevant key internal and external stakeholders to ensure that an authority’s intended objectives are achieved. Furthermore, there is added pressure and risk to poor governance in the current context of budget cuts and lost revenue streams due to Covid-19.

Initiatives must be effective in a riskier, more time-pressured, and less-resourced environment. In this landscape, it’s crucial that infrastructure is customized to suit that city’s unique requirements. This can only be achieved if fiber operators work in collaboration with local authorities to deliver the vital services that their communities rely on. In fact, a collaborative and open approach is fundamental.

VX Fiber has long recognized that local authorities will be the key to getting the UK on the path to a full fiber future and, as such has built its offering around a structured partnership approach with cities and municipalities based on their vision and objectives, delivering specific outcomes, and achieving desired benefits and value.

While other companies tend to focus their business on profit – they “build and leave” – VX Fiber prioritizes joint outcomes with the cities and communities where it operates. As an Active Open Access Neutral fiber operator, VX Fiber enables local authorities to monetize their own passive infrastructure, to generate revenue and cost savings, and regain control of a very lucrative asset.

VX Fiber’s Open Access model has played a key role in enhancing Sweden’s full fiber connectivity where over 80% of homes and businesses are now passed by full fiber, with over 60% of those fully connected. In South Africa, VX Fiber is the largest fiber operator of Active Open Access networks in the country. It commands hundreds of thousands of connections and supports over 60 Service Providers.

With operations across multiple European countries, VX Fiber is committed to long-term investment in the UK as a full fiber, Active Open Access neutral operator. With projects spanning from Stoke-on-Trent, Crewe and Nantwich, Bristol, Colchester, and parts of London, there are many more to follow over the coming months and years. Our philosophy has been at the heart of discussions with UK stakeholders looking at alternative options for getting their communities connected.

It’s been a long road since the Open Access model became a proven concept in Sweden and South Africa, and there is a way to go before the UK’s digital infrastructure catches up. However, the Forum proved that there are a number of excellent local Digital Champions leading the way, with all in attendance committed to taking control of their digital destiny. Our team is looking forward to taking part in the journey and opening a new chapter that will help enable the digital future.

It’s time for the CRE Industry to Fiber-Up

Jan Backman — Sat, 31 Jul 2021 22:00:00 GMT

Mikael Sandberg is Chairman at VX Fiber, and in this latest feature, he writes about why it’s time to Fiber-Up the Corporate Real Estate Market.

Without a doubt, Covid-19 has brought about untold disruption across all sectors of the economy. The commercial real estate (CRE) industry is not alone in having to amend its business practices and operations, but it has been a difficult year for this sector.

Office-based companies have switched to remote working, with some even making the permanent shift to keep overheads down. A greater reliance on digital technology has also put pressure on the connectivity and power capabilities of office spaces. Commercial landlords have even had to consider changing the entire layout of their properties to make sure their office spaces are safe and compliant.

Covid-19 has made many businesses permanently re-evaluate what they want and need from their offices. It has also brought existing trends to the forefront, such as the decline of the high street in retail, putting extra pressure on CRE.

The Future of Work: In the Home, At the Office or Hybrid Model?

The recent Top 10 Global CRE Trends Report from JLL suggests a shift towards a ‘hybrid future’ of work. According to the study, only a quarter (24%) of employees want to work exclusively inside an office. Half (50%) of those surveyed would prefer a balance of office and remote working, with an average of 2.4 days working from home. And the remaining 26% would like to work exclusively outside the office. There is no ‘one size fits all’ agreement when it comes to the return to the office – from both an organizational and employee point of view.

As a result, businesses are reviewing working policies and revaluating office space needs and expectations. A recent survey from the CBI and PWC revealed that within the Financial Services industry alone, over two-thirds of firms are looking at redefining or reconfiguring use of existing office space, with nearly 60% considering a reduction in square meters.

The new ‘work from anywhere’ model is also driving footprint dispersion and portfolio transformation in the CRE sector. Santander recently announced a decision to consolidate its office portfolio and move its headquarters to Milton Keynes. And the BBC followed suit, moving more operations to Glasgow, Birmingham, Cardiff, Leeds and Salford.

It’s clear the impact is being felt far and wide by the CRE market. In Central London alone, lettings’ transactions from office space fell to £8.7 billion from £13.2 billion between March 2020 and February 2021, according to Colliers International.

Increased demand for better tech solutions – more specifically – connectivity matters

It’s not just the size of the office and the location that is influencing the choice of rentals and renewals. CRE tenants are now looking for increased smart solutions within their office, leisure and retail properties. There is a noticeable shift in the industry from simply providing physical space, to the provision of an array of digital services.

Amenities that were once considered added perks, like high bandwidth connectivity and IoT (Internet of Things) appliances, are now essentials that new tenants will expect to see. Smart ways to manage appliances and energy use, such as apps that can control lighting, heating and air conditioning, are also set to grow in tenant popularity as office spaces are used more flexibly.

The rise of the gig economy and the new internet-enabled business models has increased expectation around connectivity. Even the smallest start-ups expect a high bandwidth internet connection, making “Gigabit speed” connectivity essential. This puts developers under pressure to offer the fastest broadband speeds and the most reliable and robust digital infrastructure, ensuring buildings are smartly connected.

However, a mere 5.1 million (18 percent) of UK premises (residential and commercial) have access to ‘full fiber’ (also called Fiber-to-the-Premises or Home FTTP/FTTH) connectivity. The ‘superfast broadband’ currently accessed by over 95 percent of UK premises, has been mostly delivered by Fiber-to-the-Cabinet (FTTC) technology. FTTC is part-fiber part-copper technology: fiber optic cables run to a street cabinet, and then existing copper telephone wires are used to connect the cabinet to individual premises. The speed of the connection decreases the further away from the cabinet the premises is based, because the signal loses strength as it travels along the copper wire. Other technologies are also capable of supporting superfast broadband, including cable broadband and fixed wireless connections. It is widely recognized that legacy copper and coax hybrid networks can no longer support the growing needs of the industry.

Full fiber FTTP is the most future-proof technology and important for supporting high-capacity mobile networks such as 5G. The CRE industry needs to embrace full fiber connectivity to improve the attractiveness of a property, add value to a development, and lay the foundations for evolving services. Having use of full fiber infrastructure means that whatever the latest digital services, systems and sensors are, there is the basic “nervous system” around the development to support them. In fact, Collier International has stated that infrastructure upgrades are helping the CRE sector to drive demand.

Taking ownership of its digital destiny

Historically, developers have left the expansion of this critical utility in the hands of telecoms companies who have owned the passive or physical cables, operated the networks, and provided services to end-user customers. Developers are increasingly seeing fiber optic cables as part of their real-estate assets. But the truth is that it’s not just about committing to full fiber connectivity, there are also business models to consider that can provide a lucrative opportunity for developers to tap into new revenue streams – anyone can own fiber and make money from it.

CRE developers and landlords need to understand the economic advantages of investing in their own full fiber networks as part of their developments.

Open Access – the pioneering way …

Traditional monopolistic and vertically integrated networks entail one Service Provider owning and managing all layers of the network: the fiber in the ground, known as the “passive layer/network”; the network management systems which comprises the electronics and software – the “active layer/network”; and provision of services to the end-user customer – the “services layer”.

‘Open Access’ typically means the access granted to multiple Service Providers on a wholesale basis over one physical network infrastructure. This enables different Service Providers to reach the subscriber without the need to deploy a new fiber access network themselves. All products and services are made available to subscribers through a web portal via independent Service Provider partners, making it easy to sell, provision and maintain the network with minimal system administration.

An open access model disaggregates the different network layers described above. There are a number of variants of the open access approach – the three-layer model which consists of the separation of physical infrastructure, from operations and service provisioning is the most complex but it provides the most flexibility and highest returns on investment.

This means that property developers and landlords can invest in, own and monetize fiber (the “passive layer” of the network) while the operation can be handled by third parties. These fiber assets can then be leased to network operators and Service Providers to operate a healthy rate of return. Services provided over the passive network need not be restricted to Internet Access, they can include services requiring internet connectivity such as CCTV, BMS or IoT applications. Multiple services can be provided simultaneously on the same network to the same location, over the same fiber.

Open Access Neutral Operators, such as VX Fiber, ensure that the developer or landlord does not encounter diseconomies of scale or difficulty in onboarding Service Providers. The result is a more competitive environment with lower barriers to entry for fiber and service owners, and greater choice for the end-user customer.

Adapting for the future – CRE Industry – it’s time to fiber-up!

The theme for the past year in the CRE world has been adaptation in the face of extreme challenges. If property owners and agents want to make sure the future is bright, they’ll need to get on board with changing customer demands. Failing to adjust their offering means they’re stuck with empty properties and struggling investments that soar from an asset to a burden.

There is a clear commercial opportunity for developers to provide a property portfolio that is kitted out with data connections based on full fiber FTTP that sits within an open access model. Technology continues to drive the way that we use space, therefore enabling connectivity should be a priority to meet rising expectations around bandwidth. The CRE industry needs to focus its efforts on the services and technologies that can enhance the occupier experience in a property. Not only will this add value to a space, it will also drive those all-important revenue streams.

Quite simply, to remain competitive and stay ahead of the curve the CRE sector needs to fiber-up via open access.