The software enables 3D views of the municipalities to be connected to the fiber-optic network and provides remote monitoring and testing, thus ensuring speed, reliability, and sustainability.
23_10_25 CS Digital Twin_def EN.docx
Rome, 25 October 2023 – Faster and more accurate designs thanks to implementing a Digital Twin for cabling cities and small municipalities. Open Fiber has adopted a new system to design the fiber-optic network (FTTH – Fiber To The Home) through RealCity. This software platform allows the use of a three-dimensional real land model with remote measurements and surveys, making the design phase faster, more effective, and more sustainable. As part of its constant search for innovative solutions that can improve its activities, Open Fiber is among the first companies in Italy to implement this technology on such a large and diversified scale as the one in which it operates.
Rolling out a comprehensive fiber network across the Country is a process that involves several steps. The planning phase is one of the most important and critical because it also includes gathering information required to define the project. This includes determining the count of buildings that need to be cabled, the total building units (UI) in each building, and the single dwellings on a certain road. Once all of these pieces of information have been collected, a preliminary project plan is developed to outline the work to be carried out, the type of excavation required, the fiber size, and the spot of the street cabinet PFS (Secondary Flexibility Point). From now on, these tasks will also be executed using RealCity.
The new software makes it possible to:
- Display geo-referenced data and get a genuine vista of the represented territory and the network, complementing the traditional street view, which is limited to a photographic view of the territory, with its measurable three-dimensional model;
- Display routes and nodal elements of the network in a 3D environment of the territory;
- Execute accurate measurements (e.g., distances between access chambers, restoration surface, etc.) for remote testing and accounting;
- Monitor the quality of the work and execute remote testing, too;
- Exchange geo-referenced information between the RealCity 3D environment and the GIS (Geographical Information System) containing the network elements database (infrastructure, cables, fibers, equipment).
The benefits of implementing this new design system are many. Firstly, it will make conducting surveys useful for network construction remotely possible: engineers will no longer need to go on-site since they can perform the necessary measurements and collect the required information from their offices. This means significant cost savings and faster execution, thus ensuring greater efficiency and speed. In addition, using this system will reduce travel, so the whole project becomes more sustainable. Finally, this model will make it possible to monitor the network construction phases, following the work of the companies involved in the construction process with greater agility and precision.
Giuseppe Gola, CEO of Open Fiber: “Removing the digital divide in our Country is a social mission for Open Fiber, a challenge to win by deploying all available resources. In this sense, implementing new technologies is a crucial ally to help us speed up the processes to ensure adequate broadband connectivity for everyone to meet the current and future challenges.”