Improving supplier qualification and performance monitoring while supporting long-term fiber network expansion with the Avetta Connect™ platform

Overview

altafiber is one of the oldest and most established telecommunications companies in the United States. Incorporated in 1873 as Cincinnati Bell, it began as a telegraph services provider, joining the Bell System in the late nineteenth century.

Over the years, its business model has shifted to accommodate new and emerging forms of communication technology. As telegraphs gave way to switchboard operators, Cincinnati Bell led the charge, providing the first telephonic exchange in the state of Ohio and the 10th in the nation.

Today, that spirit of innovation and transformation live on. altafiber is now a leading provider of integrated communication solution, delivering high-speed internet, video, voice, and data over its widespread fiber-optic network. Looking ahead, it plans to grow the network and expands its geographic reach, providing broadband connectivity to connectivity to current markets and beyond.

In recent years, altafiber has accelerated the growth, establishing a presence in new locations across the country. In 2018, the company acquired Hawaiian Telecom, the leading integrated communications provider in Hawaii and the state's fiber-centric technology leader. In 2022, it acquired Canton , OH-based Agile Network Builders, LLC, securing hybrid fiber wireless data networks across Ohio, West Virginia, Indiana, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania.

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Business Challenges

altafiber's vision to provide complete fiber access to current and future markets is a multi-faceted one. Achieving and maintaining this level of widespread connectivity required a carefully formed and well-monitored supply chain, as well as advanced data analytics to oversee site performance.

The first challenges lies in hiring the right personnel. To continue widening its fiber network successfully, altafiber needs to establish a robust team of vendors and suppliers that it can trust. Anyone they add to their supply chain must comply with industry-regulated mandates, as well as altafiber's company-specific qualification criteria.

Prior to meeting with Avetta, altafiber did not have a robust supplier prequalification solution that would allow it to thoroughly vet the health and safety policies of each new hire. altafiber also needed a better system to track each vendor's risk management policies, including employee insurance coverage.

In addition , the sheer volume of client sites also added to the project's complexity. Not only are altafiber's sites geographically dispersed, but each one also has its own set of unique requirements. altafiber needed a system to help track specific metrics and key performance indicators(KPIs) at each location, including the number of hours worked by each vendor or on each site.

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Avetta Solutions Delivered

altafiber's connection with Avetta began before the company decided to initiate its fiber-optic network expansion. altafiber was already a well-established member of Avetta's supplier network, so company leaders were closely familiar with how the Avetta Connect™ Platform operated.

With this successful working relationship already in place, altafiber fast-tracked the vendor selection process, choosing to initiate the software demo stage exclusively with Avetta. The three solutions altafiber chose to support their current and long-term needs included supplier prequalification, insurance monitoring and data analytics.

When considering where to roll out these solutions first, altafiber opted to start in the two locations where its fiber network was best-established and growing the fastest: Ohio and Hawaii.

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Benefits Experienced

Since completing the onboarding process in September 2022, altafiber has made significant progress in growing its team of qualified, pre-vetted suppliers.

By partnering with Avetta, altafiber has experienced the following benefits in a relatively short timeframe:

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A Growing List Of Active Connections

Out of the 96 suppliers that altafiber originally invited to join its network, 31 are already connected and active, achieving an initial connection rate of 32%. An additional 37 suppliers are working towards getting connected and onboarded into the system.

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Seamless Rollouts

As altafiber implemented the three Avetta solutions in Ohio and Hawai'i, the process was seamless from start to finish. Internal teams successfully managed the complexities of communicating in two different time zones and navigating specific site requirements. As a result, suppliers in each location were easily onboarded and assigned to the correct site.

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A Future-Focused Partnership

Looking ahead, altafiber plans to continue its outward trajectory, expanding its fiber-optic network and telecommunications services into even more sites and locations. This growth will require the company to broaden its current infrastructure significantly. Over time, altafiber expects to add more vendors, collect more data, and establish a greater number of different KPIs.

The scalable nature of the Avetta Connect platform makes this progress possible. As altafiber continues to cover new territories, Avetta's solution is robust enough to accommodate those changes and support those goals and both now and in the future.