Speeding Mean-Time-to-Repair with the SmartOTU™ Platform

Recently, a global electronic commerce and cloud computing company had service issues on leased dark fiber. This fiber interconnects their global data centers, transporting all network services and applications for their customers. The company experienced several network outages due to fiber breaks, and outages that affected many of its customers who could not access the website or their applications.

The company asked their dark fiber vendor to dispatch a technician with a portable instrument to troubleshoot the network. However, it often took hours and even days to get a technician out in the field. Service troubleshooting and restoration were so poor in some areas that the company decided to find its own fiber monitoring solution to quickly pinpoint issues and push dark fiber vendors for faster mean-time-to-repair (MTTR).

Butler Technologies

Butler Technologies, a Viavi Velocity Elite partner, was founded in 1997 to provide secure communications, test and measurement systems, and components to the communications and electronic sectors. In 2005, the Butler Group acquired Transtest Equipment Limited, an INAB Accredited Calibration Laboratory to provide both in-house and on-site equipment repair and calibration.

After learning of their challenges, a team led by Viavi Elite partner Butler Technologies and Viavi Solutions® engineers suggested a solution: the SmartOTU platform for remote fiber test and monitoring. SmartOTU continuously monitors dark fiber and gives pinpointed locations of any fiber breaks or degradation. A real-time alarm alerts the company to any physical layer issue.

With this data, the company could tell their dark fiber vendor the exact location of the issue and significantly reduce MTTR. This would improve customer experience and ensure minimal lost revenue when network issues occur.