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V. Rishi Kumar

Software helps a company managing a telecom company's cable networks to pinpoint the source of trouble and take action promptly.

WHEN Regency Infotech took up the task of managing the cable network of a telecom company, it knew what it had to deliver - hassle-free service to its client's customers in the shortest time possible.

To efficiently manage the cable networks criss-crossing all over the place, Regency developed a Cable Record Management System (CRMS). It put the system in place using Autodesk software. Regency says the system can help its engineers identify a problem in the client company's network long before they actually reach the site, thus saving on time, money and manpower resources.

Sreedhar Lingareddy, Managing Director, Regency InfoTech, shares with eWorld his company's experience of deploying and managing the system for the telecom company. Excerpts from the chat:

How did you go about deploying the Cable Record Management System?

The system was developed by Regency in partnership with Narmada Infrastructure for one of the country's largest telephone service providers. The CRMS stores complete databases of cable-records, associated network components, maps and drawings in electronic format.

The primary function of this service is to automate the processes associated with the maintenance of telephone networks and assets.

Deploying Autodesk's software for the system has helped us in giving a faster response to customer complaints, which is a key differentiator.

Here, the system retrieves subscriber complaints from the Fault Repair System (FRS) and enables engineers and other maintenance teams to trace the complete path — from the subscriber location to the exchange — thus allowing engineers to identify the fault location on the map before undertaking the repair work.

The application, developed on Autodesk MapGuide and Microsoft .net technology, provides a graphical display of any desired cable segment or any network component. It also provides interfaces to get in touch with external systems such as Fault Repair System (FRS), Waitlist Management and other commercial applications in a designated area.

How has the Autodesk MapGuide enhanced CRMS?

After an analysis of the GIS (geographical information systems) products available in the market, we opted for the Autodesk MapGuide and customised it to meet our specifications, something that would not have been possible with the other tools.

We are currently using several Autodesk products, including Autodesk Map, Autodesk Raster Design, AutoCAD and Autodesk Onsite.

We have plans of using AutodeskLandDesktop and Autodesk Civil 3D Professional for our future civil and GPS (geographical positioning system)-related projects.

Has the system helped improve the efficiency of the maintenance team? The software has helped to improve the efficiency of the maintenance team in several areas.

A unique route from the distribution point can be traced using this CRMS system. On keying in the telephone number, the system zooms to the distribution point. This enables the field technician (Lineman) to find the route the cable has taken from the source to the user. Detailed schematics of each of the telecom asset can be retrieved.

The system enables the technician to find the schematics of the clicked asset too. A detailed lifecycle of the telecom asset can be retrieved as reports.

Did you have to train Regency employees to deploy the system?

The learning curve for Autodesk software is short. It has a documented interface that enables programmers to learn use of the software easily. We also receive regular updates and training sessions from the company.

How does Autodesk software complement Regency InfoTech?

The Autodesk Mapguide integrates spatial asset information with enterprise information associated with those assets. This enables partners to focus on the core business aspects of their applications and not the information technology issues.

What have been the gains from this deployment?

This has provided for an efficient decision-support tool for cable network management.

The system increases the overall efficiency of the organisation and helps in capacity planning by viewing schematics of various telecom assets.

The field crews get complete work management module. This helps in faster waitlist management and fault restoration. It also helps in proper cable estimation using the map.

Picture by Ch. Vijaya Bhaskar

vrishi@thehindu.co.in

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