Visonary Broadband Architecture

The 21st Century approach to technology and telecommunications management

We would never think of hiring a plumber or a carpenter to design a neighborhood or a new office building; we use architects and engineers for those jobs. Similarly, when you need a new broadband or telecommunications system for your company or community, you want an experienced team of broadband architects that understand the big picture of telecommunications--a team that looks beyond just the wires and cables to the business model, regulatory policy, services, vendor management, and network operations.

The Design Nine approach to broadband and telecommunications is that there are many parallels between what architects do to design and manage the construction of a new building and what we do to create telecommunications systems for our corporate and organizational users. Our first activity is to understand the needs of the customer--before recommending any purchases or investments. Our broadband planning and design is driven first and foremost by customer needs. We identify how the system is to be used, for what purposes, and by whom. Then we match the appropriate systems and technologies to your needs.

Our approach to broadband architecture encompasses four areas of work that we believe are critically important to the design and development of robust broadband and telecommunications networks.

System design and engineering	This includes high level telecommunications network design, telecommunications infrastructure needs, vendor selection, and software and hardware systems selection. The goal is to ensure that the network and systems portion of a technology or telecom system is specified correctly and meets the needs of the organization, the community, or the neighborhood. Networks, Web portals, and applications are now complex, multi-part systems that require a thorough understanding of how the various system components work with each other, and how the Internet affects performance. We are experts in open access and open service provider networks, and will help you identify appropriate fiber and wireless technologies.
Education and Public Awareness	Broadband infrastructure investments are most successful when citizens and businesses know the how to take advantage of broadband for business and personal use. Design Nine works closely with you to identify what services are needed and what markets are likely to emerge. Education and training are critical needs when introducting new networks and systems. We make sure that users know how to make good use of networks and systems so that technology and telecommunications investments do not sit idle.
Environmental design	The physical environment in which broadband systems are used is an important aspect of the overall design. For communitywide networks, we carefully consider the physical environment and the effect of duct, pedestals, and colocation facilities on the surrounding neighborhood. With wireless systems, we can perform site surveys to identify the minimum number of towers and antennas that will maximize coverage.
Financial and Organizational design	We work to ensure that your organization or community has the right business model and organizational model to manage a broadband network. In our early phase planning for broadband networks, we conduct an extensive and detailed financial analysis that shows estimated system costs, construction costs, anticipated income, operational costs, and revenue potential. Getting this kind of information early in the process provides a road map for a successful broadband project.

The broadband architect is an entirely new kind of technology advisor who has a strong base of skills and experience in the four areas discussed above. Design Nine, as a technology-neutral advocate for a community or developer, believes it is critical to work closely with our clients to understand the business and organizational needs first, and only after this crucial step has been completed, do we then try to match the technology to those needs.