At SBS, we know the path to fast and reliable broadband service for everyone starts with better design. Today, we’re proud to introduce Automated Broadband Designer, a new product built to help telecom providers and engineering firms deliver fiber networks faster, with less manual work and greater accuracy.
The urgency for broadband deployment has never been higher. As of 2024, fiber broadband now passes over 88 million homes in the U.S. alone, with 10.3 million new homes added just in the last year. Homes passed forecasts continue to grow with strong consumer demand and impactful incentives. The global broadband services market is projected to more than double over the next decade, driven by digital transformation, rising connectivity needs, and nationwide infrastructure funding. This surge in demand is creating both opportunity and strain, particularly as the telecom industry faces a growing shortage of skilled labor, increased pressure to accelerate time to market, and growing competitive threats.
Automated Broadband Designer is built to help relieve that pressure. By automating time-consuming design tasks, embedding engineering standards, and connecting seamlessly with enterprise systems, the platform empowers smaller design teams to do more, faster. It also helps new designers ramp up quickly through built-in templates and embedded guidance, making it easier to scale your workforce without sacrificing quality.
Design smarter, not harder
With Automated Broadband Designer, busywork gets out of the way:
- Repetitive design steps like underground details, enclosure placement, and drop layout are automated
- Bill of Materials (BOMs) are generated in real time as you design
- Permit drawings and construction packages are easily created directly from your model based on pre-defined standards
Built-in quality and compliance
Permitting rules and engineering specifications are embedded directly into your workflow. The Rules Engine validates designs as you go, so your team spends less time checking work and more time moving projects forward. Contractors and internal designers alike can follow the same process, maintaining consistency across the board.
Keep your systems connected
Fiber design doesn’t happen in isolation. That’s why we support two-way integration with GIS, EAM, and ERP systems. This ensures your network models, materials, and project data stay synchronized from design to as-built. Even during a GIS or platform migration, Automated Broadband Designer keeps design work running without interruption.
Empower your team
We’ve designed Automated Broadband Designer to be powerful but accessible. It’s easy for new designers to learn and use, especially for teams already working in AutoCAD. With FTTH-specific templates, automation, and embedded guidance, you can onboard faster and maintain high-quality output across internal and external teams.
As organizations look to meet today’s broadband challenges head-on, Automated Broadband Designer offers the clarity, control, and speed that modern fiber projects demand. And as workforce capacity becomes a critical constraint in broadband expansion, tools like this help teams scale without overextending resources.