AR-guided field engineering for FTTP rollout.

Telecom / Field Service / Augmented Reality / Network Infrastructure

The solution was designed for field engineers working with FTTP network infrastructure. The core problem: engineers could find it difficult to locate installed network devices when they were underground, behind trees, behind other installations, or otherwise hard to identify visually. The solution uses Augmented Reality together with a map-based view, so an engineer can use their device at a location and see the network infrastructure digitally overlaid on the real-world environment — a bird's-eye view of installed devices, then an AR camera view on arrival.

Business requirements & challenges

Business requirements & challenges

The aim was to give engineers confidence identifying FTTP network infrastructure locations, correct routes and installed devices.

Major challenges

• Engineers struggled to find installed devices that were underground, behind trees or behind other installations
• Traditional maps/physical identification weren't intuitive — an AR view presents assets in the engineer's actual surroundings
• Engineers needed installation and fix history at their fingertips while on site
• No off-the-shelf solution existed — it had to work with the customer's existing network data and structure

Solution

Solution

Following successful initial PoC research, the solution combines location-based network visualisation, Augmented Reality, network-infrastructure labelling, routing details and OS map integration — built around BT's existing network data and structure.

• Location-based AR overlay of network infrastructure onto the device camera view
• Labels network infrastructure, associated infrastructure and individual nodes
• Per-node routing details such as Serving Splitter ID and spare CBT ports
• Highlights the nodes that are on the engineer's route
• Switch to OS maps for a bird's-eye network view with the same details on tap
• Access to installation and fix history at the location

Stack

Technologies used

How it works

Process workflow

1. 01Engineer opens the application
2. 02Detect location
3. 03Retrieve the customer's existing network data
4. 04Identify nearby nodes
5. 05Choose AR camera view or OS map view
6. 06Display network infrastructure and associated infrastructure
7. 07Show routing details and highlight the engineer's route nodes
8. 08Engineer locates the correct asset, with access to installation / fix history

What's new

Key innovations

Business benefits

Business benefits

• Gives engineers confidence in identifying FTTP infrastructure that's underground or obscured
• AR presents assets intuitively in the engineer's real surroundings, with install/fix history on tap
• Built around the customer's existing network data and structure — no generic off-the-shelf app required
• Intuitive and simple to follow; initial PoC research successfully completed

At a glance

Key highlights