Cost: it stays on top of mind. Whether it’s pricing a project, estimating for the quarter or budgeting for the next year, cost looms large.

So when a survey of WISPs from Clearfield this year revealed that deploying in a cost-effective manner is important, it didn’t come as a huge surprise.

But how does this affect the end game? Should initial cost resistance be the only barrier to entry—or is this self-defeating in the long run?

Labor dominates the cost of deployment — running about 70% of an overall build cost. Methods are appropriate for large count fibers are often used across the entire network, which drives cost up. And although initial cost is on the mind of the new network builder, Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) is more important to consider when building a network that will last 20 years or more. Simplifying fiber installation and maintenance allows providers to reduce costs and turn up fiber networks faster.