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Network Planning Tool Arrow by Altman Solon_color
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Arrow Platform

Quick Start Guide

UI Overview

Arrow Layout

Users interact with Arrow through controls located in three key areas of the screen: Header Bar, Visualizations Modal and Analysis Panel

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Running 'Network Build' Plans

Running Build Plans – Typical Order of Operations

We recommend the following order of operations for running optimizations

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Running Build Plans – Creating New Plan

Create a new plan and select ‘Standard Plan’ in plan type dropdown

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Running Build Plans – Opening an Existing Plan 

Saved plans can be accessed through Plan Info tab in the View Mode

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Modeling Inputs – Overview

Data and Resources selected in Setting section of the Analysis Pane determine what is available for Arrow to use during optimization runs

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Running Build Plans – Data Selection 

Select data layers to include in the analysis

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Running Build Plans – Resource Managers Selection

Select Resource Managers to use in the analysis

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Running Build Plans – Selecting Target Endpoint 

Turn on location layers to be used in simulations, and to view on the map

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Running Build Plans – Optimization Inputs

Adjust optimization settings, and run a plan

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Running Build Plans - Analysis Mode Settings 

Analysis Settings define all the aspects of optimization plan to be run

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Analysis Mode – Arrow Fiber Network Architectures / Construction Types

The four different hub and spoke network architectures can be illustrated by the following fiber architectures

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Running Build Plans – Optimization Types

In Network Build, Arrow allows users to run five main types of optimizations

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Running Build Plans – Visualizing Equipment

Turn on equipment and cable layers to view on the map

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Running Build Plans – Plan Output

Plan results, including bill of materials and financial projections, can be accessed in Output panel 

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Running Build Plans – Reports

After running a plan, number of reports can be extracted from Arrow, including financial projections and new fiber routes

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Running Build Plans – Reports

Most commonly-used reports include the following 

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Running 'Network Analysis' Plans

Running Plans – Network Analysis

Network Analysis plan setup should mimic that of a standard plan, with analysis type set to Network Analysis

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Running Plans – Network Analysis

After running a network analysis, there are 3 views of the output in the UI

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Resource Managers

Resource Managers - Management

Resource Managers are configured via their respective management windows

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Resource Managers – Price Book

Price Book is used to specify various network build costs

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Resource Managers – ARPU Manger

ARPU manager controls ARPU assumptions for target endpoints

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Resource Managers – ROIC Manager (1 of 2)

ROIC Manager defines the YoY financial profile of each plan analyzed in Arrow

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  • Financial Constraints – Global business case inputs
  • Cash Flow Strategy Type – use Computed ROIC for all plans
  • Discount Rate – Cost of capital / WACC to use for NPV calculation
  • Starting Year – Which year the plan starts (only relevant when TSM ARPU strategy is used)
  • Years – How many years to project the cash flows for and use in NPV/IRR calculations
  • Penetration Analysis Strategy – Specifies the method to determine customer penetration over time
    • Curve Based – Penetration follows a predefined adoption curve (defined by the penetration Rate parameter on the Models tab)
    • Flow Share – Uses granular flow-share modeling to determine each period’s subscribers (using churn and locations growth settings from the Models tab)
  • Connection Cost Strategy – Specifies how to handle individual location’s re-connect costs
    • New Connection – Charges full new connection cost every time location (re)subscribes (cost set by ConnectCost field in the Models tab)
    • Reuse Connection – Probabilistically model for what fraction of new subscribers had connected in the prior periods and only charge for the net new locations, tracks unconnected customers as a percentage of total premises
    • Improved Reuse Connection – similar to Reuse Connection, however, this approach tracks unconnected customers as a percentage of non-customers
  • Terminal Value Strategy – Set separately for Planned and BAU scenarios
  • Terminal Value Type – Defines what method of TV calculation to use
    • None – No terminal value applied
    • Net Cash Flow Multiple – Last year’s net cash flow multiplied by the value and added to the last period
    • EBITDA Multiple – Similar to Net Cash Flow, but maintenance and new build costs are excluded
    • Perpetual Growth – Assumes that a business will generate cash flows at a constant growth rate (from the last period) forever, must be a value between 0 and 1.
  • Value – Multiplier to use for the given strategy type (fraction for Perpetual Growth)

Resource Managers – ROIC Manager (2 of 2)

ROIC Manager defines the YoY financial inputs for each location analyzed in Arrow

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  1. Inputs are set independently for each endpoint type – Household (Residential), Cell towers and Small, Medium and Large Businesses
  2. For each endpoint type, users can set Planned and Existing location network inputs – This allows Arrow to account for revenue cannibalization in network overbuild scenarios
    • Planned – Financial inputs for locations that will be connecting to the new planned network
    • Existing – Financial inputs for locations served by the legacy network / the network that the plan will overbuild. These values are only required if you run overbuild scenarios on your network footprint.
  3. Location Overrides will leverage inputs defined at the location data library and use the ARPU defined by the ARPU resource manager instead of the inputs specified in the ROIC Models UI settings.

Common Resource Manager Settings

Below are a list of commonly updated Resource Manager Settings:

Price Book Settings

  • Central Office Cost – Cost for Arrow to create a new Central Office or use and existing Central Office
  • Fiber Distribution Hub – Cost for Arrow to create Fiber Distribution Hub equipment
  • Fiber Distribution Terminal – Cost for Arrow to create Fiber Distribution Terminal equipment
  • Install Fiber – Cost for Arrow to install Feeder or Distribution fiber. (Cost per meter/foot).
  • Network Architecture Manager
  • Hub Clustering Strategy – Determines which algorithm is used when assigning locations to FDHs

Network Architecture Manager

  • Hub Clustering Strategy – Determines which algorithm is used when assigning locations to FDHs
  • Max Distance From Terminal – This setting determines how close distribution fiber is build to the location. This location can be
    configured in the following path:
    • Hub-only Split > Terminal Configuration > Max Distance From Terminal
  • Multiple Dwelling Unit (MDU) Upgrade Threshold – This threshold determines how many “single family” locations within the same latitude/longitude there are before they are considered multiple dwelling units (i.e. apartments). This setting can be configured in the following path:
    • Hub-onlySplit > Fiber Capacity Configuration > Consolidation Rules > MDU Upgrade Threshold > threshold

Planning Constraints Manager

  • Fiber Routing Mode – Determines whether Arrow will route off existing fiber or build new fiber from scratch.
  • Edge Buffer Distance – Determines whether Arrow can build fiber outside of a service area. This can be due to Arrow’s optimization algorithms to build shorter fiber routes. Note this will not connect to locations outside of the service area boundary.

Quick Tips

Plan Info tab allows users to search, open, delete, rename and update permissions to existing plans

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Multi-selecting Service Areas using the Lasso Tool

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Users can set their project defaults (data and resources that are enabled by default) and create new Projects directly above Data Selection panel

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Appendix

Data

Arrow comes preloaded with variety of datasets, requiring only target locations to be supplied by end users

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Arrow Plans – FTTP Architecture and Build Capex 

The Arrow platform uses the following network architecture for FTTP deployments

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Arrow Plans – Direct Routing Build Elements

In planning routes to target locations, Arrow factors in a number of necessary network equipment elements and their costs

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