The Cost of Delay: Why Manual Provisioning Still Erodes Fibre Economics

Whilst fibre networks have matured, the assumption that provisioning would become simpler has proven misplaced. The data reveals structural delays that remain entrenched.

In our research, only 2% of operators said they could activate services in under 24 hours. Nearly 30% take more than a week. In competitive markets – where customers expect an installation in days – this is more than an inconvenience. It’s a structural weakness.

The True Cost of Delay

Manual provisioning delays:

• Stretch revenue cycles, delaying billing by weeks

• Increase operational costs as teams chase paper trails

• Erode investor and customer confidence by failing to deliver fast, predictable experiences

These delays don’t just slow billing. They increase operational costs, undermine investor confidence, and frustrate customers expecting predictable experiences.

As consolidation sweeps through fibre markets in Europe and beyond, these delays become existential. Larger platforms will inherit assets with provisioning backlogs that are difficult to unwind.

The diagram below illustrates how fragmented signals and manual processes stall both revenue and readiness – and how a trusted activation layer restores performance and trust.

Why Incremental Fixes Fall Short

Process improvements alone aren’t enough – and neither is a multi-year integration programme that pushes returns further into the future.

Instead, operators need an environment where readiness signals can reliably trigger revenue automatically, creating a reflexive infrastructure.

From Human Steps to Trusted Triggers

Imagine a model where:

• RFS signals are validated automatically

• SLAs are confirmed in real time

• Billing and provisioning workflows are activated instantly

This isn’t about distant ambitions. It’s about establishing the operational foundations today – so the business is prepared to scale and adapt as automation evolves.

Because in a market defined by consolidation and high capital costs, speed to activation is speed to survival.

This is part 2 of 5 in this Fibre Monetisation Playbook series. Read part 1: When the Network is Live, but Readiness and Returns Are Still Stranded.

The next article, exploring how partner onboarding turns wholesale models into faster, more predictable revenue streams will be published on Friday 18 July 2025.