COS Systems hosts open access broadband event in Spokane Valley

COS Systems brought network owners, ISPs and vendors together Sept. 29 at Broadlinc’s offices in Spokane Valley for Regional Open Access Day: Public Broadband Edition. The event focused on how open access networks work in smaller markets and how operators and providers can connect faster, which matters for communities trying to expand broadband options.

Why it matters: - Open access models can make it easier for multiple internet service providers to sell on the same network. - That can expand consumer choice and help communities move broadband projects from planning to service. - The Spokane Valley event centered on how those networks work outside major cities, where deployment and operations can be harder.

What happened: - COS Systems hosted Regional Open Access Day: Public Broadband Edition on Sept. 29 at Broadlinc’s offices in Spokane Valley, Washington. - Broadlinc hosted the event and delivered the keynote. - Network owners, operators, ISPs and technology vendors attended a day of keynote remarks, two panels and structured speed dating. - Ariane Schmidt, executive director of Broadlinc, opened with a keynote on open access beyond big cities. - Panel I, “What Makes an Open Access Network Successful?”, focused on the operator view. - Keith Ponton of Arcadis moderated Panel I. - Panel II, “The ISP Perspective: Getting On, Staying On,” focused on the provider side. - Ashley Poling, vice president of business development at COS Systems, moderated Panel II.

The details: - Panel II covered layer 2 versus layer 3 network design, IP management, billing integration, greenfield versus brownfield builds, and the level of operator involvement ISPs want in service delivery. - Speed dating was designed to match participants based on preferences submitted in advance. - ISPs met operators, and operators and ISPs met vendors. - Participants described speed dating as the strongest part of the day before the event and after it started. - Attendees included Kitsap PUD, NoaNet, GigSpeed, KnightCom, SumoFiber and Intellipop. - Arcadis and Broadlinc sponsored the event at the Elite level. - Calix and Nokia sponsored at the Day level. - ReadiTech Engineering sponsored lunch. - Bonfire Infrastructure Group sponsored the cornhole championship. - The day ended with the Open Access Bar at The Scale House Market, next to the venue. - COS Systems said questions about Open Access Day can go to Maren Buchmüller at maren.buchmuller@cossystems.com. - COS Systems provides a cloud-based BSS/OSS platform for broadband operators. - COS Business Engine supports subscriber management, billing and provisioning for retail ISP operations. - COS Wholesale Engine is built to orchestrate multi-provider open access networks. - COS FSM adds automated field service management, and COS Prospector supports door-to-door demand aggregation. - COS Systems also lists COS Marketplace and COS Fiber Flow in its portfolio.

Between the lines: - The event shows a push to make open access networks easier to launch and operate in smaller markets. - The speed-dating format suggests the industry still sees matching networks, ISPs and vendors as a practical bottleneck. - COS Systems is positioning its software stack around the operational work that follows a successful network introduction: ordering, activation, support and billing. - Broadlinc’s role as host and keynote speaker also signals local market leadership, not just vendor participation.

What's next: - COS Systems is likely to keep using events like Open Access Day to build relationships across the open access ecosystem. - The company said follow-up questions can be directed to Maren Buchmüller. - The broader test will be whether more communities and providers can turn these introductions into live service agreements and operating networks.

The bottom line: - The Spokane Valley event was less a trade show than a matchmaking session for open access broadband, with the goal of making networks easier to launch and operate.