Can plug-and-play fiber tech bridge the broadband labor shortage?

As more fiber rollouts are announced across the U.S., the broadband industry is facing a looming problem: finding enough workers to actually deploy the tens of millions of new passings they’ve promised. Government statistics show the number of telecommunications workers has dropped drastically over the past decade and that figure isn’t expected to rebound anytime soon. But plug-and-play fiber installation technology could help alleviate the workforce crunch – at least to an extent. As the name suggests, the installer simply plugs the cable in at either end, dramatically reducing the time and skills required. Indeed, many US municipalities have used their in-house electricians to carry out last drop plug and play installs.Essentially, plug and play (or pre-terminated) fiber cables remove the need for fusion splicing or other specialist techniques, such as using mechanical/ field fit connectors.