The 2025 ISE Network Innovators' Awards
ISE Magazine celebrates the ISE Network Innovators' Award Honorees at ISE EXPO 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana, this summer.
These awards recognize a wide range of innovations that address critical challenges for broadband service providers across fixed and mobile networks. Entries span technologies, systems, hardware, and software solutions.
An independent panel of subject matter experts evaluated each submission based on its application, benefits to the industry, breakthrough performance, and innovation. For 2025, we are proud to present you with the following 17 standout products and their companies.
CyberPower's CP1500PFCRM1U PFC Sinewave UPS System
The CP1500PFCRM1U helps keep equipment connected and protected during power surges and outages, preventing the likelihood of data loss and costly downtime. If security equipment is down, company equipment, property, and employees could be at risk. It provides battery power backup, surge protection, and EMI/RFI noise filtering for security systems, audio/visual equipment, networking, storage devices, and sensitive electronics requiring an active PFC power source. cyberpowersystems.com
Judge Comment: "Solid product enhanced by the shorter depth that will support more applications in OSP environments."
CyberPower's PR750LCD3C Smart App Sinewave UPS System
The PR750LCD3C provides battery backup power and surge protection for corporate servers, department servers, storage appliances, network devices, and telecom installations requiring Active Power Factor Correction (Active PFC) power source compatibility. It features a built-in cloud monitoring card so users can monitor their power anywhere. It uses Automatic Voltage Regulation (AVR) to correct minor power fluctuations without switching to battery power, which extends battery life. AVR is essential in areas where power fluctuations occur frequently. cyberpowersystems.com
Judge Comment: "A great option for BSP small business customer-premises installations that cannot tolerate power downtime. Well done!"
Emtelle's FiberMag – Revolutionizing Last-Mile Connectivity
The FiberMag (patent pending) helps broadband service providers to streamline fiber deployment by optimizing last-mile connectivity. By pre-installing fiber at the property boundary, it eliminates high remedy costs, reduces labor-intensive installation during the customer connection phase, and enables instant, splice-free customer connections. This reduces operational expenses (OpEx) by minimizing truck rolls and secondary excavation in the sidewalk. Additionally, the integrated EM-Marker ensures precise underground traceability if any maintenance is required. emtelle.com
Judge Comment: "Good concept. Less light loss due to connectors and less failure points."
gaiia's OSS/BSS Platform
The OSS/BSS Platform is a flexible, automated, all-in-one platform that enhances a subscriber’s experience and increases a customer’s lifetime value while improving operational efficiency. The solution includes several key strategies under a single pane of glass that helps internet service providers (ISPs) develop new revenue, reduce operational expenses, and achieve success. gaiia.com
Judge Comment: "This seems like a useful product for start-ups or smaller companies that do not have large, internal IT resources."
VETRO's Address Genius
The Address Genius offers benefits to BSPs by streamlining operations and enhancing the customer experience. It directly reduces costs by eliminating the need for manual address corrections, freeing up valuable time and resources and leading to increased operational efficiency. It enhances customer satisfaction by ensuring accurate address data, which results in timely service delivery and fewer customer complaints. Also, the product improves network planning by providing reliable address data, enabling more targeted and effective network deployments. vetrofibermap.com
Judge Comment: "Accurate addressing is critical and is traditionally a weak spot in transitioning from build-out to sales. This solution is a great step forward in ensuring accuracy and improving downstream sales go smoothly."
Belden's Hybrid Fiber/Power OVP Terminal
The Hybrid Fiber/Power OVP Terminal enhances outdoor wireless network efficiency and reliability, furthering operators’ objectives to optimize performance and minimize costs. Integrating fiber, power and overvoltage protection simplifies installation and lowers costs. The modular, field-replaceable surge protection devices (with visual status indicators) allow for quick maintenance and decreased downtime. The terminal's NEMA 4X-rated enclosure provides protection against moisture, dust and extreme temperatures—an essential quality for outdoor deployments. belden.com
Judge Comment: "A nice flexible product combining fiber management, power protection, and weatherproofing. The modular surge protection should offer a nice option for field forces to quickly repair out-of-service modules. Like the scalability and multiple configuration options."
Clearfield’s 3D Interactive Guides Powered By the BILT® App
The BILT integration empowers broadband service providers (BSPs) by enhancing operational efficiency and reducing costs associated with training and installation errors. By streamlining setup with interactive 3D guides, BSPs can onboard technicians faster, reducing training expenses and improving workforce productivity. The error-reducing nature of BILT’s step-by-step animated guidance minimizes rework and material waste, ultimately cutting operational costs. Unique features include interactive 3D visualization, offline functionality, faster training and adoption, and comprehensive product coverage. seeclearfield.com
Judge Comment: "A nice step forward in technician training and on-the-go field reference material."
EXFO's FIP-200 – Connector Checker
The FIP-200 – Connector Checker is an essential fiber inspection tool purpose-built for broadband service activation. It simplifies fiber connector inspections with a one-button, fully automated process, eliminating the need for manual image interpretation. Its intuitive 5-bar rating system delivers clear pass/fail results tailored for broadband field operations, enabling technicians to take immediate corrective action, ensuring high-quality fiber connections while minimizing operational costs. exfo.com
Judge Comment: "This is a good handheld tool for quick and easy determination of the viability of the fiber connection."
IQGeo's Network Revenue Optimizer
By eliminating manual inefficiencies in lead generation, cost estimation, and sales workflows, the Network Revenue Optimizer accelerates the sales cycle and increases conversion rates. Rules-based analytics automatically identify high-value near-net prospects, generate revenue-optimized route calculations, and produce accurate, real-world cost estimates in seconds—allowing providers to respond to opportunities faster. It seamlessly integrates with CRM platforms, ensuring sales and engineering teams work within a unified system. iqgeo.com
Judge Comment: “Anything that can bring engineering, planning, design, operations and sales teams together is a win-win for the company and the customer. This product appears to be able to make that magic happen!”
VCTI's Broadband IQ™
The Broadband IQ is a new SaaS offering designed to help service providers quickly analyze the most profitable and strategic markets for network expansion. The solution also helps to develop accurate construction plans and budgets without investing time and money to send teams into the field to physically inspect. Service providers can access VCTI’s data and analysis via a self-serve model and leverage their related services and expertise to interpret the information and build expansion plans. vcti.io
Judge Comment: “Timely product for the BEAD/BABA contracts. Software can help determine additional builds around the specified space for the contract.”
AFL's Apex® X-1 Sealed Splice Closure
The Apex X-1 Sealed Splice Closure is the newest and smallest member to AFL’s Apex family of sealed splice closures. In the broadband infrastructure sector, it has revolutionized the industry’s approach to fiber deployment. As the most compact sealed dome splice closure in its class, this latest design balances size optimization with exceptional performance, supporting up to 144 single fusion, 432 mass fusion with standard ribbon, or 864 mass fusion with “rollable ribbon” fiber types. aflglobal.com
Judge Comment: “Nice evolution of this product. Great combination of small size and straightforward cable and splice management. Sealing the closure and the individual fiber ports is easy for field forces and reliable.”
EXFO's AXS Compact OTDR Series
The AXS Compact OTDR Series is designed to eliminate hidden costs of ownership. The all-day battery > 10 hours of autonomy (Bellcore). It contains a patented, field-replaceable swap-out connector that self-diagnoses the health of the unit connector. Swap it for a brand new one on the go when needed. The calibration date remains valid, even after swapping the connector. Also, there’s no need to calibrate the unit sooner than planned. exfo.com
Judge Comment: “Love they attack the hidden cost of ownership—unnecessary downtime of the equipment. Leveraging technology to improve this often-overlooked aspect is excellent. Focusing on simplicity for field use is another plus.”
EXFO's PXM/LXM Duplex and Multi-Fiber OLTS
The new PXM/LXM OLTS enhances operational efficiency, reduces costs, and simplifies the certification process for fiber optic networks. It allows users to measure loss, length, and polarity on duplex and multi-fiber links at two wavelengths within just one second, significantly reducing testing time. Its first-time-right polarity detection for duplex and multi-fiber eliminates hidden errors, ensuring correct fiber connections from the start and avoiding rework delays. The patented Click-Out design eliminates the need for multiple devices. exfo.com
Judge Comment: “Addressing the need to inspect/test multi fiber connectivity for the massively growing DC market is great. This will save time with labor costs and accelerate the deployment. Combined with the ease of connectivity with the different standards, is an excellent plus.”
Panduit's Fault Managed Power Systems (FMPS)
The FMPS revolutionizes broadband deployments by delivering safe, efficient, and cost-effective power over long distances. It’s recognized by the 2023 National Electric Code and is the first FMPS to be certified by Underwriters Laboratories under UL1400-1. It actively monitors for seven types of faults and stops a power transmission within two milliseconds if a fault is detected. It transmits 600 watts of power of a single 16AWG copper pair and reaches a maximum distance of two kilometers. panduit.com
Judge Comment: “Delivers more power for a greater distance and can be remotely managed making for easier install and maintenance.”
Prysmian SiroccoXT Microduct Cable
The SiroccoXT cables, which are smaller than any competing product with the same fiber count, enable customers to install more fiber in the same duct. This generates up to twice the revenue with minimal additional expenses. For instance, Prysmian's SiroccoXT 864 cable has an outer diameter of 9.8 mm, making it suitable for a 12 mm inner diameter duct. When evaluating cables, it is crucial to understand duct fill limits. prysmian.com
Judge Comment: “Prysmian is excellent in leveraging their cable prowess to develop new cable designs and SiroccoXT is a great example of that with clear values in higher density.”
Brightspeed's Fixed Wireless Voice and Data Solution
The Fixed Wireless Voice and Data Solution provides customers currently served by aging, unreliable copper cables, an upgraded communications and connectivity experience. The solution provides a more reliable, resilient option that supports voice calls and helps families and businesses connect to the internet with a more stable, carrier agnostic connection. Brightspeed’s fixed wireless solution has industry-standard customer self-serve battery backup in case of power outages. brightspeed.com
Judge Comment: “The Fixed Wireless Voice and Data Solution provides an economical and valid data solution in areas where fiber is unavailable. The battery backup is also quite beneficial.”
Corning's Evolv® Field-Installable Pushlok® Connector
The new Evolv Field-Installable Pushlok (FIPL) Connector is the first connector to integrate the flexibility and convenience of a field-installable solution with award-winning push-and-click Pushlok technology unlocking increased network deployment speeds, ease-of-use, and sustainability. With the broadband industry facing an unprecedented amount of uncertainty in labor availability, material costs, and government funding, FIPL enables operators to deploy networks easier and cheaper, turn up subscribers faster, and train new installers quicker. corning.com
Judge Comment: “This connector design is brilliant. The flexibility to adjust to different heads and provide a secure, polished connection without a splicing tool could be a tremendous asset to field technicians.”
About the Author
Lisa Weimer
Managing Editor, ISE Magazine
Lisa Weimer has held various positions during her 20+ years with ISE. As Managing Editor, she is dedicated to the organization, communication, writing, editing, and managing the editorial process from start to finish. She manages the ISE social media platforms and has expansive knowledge of www.isemag.com.