With over 23,000 jurisdictions to choose from, Open Access is a key differentiator that lets carriers know our communities welcome their investment, value their technology and are open for business

With nearly 40 years of progressive experience in the deployment and operation of wireless and optical networksand over 20 years of progressive experience specializing in outdoor small cells and fiber optic-based network architectures, Neo Networks is at the forefront of helping public sector agencies market and manage their assets.

Established in 2013, Neo Networks charter was to solve the right of way and right of way infrastructure access problem. Putting the problem in perspective, Aragona states, "Nationwide, there are over 23,000 municipalities and transportation agencies but only about 5 percent have ever even seen an application for a small cell so when the services providers show up, they’re just not ready.”

Neo’s Open Access platform was developed for public sector agencies that understand the economic development benefits and community value of advanced technology but lack the budget, staffing, resources, and wireless expertise to develop an effective marketing and management program needed to attract technology investment.

Initially crafted to comply with the Telecommunications Act of 1996 and updated to include subsequent FCC orders, the company’s solution offers municipalities and transportation agencies a comprehensive, repeatable and scalable solution that can easily be adopted and customized for agencies operating in states with small cell legislation in place.

Neo’s platform includes a best practices small cell siting policy, engineering and construction standards, clearly defined application, planning and permitting process, a unified rate and fee schedule and all the agreement templates needed to administer pole attachments. The program also includes cost-free access to Neo’s software systems. Aragona adds, “The embedded workflows in our second-generation software digitizes the entire planning and approval process that has already proven decrease approvals from 12 to 18 months to less than 30 days.”

Using a combination of proprietary techniques, the company catalogs and inventories all of the available assets and infrastructure belonging to the local jurisdiction such as utility poles, streetlights, traffic signal poles, buildings, rooftops, water tanks, towers, signage and other vertical structures and pinpoints right of way locations suitable for placement of new poles. Neo productizes access at the portfolio level, delivers and markets these assets and their associated business terms to all interested service providers. As sites are selected and reserved, Neo facilitates the leasing, zoning, planning and permitting process and manages the asset base throughout the lease term. Neo even offers optional turn key deployment services, build to suit fiber connectivity and carrier project financing.

Perhaps the most unique attribute of Neo’s Open Access solution is their business model. Operating under a public – private partnership and a success-based revenue sharing arrangement, their platform solution is offered as a non-exclusive, cost free and risk-free way recover all costs, create new non-taxpayer revenues and have their rights of way actively marketed and professionally managed.

According to Aragona, “With over 23,000 jurisdictions to choose from, Open Access is a key differentiator that lets carriers know our communities welcome their investment, value their technology and are open for business.”