Soli Infratechnik was a Germany-wide specialist in fibre-optic and infrastructure engineering: from planning and construction to home connections and network maintenance. The company grew into a partner of major network operators such as Deutsche Glasfaser and Deutsche Telekom, with over seven hundred employees across twelve locations. From 2014 onwards, we were their software partner for ten years.
The challenge
Rolling out fibre means coordinating an enormous flow of information. Every project consists of hundreds of addresses and work positions, with in-house crews and subcontractors working on site - often in places without reliable connectivity. At Soli, that information initially travelled through manual registration: data collection in the field was error-prone, project managers lacked real-time visibility of progress and resource allocation, and the existing systems barely connected to each other. With the roll-out accelerating, the administration had to be able to scale with it.
Our approach
Over the course of ten years we built a coherent software ecosystem, step by step and in close collaboration with the people using it:
- A web platform for the Deutsche Glasfaser projects, in which Soli managed complete roll-out programmes - from work preparation to delivery - connected to the network operator's systems
- A tablet app for their own crews and subcontractors: recording work on site per project and position, signing in and out, and syncing as soon as a connection returns
- Integrations with the systems of Deutsche Glasfaser and Deutsche Telekom, eliminating double data entry
- Soli's corporate website, as the company's calling card towards clients and new employees
The technology grew with the questions: the work platform ran on a Vue.js front end with an API-driven back end, and the tablet app was built offline-first - essential for field work along the German road network.
The result
For ten years our software was the digital backbone of the daily operation: hundreds of field engineers and subcontractors recorded their work in it, project managers steered by it, and the integrations with network operators kept the chain closed. The collaboration outlived several generations of technology - what started in 2014 was continuously modernised rather than replaced.
In 2024 Soli was acquired by an investment firm; we continued development for another year, until the collaboration ended in 2025. What remains is a project we are proud of: proof that custom software can carry a company of this size for years - and grow along with it.
