Dave Dhar’s Post

As technology continues to advance at an unprecedented rate, telecommunication companies find themselves facing new challenges and opportunities. One of the key challenges in this industry is the integration of various systems and technologies. Systems integration plays a vital role in ensuring smooth operations and efficient communication within telecom companies.

Accelerating network automation: Ensuring automation initiatives are set up for success  In response to rising network complexity and expanding volumes of data flows, network automation emerges as a key solution for telecoms operators to drive process optimisation, particularly where human-driven operations can no longer tackle the complex and dynamic challenges posed by best-in-class telecoms networks. Read more: https://lnkd.in/eY_zPH8E #networkautomation

OSS in Telco - let us dig into it OSS stands for "Operations Support Systems," and in the context of the telecommunications industry (Telco), it refers to the software and systems used to manage and support the day-to-day operations of a telecommunications network and services. OSS plays a critical role in ensuring efficient network operations, service provisioning, performance monitoring, fault management, and customer support. Here's a brief overview of OSS in Telco: Service Provisioning: OSS is responsible for automating the process of provisioning and activating telecom services for customers. This includes tasks like setting up new phone lines, activating internet services, and enabling additional features on demand. Network Management: OSS provides tools for managing and monitoring the telecommunications network. It helps operators keep track of network elements, such as switches, routers, and base stations, ensuring they function optimally and can handle the load of the services being provided. Performance Monitoring: OSS tools monitor network performance in real-time, collecting data on key metrics like bandwidth utilization, call quality, data throughput, etc. This information helps network administrators identify and address performance issues promptly. Fault Management: When network or service issues arise, OSS helps in identifying the root cause and facilitating rapid fault detection and resolution. This can involve automated alarm systems, trouble ticketing, and workflows for issue escalation. Customer Support: OSS supports customer service representatives by providing relevant information about a customer's services, network status, and history. This helps in troubleshooting customer issues more effectively and providing timely support. Billing and Revenue Management: OSS interfaces with billing systems to ensure that services rendered are accurately billed to customers. It tracks service usage and calculates charges based on various factors like data usage, call duration, etc. Inventory Management: OSS maintains an inventory of network elements, hardware, and software, which is crucial for planning and ensuring efficient resource utilization. Mediation: In complex telecom networks, data may be collected from various sources and in different formats. OSS systems often include mediation components that collect, normalize, and convert this data into a standard format for further processing and analysis. Service Assurance: OSS helps ensure that telecom services meet predefined quality standards. It monitors service-level agreements (SLAs) and reports any deviations or potential violations. Network Planning and Optimization: OSS tools can assist in network planning, capacity management, and optimization. They provide insights into traffic patterns, usage trends, and performance data to aid in decision-making for network expansion and improvement. #oss #telco #telecoms

💥 Service orchestration and assurance is crucial for innovation at scale in the rapidly evolving communication service provider (CSP) landscape. As CSPs explore new use cases and services in the 5G era, the complexity of managing multi-domain services demands a unified approach to service lifecycle management. 🌐💡 Companies like Ericsson are leading the charge with solutions designed for multi-domain service orchestration and assurance in multi-vendor environments. Service orchestration and assurance is all about creating a unified approach to manage services across various domains efficiently. This means breaking down silos, automating processes, and ensuring that services meet the high standards required by today’s demanding market. Why? Because as we venture deeper into the era of 5G, the complexity, distribution, and variety of services are skyrocketing. The only way to keep up is through comprehensive strategies that encompass service orchestration, automation, and assurance. Proud to be a part of a team where innovation is always at the forefront! 👏 #DigitalTransformation #CSPs #Innovation #TeamEricsson #5G #Orchestration

💥 Service orchestration and assurance is crucial for innovation at scale in the rapidly evolving communication service provider (CSP) landscape. 💥 As CSPs explore new use cases and services in the 5G era, the complexity of managing multi-domain services demands a unified approach to service lifecycle management. Companies like Ericsson are leading the charge with solutions designed for multi-domain service orchestration and assurance in multi-vendor environments. 🌐💡 Service orchestration and assurance is all about creating a unified approach to manage services across various domains efficiently. This means breaking down silos, automating processes, and ensuring that services meet the high standards required by today’s demanding market. Why? 🤔 Because as we venture deeper into the era of 5G, the complexity, distribution, and variety of services are skyrocketing. The only way to keep up is through comprehensive strategies that encompass service orchestration, automation, and assurance. Proud to be a part of a team where innovation is always at the forefront! 👏 #️⃣ #Ericsson #DigitalTransformation #CSPs #Innovation #Technology #Automation #CommunicationServiceProviders #Network #TeamEricsson

The telecom industry is at a pivotal point, embracing automation to revolutionize operations and enhance service delivery. Automation in telecom not only streamlines processes but also significantly reduces operational costs and improves customer experience. Background: Telecom operators face challenges in managing their growing network infrastructure. With the increasing demand for high-speed data and reliable connectivity, operators realized the need to shift from traditional network management to a more automated approach. Challenge: The primary challenge is managing the network’s complexity and scale, which involved thousands of network elements and devices. The manual processes are not only time-consuming but also prone to errors, leading to network outages and degraded customer service. Solution: Telcos are embarking on a network automation journey, focusing on three key areas: 1. Automated Configuration and Provisioning: Implementing software-defined networking (SDN) to automate the provisioning of network services, reducing manual intervention and accelerating deployment times. 2. Predictive Maintenance and AI-Driven Analytics: Utilizing AI algorithms to predict potential network failures and automate routine maintenance tasks. This approach helps in proactive network management, significantly reducing downtime. 3. Self-Healing Networks: Deploying self-healing mechanisms that automatically detect and rectify network issues without human intervention, ensuring uninterrupted service. Implementation: This is an example for implementing network automation in a phased approach: • Phase 1: Deploying a SDN for automated provisioning in a smaller network slice as a pilot project. • Phase 2: Integrating an AI-based analytics for predictive maintenance across the core network and BSS. • Phase 3: Expanded the self-healing capabilities across their entire network, including remote and rural areas.

Multi-Vendor O-RAN RIC xApps/rApps Coordination O-RAN ALLIANCE O-RAN architecture includes the RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC). RIC comes in two flavors: the Non-Real-Time (>1sec) RIC rApps and the Near-Real-Time (10ms<Near RT<1sec) RIC xApps. These applications interact via the O-RAN A1, E2, O1 interfaces. ◼ Importance of Multi-Vendor xApps/rApps Coordination in RIC Operations A core objective of the O-RAN initiative is to facilitate a competitive, multi-vendor ecosystem. With standardized interfaces like O1, O2, A1, E2, xApps and rApps from different vendors can coexist on the same RIC platform, providing Telcos with the flexibility to select the best applications for their unique needs. However, effective coordination between multi-vendor xApps and rApps is vital for smooth RIC operations. These applications work at different layers and speeds to optimize network performance. Without clear coordination, they risk conflicting or redundant actions, ultimately degrading network performance. ◼ Coordination Example: A practical illustration of the importance of coordination involves an energy-saving rApp from Vendor A and a traffic-steering xApp from Vendor B. - Energy-Saving rApp: This application aims to conserve power by intelligently switching off unused or underused cells while maintaining adequate coverage. It monitors long-term traffic patterns to predict low-demand periods. - Traffic-Steering xApp: This application balances traffic loads between different cells and layers in near real-time. It ensures users are always connected to the best-performing cell, reducing congestion and improving user experience. ◼ Coordination in Practice - Initial Setup: Both applications initialize their data collection and configuration processes. The traffic-steering xApp begins adjusting cell traffic loads based on near-real-time metrics, while the energy-saving rApp assesses long-term usage patterns. - Monitoring: The energy-saving rApp notices a consistent low-traffic period and plans to deactivate a specific capacity cell for energy savings. Meanwhile, the traffic-steering xApp ensures that active cells can absorb the additional load. - Notification and Adjustment: The energy-saving rApp informs the traffic-steering xApp through the RIC framework of its intention to deactivate the capacity cell. The traffic-steering xApp then directs the remaining UEs connected to this cell to alternative coverage cells before deactivation. - Action Execution: Once the load balancing is complete and the capacity cell is safely offloaded, the energy-saving rApp executes the shutdown, ensuring no UE is impacted. This was a joint demo by Juniper Networks, AirHop Communications, Rimedo Labs, Keysight Technologies, and Vodafone at the RIC Forum hosted by NITA in March, showing energy savings of up to 25% at the capacity layer. #ORAN #OpenRAN #xApps #rApps #RIC #EnergySaving #TrafficSteering #RICAppsCoordination #RICForum

Despite the immediate #telco and #geopolitical headwinds #network #automation #software remains a growing market in the medium term as #telco continues to need to optimise operational cost and innovate.

🌐 Revolutionizing Network Operations: The Role of SLAs and Category Management In 2023, the telecom industry continues to evolve rapidly, driven by the need for advanced connectivity and performance. Central to this evolution are robust network operations and the strategic implementation of SLAs. 🔍 Network Operations and SLAs: The Backbone of Reliable Connectivity Network SLAs have always been pivotal in defining the expectations for infrastructure service quality. They typically include uptime, response time to outages, and mean time to repair (MTTR), promising network availability up to 99.999%. This level of reliability is crucial for businesses relying on constant connectivity. But it's not just about the metrics; these SLAs need to reflect how network performance supports business operations and the end-user experience, going beyond mere technical parameters to capture the totality of network performance. Reference: https://lnkd.in/dnnZwPse 📈 The Growing Importance of Category Management As telecom companies focus on delivering value to both consumer and enterprise customers, category management plays a crucial role in defining and executing network operation strategies. The approach includes assessing market trends, managing vendor relationships, and optimizing cost structures. In 2023, trends like the surge in fixed wireless access, the growing demand for edge computing, and an increased focus on sustainability are shaping the telecom landscapepe. Reference: https://lnkd.in/dHvE8kxt 🌟 Leveraging Network Trends for Strategic Advantage Disaggregated networks, network exposure, multi-cloud strategies, and data analytics are among the key network trends to watch. Disaggregated networks, for instance, offer more flexibility and cost efficiency by avoiding hardware dependence. Multi-cloud strategies are essential in today's environment, allowing businesses to reduce downtime, manage cloud costs effectively, and avoid vendor lock-in. Data analytics, powered by AI and ML, are enabling telecom networks to self-heal and adapt in real. Reference: https://lnkd.in/dKaYeZVp 💡 Call to Action: As we navigate these advancements, businesses must stay ahead of the curve. The integration of strategic category management with evolving network trends and SLAs can lead to more efficient, reliable, and sustainable telecom operations. 🤝 Let's Discuss: How is your organization adapting its network operation strategies in light of these trends? What role do you see category management playing in this evolution? #NetworkOperations #TelecomTrends #SLA #CategoryManagement #DigitalTransformation