Transforming the OSS
In order to mitigate those problems, operators must transform both their OSS and organization. As
this is already happening, there are different strategies on the market to manage the process. Some
service providers focus on outsourcing as a strategy to eliminate in-house problems and enable
flexibility in their roll out activities. Such a strategy looks good, but in fact, in order to successfully
implement it, a change in the IT landscape is also necessary. Other operators choose to address only
OSS transformation by improving tools and capabilities.
Automating Configuration Management
Figure 1 illustrates the direction in which the transformation of the OSS should head in order to improve network quality and operations efficiency. There are two elements of the solution: automation
of configuration management, and constant monitoring of service quality.
(Click the diagram to view a larger image.)
Automating configuration management is a key element, as it brings planners closer to the network and improves the quality of the roll out and integration. With such an approach, planners have full control over the network, and the error rate in configuration requests is significantly decreased. Additionally, through feedback from the network, planners can easily control the implementation of the configuration requests and immediately react on discrepancies. Such a solution also allows seamless introduction of a self-organizing network (SON) strategy, with central configuration management and automated site configuration delivery, which retains the planners’ control over the process and the network.
What About Service Quality Management?
In order to fully benefit from the automation, it is also important to implement a tool and processes that will measure the impact on service quality. Every process needs measuring and a constant improvement strategy - the same applies to configuration management. A Service Quality Management (SQM) solution delivers information, that is used by several departments - starting from operations and planning departments and ending on management. The use of the solution in the planning department is an interesting case. There are two main processes which can be used. The first one corresponds with measuring network quality and pointing out areas where services are not fully supported due to issues with the capacity of the network. Such information can be used to trigger network optimization processes or plan a network upgrade in a specified area. The second process is an automated one, allowing to compare service quality before and after network upgrade. This example can show planners how their changes influence services and can steer the planner towards a more efficient network design in the future.
