Deliver Digital, Deal with Data

Collecting, controlling, and converting performance and usage data from multiple sources/assets in the network, normalizing its format and then passing the output on to downstream applications including analytics, billing and customer care powers:

• The sharing of data between business segments;
• A control point from which data can be used to secure iterative evolution and secure IT transformation, preventing locked-in dependencies;
• Real-time data visibility and control (think closing-the-loop), supporting the presume customer journey; and
• Carrier grade scalability and reliability to guarantee access to all vital data, at any time in real-time for mission critical business.

A good example of progressive data usage comes from OSS Mediation (or network data mediation as some would call it), a relatively new set of Use Cases already in deployment at Tier-1 telcos in Europe and the Americas. The proliferation of mediation technology into the OSS domain is directly related to the CSP-to-DSP journey many telcos are embarking upon. As operators are being driven to introduce new processes and management tools to fuel service innovation, so they need to integrate and manage an increasingly broad range of new elements (think probes, for example). As a result, mediation’s foothold in OSS is hardening. It’s not just delivering services that matters; it’s delivering them in a way that maximizes their impact and sees revenue potential realized. 

The new generation also encompasses the expanding role of analytics and service assurance. For instance, new Use Cases that analyze a service chain rather than just each network resources are now critical. Analytics based on dimensions such as subscribers, services, handsets and location all rely on access to raw transactional data collected from the network. These evolutions blur the line between traditional OSS and BSS functions and open up possibilities for the Service Provider to better use resources and improve both performance and customer experience.

These new directions are critical. Traditional Analytics and OSS systems were mainly based around processing aggregated counter data. Now, they need to accommodate raw event data at higher volumes and in real-time.  Network quality is central to defining service experience yet misconfiguration, damaged equipment, failed upgrades and handset-related problems still often go undetected for long periods. Without the proper tools for creating and acting on information at the network-, customer- and session levels, hidden service problems, lack of root-cause analysis and a failure of pro-active retention activity the next generation future will just repeat the shortcomings of the past. Via a new set of management tools, OSS Mediation can help ensure this doesn’t happen.

Furthermore, tools have historically been network-centric, displaying node health and performance via agreed KPI metrics. This type of monitoring remains an essential part of network management but effective service assurance and automated root cause analysis is now also required.  Here, the focus is on measuring how well services are performing and how performance actually affects the subscribers’ service experience. Once Service Assurance is added to traditional, network-centric OSS, service performance data can be contextualized to deliver impact analysis from an individual customer perspective.  

This is mission-critical, not only tied to traditional network views but also tied to subscribers, subscriber groups, handsets, and geographical areas. Instead of just monitoring and maximizing efficiency by using network performance data, OSS Mediation lets operators support advanced decision-making within BSS and BI systems too.