Testing

Category: Capacity Management

  • The 5G Series: Broadband for All – Disrupting Broadband Connectivity with 5G FWA

    The 5G Series: Broadband for All – Disrupting Broadband Connectivity with 5G FWA

    The challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic have increased digitization in our lives and our reliance on high-speed internet like never before. With the emergence of 5G technology, home internet connections are now at the cusp of a new transformation – one that is wireless and promises unparalleled high-speed network connectivity. In this blog, I want to explore how 5G FWA (Fixed Wireless Access) will enable broadband connections of the future.

    What is 5G FWA and how does it benefit operators?

    5G FWA (Fixed Wireless Access) is an enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) use case of 5G in the hybrid (high/mid/low) electromagnetic spectrum bands for wireless communication. 5G FWA can be used to deliver a superior customer experience quickly and economically. It can be a strong alternative to wired broadband. In the millimeter wavelengths (mmWave), 5G FWA can provide ultra-high bandwidth to deliver heavy content at significantly faster speeds.

    5G FWA (Fixed Wireless Access) allows telecom operators to deliver broadband internet services in areas where fiber or fixed internet lines are absent. The technology relies on mobile components to deliver internet services to customers. Even today, many households do not have a fixed broadband connection. Operators can use this technology to expand their revenue stream by catering to residential markets in rural and remote areas where it is hard to maintain fixed internet lines.

    5G FWA: An exciting new opportunity for telco revenue 

    Over the last decade, total global telecom operator service revenues have been quite flat, and operators have been under tremendous margin pressure. Many operators are struggling to find top-line growth. With the rise in the usage of high-speed applications, gigabit speeds have become a new benchmark for consumers. 5G FWA provides operators a unique growth opportunity to capture new revenue while improving their 5G business case with bundled services. As per GSA’s latest report on FWA (end of 2020), fixed wireless access broadband based on LTE is already available worldwide. CSPs clearly realize the potential.

    Let us look at the below numbers:

    • 423 operators in 166 countries are offering FWA services based on LTE (up by 5.5% as compared to their last report, published around mid of 2020)
    • Out of 120 telecom operators announcing 5G launches worldwide (till the end of 2020), around 44 announced the launch of 5G FWA broadband services (up by 42% as compared to their last report)
    • From a device or more precise CPE (Customer Premise Equipment) perspective, 31 commercially available indoor and outdoor 5G FWA CPE devices are available (up from nine as compared to their last report).

    These stats clearly establish that FWA is by no means a new phenomenon anymore.

    Why is 5G FWA gaining momentum in the telecom industry? 

    1. Capacity

    Capacity is one of the fundamental and critical aspects for operators to digitize the mobile wireless ecosystem. 5G FWA in its current form will gain significant momentum as mmWave spectrum auction in various geographies by respective regulatory is executed. Operators will acquire their respective purchases of this massive bandwidth spectrum. The actual densification exercise will then accelerate, and the state of 5G FWA deployments will revolutionize the way consumers access broadband services.

    2. Performance

    In the ongoing pandemic, the pressure on traditional broadband service providers significantly increased to maintain consistent network performance. Simultaneously, the growing global popularity of online gaming and video streaming has increased the demand for high-performance broadband services. This demand cannot be alone met with legacy xDSL or cable. 5G FWA is destined to make this landscape increasingly competitive. This is just the beginning, as the change in consumer behavior witnessed during the pandemic will lead to introducing new types of 5G services. FWA is seen as a good opportunity for additional revenue streams.

    3. Cost

    With the massive bandwidth of mmWave and superior spectral efficiency of 5G, the network cost (cost per/bit/hertz) can be dropped immensely, provided the 5G FWA rollout is planned accurately to enable superior customer experience and new business cases. Cost efficiency will help CSPs deliver OTT services such as TV/video streaming today to households and AR/VR services in the future. This will not only enable CSPs to capture new revenue but will also help them improve margins.

    Strategies to launch 5G FWA

    In the past, those who have had a not-so-successful experience of deploying FWA based on WiMAX or earlier technologies may have some questions, like, what is different this time? And why 5G FWA could be a game-changer? Here are the key aspects to consider from a network and a business perspective.

    – From a network perspective, spectrum assessment (in the low band, mid-band, and mmWave band) with respect to cost vs. capacity in the targeted FWA area calls for an intelligent approach. If planned accurately, it can ease out the capacity challenges and cost of FWA rollout. Key considerations in this direction are:

    • Precise understanding of the current state of the network in terms of capacity utilization, installed licenses and software, spectrum availability, and current system load.
    • Accurate forecasting and understanding of future demand and a priority-based rollout plan to add new small cells, macro-cells, carriers, etc.
    • mmWave, massive MIMO, and beamforming will be the integral factors of 5G FWA to boost capacity and speed, but the radio propagation characteristic will pose many planning challenges. Operators will need domain-based data science models to simulate and perform multiple iterations and extensive tests before the final deployment.

    – From a business perspective, there are three main opportunities for mobile-led operators to boost their financial performance:

    • Enterprise – A new revenue stream:
      • 5G FWA in mmWave spectrum boosts the enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) capabilities. Once enhanced and seamless services on 5G FWA have been delivered to consumers, Operators can leverage the critical best practices to extend the technology to the enterprise segment. The huge potential enterprise coverage will prove a great opportunity for operators to generate a new revenue stream on top of their existing broadband offerings for consumers.
    • Fixed Broadband vs. Wireless Broadband – A new battleground for CSPs: 
      • For mobile-led operators, household broadband is, to a large extent, an unaddressed market. By targeting this market with FWA, these operators can tap into a considerable pool of residential spending. The additional revenue streams that can be targeted are highly dependent on the operator strategy being pursued. Business-driven 5G FWA planning would be quintessential to compete with fixed broadband service providers.
    • Tapping the ocean of unconnected broadband ecosystems
      • With more than 50% unconnected households, a market that is extremely challenging for a traditional broadband service provider to serve mainly due to cost associated with last-mile connectivity opens a huge opportunity for 5G FWA deployments by mobile-led CSPs. In the current pandemic situation, the need for connecting rural areas has become more critical than ever before.

    Key takeaways

    5G FWA will not just be related to the network alone; it will need comprehensive and robust analytical capabilities related to planning, optimization, customer experience, and most importantly, business. As more operators upgrade their network to LTE-Advanced, and more 5G networks are deployed globally along with more CPE devices (mainly 5G) that are commercialized, it will just be a matter of time that the number of FWA services will rise.

    5G FWA holds the potential to solve the problem of revenue growth for all CSPs. More importantly, 5G FWA brings in a unique capability to provide economic broadband services to everyone, a requirement that has now become a necessity or a commodity in every citizen’s life.

    To know more about how your organization can plan for 5G with improved accuracy and efficiency

    Read this Case Study

  • Everything you need to know about Spectrum Refarming

    Everything you need to know about Spectrum Refarming

    The deployment of 5G promises to help Communication Service Providers (CSPs) with new revenue streams by enabling them to bring new use cases to the end-users. However, they need to go for spectrum refarming to bring down their cost and ensure optimum utilization of the spectrum resources.

    What is Spectrum Refarming?

    In simple terms, spectrum refarming refers to the repurposing of spectrum bands to more efficient technologies and/or new services. For instance, a service provider may be using 900Mhz to provide 2G services. However, with the ever-growing demand for data services, it might want to free some of this 900MHz spectrum for LTE services. The process by which this is done is known as spectrum refarming.

    GSMA defines spectrum refarming as a process governing the repurposing of frequency bands that have historically been allocated for 2G mobile services (using GSM technology) for new generation of mobile technologies, including both third-generation (using UMTS technology) and fourth-generation (using LTE technology).

    Why is Spectrum Refarming important?

    Spectrum is a scarce and expensive resource, and there is a growing need to ensure its optimum utilization.

    Mobile radio communications have evolved over the last three decades. From initially carrying only voice, now the networks use UMTS, HSDPA, and LTE to provide mobile broadband services. Typically, 800-900MHz is allocated to GSM bands while UMTS uses 1900/2100 MHz spectrum, and 700MHz, 1900MHz, 2100MHz, and 2400MHz frequency bands are used for LTE services.

    Requirement for additional spectrum for LTE and 5G has led to increased spectrum cost, thus driving the need for spectrum refarming. As of 2016, 49% of 4G deployments globally used reframed 2G/3G spectrum, according to GSMA.

    At the same time, the number of 2G users is declining in all geographies, opening up an opportunity to use this spectrum for 4G and 5G. In addition, some service providers have already shut down 2G networks as the subscribers have moved to advanced technologies.

    Technology neutrality is crucial to allow Communications Service Providers (CSPs) to use the spectrum as per the evolving technologies and markets. The CSPs in different geographies have different technology roadmaps to meet the changing consumer demand. Technology neutrality empowers the CSPs to upgrade from legacy to 4G or 5G deployments and the services delivered as markets develop.

    Why is spectrum refarming critical for CSPs in 5G?

    The deployment of 5G is crucial for service providers to address the growing data demand and to leverage the ever-increasing pervasiveness of the digital ecosystem. Combination of ultra-high-speed and low latency of less than one millisecond, 5G will enable several innovative use cases in three key categories of enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB), Massive Machine Type Communication (mMTC), and Ultra-Reliable Low Latency Communication (uRLLC).

    Further, 5G is a more spectrum-efficient technology and allows telcos to connect a greater number of people using the same spectrum. Unlike previous communications standards, 5G requires a combination of spectrum in low, mid, and high-frequency bands to deliver on the promise and vision of 5G use cases. A large amount of mid-band spectrum is required to support the effective operation of 5G mobile networks. Most of this spectrum is currently being used for 2G and 3G, thus driving telcos to explore refarming to free up spectrum for 4G and 5G services.

    Most of the frequency bands allocated to 5G are mid and high bands. However, to enable wide-area 5G coverage with required cost economics is a challenge. This demands the use of 5G in lower frequency bands as well. The use of spectrum in low-frequency bands is not always possible since most telcos use it for 4G or LTE services. Spectrum refarming is then crucial to realizing the vision of 5G.

    Spectrum refarming is a massive opportunity for the CSPs as it helps them bring down the CAPEX by 15-20% in the medium-term while enabling them to maximize the utilization of the available spectrum resources.

    What are the challenges associated with spectrum refarming?

    There are several challenges associated with spectrum refarming. To begin with, the CSP needs to ensure that there is no service interruption or service degradation as a result of the spectrum refarming initiative. In addition, some devices don’t work over multiple frequency bands and will need to continue on the legacy network.

    Before initiating spectrum refarming, the CSPs need to thoroughly analyze the type of devices on the network and the end-user behavior to decide how much spectrum needs to be allocated for different technologies without impacting the quality of services. The service provider will also need to ensure there is no channel interference. Further, a sufficient contiguous spectrum is required to support the simultaneous operations of two or more technologies in a frequency band.

    What is the role of AI in spectrum refarming? 

    There are essentially two methods for spectrum refarming: static refarming and dynamic refarming, also known as Dynamic Spectrum Sharing. Static refarming involves dividing the existing spectrum band into two halves to deploy 4G and 5G with depleted bandwidth. Unfortunately, this is not conducive to providing an enriched user experience since the bandwidth is reduced.

    Over the last few years, Dynamic Spectrum Sharing (DSS) has been growing in popularity as it allows service providers to use the same spectrum band to provide both 4G and 5G at the same time. A crucial advantage of this is that the service providers don’t need to partition a spectrum band. It allows service providers to use the mix of both the legacy and the new technologies without compromising on the network experience of the users.

    Further, with DSS, the telcos can continuously increase the proportion allocated to the new technology (5G) as the demand increases. Another crucial advantage is that it is cost-effective since DSS doesn’t require any new hardware and can be deployed as a software upgrade. This way, this approach helps the telcos accelerate the 5G coverage. DSS also allows service operators to upgrade from 5G non-standalone to standalone deployments easily.

    Over the last few years, service providers and regulators have started using Artificial Intelligence (AI) for more efficient spectrum management. From spectrum allocation, planning, sharing, and monitoring for traffic load analysis, AI plays a crucial role in overall spectrum management.

    Subex Approach

    Subex’s solution uses AI/ML-trained models to perform network analytics and capacity management to identify resource usage. The solution analyses network usage on several parameters, including the types of devices on the network, the user behavior, load levels, and data requirements, among others. It is also able to forecast capacity crunch points along the way.

    Unlike the traditional solutions, Subex solutions consider various network dimensions like capability and limitations of devices, spectrum efficiency, and network utilization. It analyses the available spectrum bands in the network and suggests what chunks need to be carved out, along with forecast usage and revenue post-spectrum refarming.

    Subex’s AI/ML-based service solution helps CSPs improve spectrum management and ensures fast investment returns.

    Learn how Subex’s Capacity Management solution can help CSPs optimize their investments and enhance customer experience 

    Schedule a Demo

  • How to enhance accuracy and efficiency of Network Analytics for 5G

    How to enhance accuracy and efficiency of Network Analytics for 5G

    As 5G gains traction, CSPs will look to unearth its potential benefits. However, what 5G will also bring in is a compound effect of the challenges that CSPs face already.

    The Three Challenges CSPs face

    The first of these challenges pertains to the increasing capex intensity which is plaguing the telecom industry, which currently stands at 16%, the highest among any other sector in the world. The second challenge comes from the growing network complexity which is quickly as CSPs continue to pursue network-wide densification and virtualization. The final challenge comes from the fact that customer expectations, as it historically has, is rising in multiples, and with the number of connected devices and subscribers being added to the mix increasing, and leading to the an increase in data volumes, the expectations of customers is rising manifold.

    The above challenges are ones CSPs need to deal with in a 4G environment, and the 5G landscape is only set to accelerate these trends further.

    How will 5G change things

    One of the better-known advantages that come with 5G is the fact that it opens up CSPs to operator in a new arena beyond the usual consumer space: Enterprises. With 5G CSPs will play an integral instrument for driving newer use cases around IoT, industrial automation, smart cities, autonomous vehicles, robotic surgery and a lot more. What this means is that, for CSPs, 5G use cases will now bring in 3 larger use cases:

    1. eMBB (Enhanced Mobile Broadband) – which is designed for better user experiences on consumer devices, providing extreme network speeds and capacity

    2. mMTC (Massive Machine-type Communication) – which aims to provide connectivity to a huge number of devices whose traffic profile is typically a small amount of data (spread) sporadically.

    3. URLLC (Ultra-Reliable Low Latency Services) – which focusses on low latency, high reliability and high availability aspects

    With a focus around these three overarching use cases, 5G promises to deliver superior experience to not just subscribers but enterprises also. From a consumer angle, for close to 60% of smartphone users, the highest expectation for 5G is to deliver speeds faster than current mobile networks. Across the globe, data consumption is increasing by more than 40 percent every year. Video in particular will account for 75 percent of network traffic by 2024, up from 55 percent today. Networks will need to adapt from Standard and High Definition video resolution to 2K and 4K, placing higher requirements on speed and quality. Further into the future, services like AR/VR applications will put even higher requirements on network performance. This demand for better customer experience means that operators must continuously adapt and expand network capacity.

    From an Enterprise standpoint, with 5G having the capability to reduce latency to sub-milliseconds, businesses can start to consider the nexus between cloud, mobile and enterprise applications. More features and functionality can be extended to the mobile fleet and frontline employees. The use cases for ultralow latency apps can be vertical specific. This can include the financial services for high-frequency trading, as well as mining and energy companies rolling out autonomous fleets that are highly responsive to their environments. Moreover, 5G complements other emerging technologies such as AI/ML, robotics and IoT to further drive enterprise digital transformation both internally within an organization as well as externally in customer engagements.  Of course, at the end of the day, 5G is a telecom technology, and hence CSPs will be at the heart of driving 5G within the enterprise. However, this will also mean a new area where CSPs will need to direct capacity.

    What all the above add to is the need to build Superior experiences, which will be the main driver to generate new revenue stream in 5G era.

    The Need for Intelligent Capacity Management

    The main enabler to provide a superior experience will be an   approach based on Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. With capacity as the main enabler for raising speed to the 10x Gbps mark an Intelligent Capacity Management approach will in-turn help to meet the future growth requirements of massive device volumes.

    In line with this, an accurate capacity management process will help CSPs to differentiate themselves from the competition. Why Accuracy? Accuracy is key in any capacity management process as it directly impacts the Capex and ROI. An Intelligent Capacity Management solution built on Intelligent Data Management, Advanced Automation, and Domain-Driven Data Science, can help network planners achieve accuracy in each phase of capacity management process of Assessing, Planning and Optimizing capacity augmentations.

    Intelligent Capacity Management for Better Network Planning

    To succeed in the 5G journey, CSPs will need to make the right investments to gain competitive advantage and enhance end-user experience. However, such investments are highly cost intensive, both in terms of Capex and Opex. Any inaccuracies in the overall network investment planning can lead to unintended impacts on company financials and can create significant network inefficiencies. Hence, an Intelligent Capacity Management can help ensure accuracy to make the right Network Investment Plans.

    Intelligent Capacity Management for Better Customer Experience

    5G will also enable CSPs to increase revenues due to its potential of not only transforming mobile communications, but also completely replacing broadband internet. Considering most 5G deployments are focusing on FWA (Fixed Wireless Access) as the first use case, this is clearly the intent among most telecom operators. However, this will demand a dramatically broader capacity than CSPs are generally used to providing. This can only be achieved through an Intelligent approach to Capacity Management.

    Business Benefits of Intelligent Capacity Management

    An Intelligent Capacity Management Approach can bring about a:

    • 70%+ Increase in Accuracy
    • 80%+ Increase in Operational Efficiency
    • 7%+ Increase in Capex Efficiency
    • 10%+ Increase in ROI

    Read a case study on how we helped a Tier-I telcos increase their revenues by over 12% through intelligent network investment planning.

    Download Now

  • The 5G Series: UX Matters – The need to measure User Experience now, more than ever before!

    The 5G Series: UX Matters – The need to measure User Experience now, more than ever before!

    While most of us UX professionals put across our designs, thoughts, and principles at the workplace, we could still learn a lot from the physical user experiences around us. While it is different from when applied in product designs, we often come across instances of user experiences in our day-to-day lives. For example, getting ketchup out of a glass bottle versus squeezing it from an inverted plastic container or a supermarket that organizes their shelves by brands as opposed to a category. Have you ever pushed a door, which you were supposed to pull?

    As consumers of products and apps, we are all consumers of user experience. In the software product world, creating the right user experience design is all about improving the user interaction with the product which is unobstructed and concurrently productive. It plays a vital role in every organization, be it in the primary stage of launching a product, an MVP (Minimum Viable Product), or a revamped product. But user experience is often disregarded while creating a new product or a design. There is a misconception and often businesses get this wrong that if it is a back-end solution such as an admin tool or a dashboard, the concept of UX can be ignored as it is not customer-facing. But for a UX designer, everyone who uses the product is a user and to make a unified/seamless experience is the ultimate intention.

    So, what is UX, and does it really make a difference?

    According to Nielsen Norman, UX or “User Experience” encompasses all aspects of the end-user interaction with the company, its services, and its products. It is not just about how things are arranged but involves various steps to arrive at that. There are various elements like layout, visual design, text, brand, sound, and interaction that make up a good experience. Whether you are creating a new product or redesigning an existing product, it is easy to get snared with exciting new additions. But the truth is you can lose track of the reasoning behind adding the additional functionality or the content. User Experience (UX) and User Interface (UI) go hand in hand, but its definition is often confused. UI focuses more on the graphics in the interface such as the color, fonts, or essentially the look and feel of the whole product. This basically takes care of the entire branding guidelines of each company. Whereas UX design is more about purposeful structure, usability, and content. You design the product keeping the user at the center rather than designing an appealing product that proves impractical to the people using it.

    It is very important how the data is placed in a UX-driven layout. Most often, users tend to skip tedious steps or when too many action items are put in front of them. The idea is to give the users information which is relevant instead of making them go back and forth between multiple screens.

    If the user must perform tasks, the number of steps can be reduced and displayed in such a way that both the information as well as the tasks are performed without friction.

    A study conducted by Adobe shows that 39 percent of users do not engage with the interface (i.e. website or dashboard) if images would not show up or takes a long time to load. On the other hand, if the interface is well planned and designed, its hit rate can go up drastically.

    Rising challenges with new tech

    Gone are the days where you can have a mediocre product design. The newer generation of consumers (GenZ’s and Millennials) in this digital economy demand products that are appealing and at the same time seamless and convenient. With the advancements in technology, consumers will demand a single unified view of data that is accessible and easy to use. This will eventually lead to product complexities which could be partially solved by adding or developing a feature. For example, the 5G network will enable connectivity ahead of the capability of its predecessors, releasing the full potential of the Internet of Things (IoT). According to the wireless industry trade group GSMA, 5G’s ultra-reliable low-latency communication will be able to connect 100 times more devices and up to 100 times faster. The study also reveals that 5G will account for 15 percent of global mobile connections by 2025.

    UX designers have started to build competency on carving new and innovative ways on how devices will interact with the next-gen wireless technology. Some of the future-looking design prototypes that are easily relatable, and which are being explored include:

    a) Wearables, where the display screens are getting smaller and smarter.

    b) Product accessibility, such as hand-held device features of tomorrow.

    c) Voice-enabled devices to seek and solve how users will explore and navigate features using voice commands.

    In the Telecom sector, with the increasing demand for high-speed wireless, network providers have begun the race to dominate the 5G network coverage. This has initiated conversations to build optimal and streamlined 5G transmitters using technology and talent.  Real-world modeling such as 3D maps is one such effective tool that helps reduce the number of physical site surveys. A customized 3D map interface built with UX insight aids in unearthing complex network designs making them accurate, easy and fast which will all ultimately lead to resource optimization and improved savings. Additionally, the tool facilitates in measuring coverage area accurately while implementing 5G beamforming i.e., how to dynamically place these transmitters according to the location of the users. Unlike in 2D maps, the user can now identify the number of floors in a building, types of terrain, etc. with a 3Dmap and on the other hand, giving insights on how beamforming will allow access points to effectively concentrate signals in the selected location.

    Getting a good UX design in place will unravel these intricacies by not only easing the difficulties of how products will interact with other applications but also with design, usability, and functionality thereby enhancing the overall user experience.

    At Subex, our UX design is not just focused on creating products that are functional but products that provide meaningful and relevant experiences to our users. Our network analytics products backed by user research and user experience help resolve complexities that come with the growing digital economy. With design thinking principles that form a part of our UX design framework, we address multiple complex and or largely undefined problems to create winning solutions with a user-centric approach.

    To know more about the role of intelligent solutions, with state-of-the-art UX, in a 5G environment

    Read this case study

  • The Latest in the Network Capacity Management Space

    The Latest in the Network Capacity Management Space

    Thoughts from Subex

    2020 has been touted as the beginning of the road to 5G. While we continue to ride along that road, the current global pandemic caused by COVID-19 has caused CSPs to take a step back and plan their investments and their roadmaps even more judiciously. Hence while 5G is still the ‘talk of the town,’ it has certainly faced its first major global hurdle. This effect can be demonstrated through 3GPP’s decision to delay its Release 16 (initially planned for June), covering some key specifications related to URLLC. This step will further delay planned 5G rollouts.

    COVID-19 has also shifted the usage focus from mobile internet to fixed-line broadband, adding significant revenue strain for mobile-only CSPs in some of the regions. 5G FWA was seen as a solution, especially for rural markets; however, it has had to take a back seat. CSPs, now more than ever, need to optimize their capacity if they are to seize their share of the pie.

    On the other, and slightly more humorous side, there are rumors, or rather baseless conspiracy theories, of how 5G is slowly killing us, sparked by the onset of COVID-19. We at Subex obviously do not pay heed to such rumors, but it did make waves in the news, and hence we have added it in this newsletter.

    On that note, here the first and latest version of our Capacity Management Newsletter. We hope you enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed creating it for you.

    Top News from the Sector

    What is 5G?, Your questions answered

    Companies are racing to have the fastest or largest 5G networks. And countries are competing to be the first to deploy fully functional, nationwide 5G. That’s because the benefits of the new technology are expected to fuel transformative new technologies, not just for consumers but also for businesses, infrastructure, and defense applications.

    https://edition.cnn.com/interactive/2020/03/business/what-is-5g/index.html

    Is 5G Going to Kill Us All?

    A new generation of superfast wireless internet is coming soon. But no one can say for sure if it’s safe.

    https://newrepublic.com/article/157603/5g-going-kill-us-all

    5G FWA, Game Changer for Fixed Broadband

    FWA offers an ideal solution to providing high-speed access for households lacking fixed network coverage or with increased bandwidth demand. As well as this, it’s easy to set up, eliminating the need for home visits.

    https://www.lightreading.com/partner-perspectives-(sponsored-content)/5g-fwa-game-changer-for-fixed-broadband/a/d-id/759705

    Core Internet players will ‘easily absorb’ COVID-19-induced traffic surge, Internet Society says

    Amid lockdowns, school closures, and an influx of at-home workers as part of efforts to control the spread of COVID-19, questions are swirling about whether the world’s Internet infrastructure will buckle under the stress of the anticipated surge in data usage.

    https://www.lightreading.com/optical-ip/fttx/core-internet-players-will-easily-absorb-covid-19-induced-traffic-surge-internet-society-says/d/d-id/758202

    Open RAN Policy Coalition launches to ‘spur competition’ in 5G

    A new group of operators and telecom network hardware and software vendors announced today the formation of the Open RAN Policy Coalition. As 5G deployments continue around the world, open RAN has gained momentum based on selling points, including breaking vendor lock-in, letting operators mix-and-match components, reducing TCO and increasing performance.

    https://www.rcrwireless.com/20200505/policy/open-ran-policy-coalition-launches

    Insights from your peers

    As per 2019 annual report, Vodafone Group will expedite 5G deployments in the coming months to bring down the unitary cost.

    “The cost per gigabyte on a 5G network is up to 10 times more efficient than on 4G, therefore driving unitary cost down.” – – http://media.corporate-ir.net/media_files/IROL/77/77862/annual-reports/annual_report19/downloads/Vodafone-full-annual-report-2019.pdf

    As per 2019 annual report, AT&T will launch 5G services nationwide with priority. They are expecting rapid growth in wireless video usage and will put heavy emphasis and focus on enabling towards next-generation converged services that combine technologies and services.

    https://investors.att.com/~/media/Files/A/ATT-IR/financial-reports/annual-reports/2019/complete-2019-annual-report.pdf

    As per 2019 annual report, America Movil has talked about spending significant CAPEX to expand network capacities on a market-by-market basis. Surprisingly enough, they are talking about this investment in 3G and 4G LTE segment (Page 14), rather than in 5G. – https://s22.q4cdn.com/604986553/files/doc_financials/2019/ar/2019-20-F-EN.pdf

    As per 2019 annual report, Orange has explained how they are leveraging big data and AI to arrive at smart investment decisions, which helps the underlying business and yielding EUR 20 million savings per year (Page 88). https://rai2019.orange.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/38/2020/05/rai_orange_2019_en_accessible.pdf

  • State of the Network and a Shout-Out to Network Heroes

    State of the Network and a Shout-Out to Network Heroes

    On display in my house is a 1926 Kellogg wall phone.  I can’t use it to place a call, but it looks great.  It’s crafted from beautifully finished oak with a candlestick earpiece and a small platform for taking notes.  It still has the original internal components, including a magneto and dry cell batteries.  The antique phone connects me to a proud lineage of engineers, technicians, field personnel, customer service staff, and network professionals (among many others) who have built this industry.  I’ve worked in telecom my entire career and have been awed by the response from operators around the globe to the current situation.

    While so many service businesses have shed workers and are fighting for survival, other sectors are faring better.  Streaming services like Netflix and online retailers like Amazon and Walmart are seeing demand surge.  We’re all familiar with the ascension of Zoom from an enterprise video-conferencing provider to a social media sensation.

    What do each of these online services have in common?  They are dependent, of course, on ubiquitous, reliable, and relatively cheap communications services. Our digital devices connect us to the people we care about, summon food, keep us entertained and allow many to continue their education.   Communications services have enabled the new “normal”: Do laundry, watch children, stroke a pet, finish a meal… all while joining a conference call!  We’ve perhaps never leaned so heavily on global communications networks.  And by extension, we’ve never been so dependent on the people building and operating these networks.

    Yet both networks and communication service providers (CSPs) are under stress.  Core networks are quite resilient and tend to be robustly engineered with the capacity to accommodate sustained surges in demand.  Edge networks, on the other hand, particularly where there is a legacy copper plant and coax, are often running hot.  No doubt, this is leading to frustration among many as their streams of Tiger King drop packets.  Wireless networks have seen changes in usage patterns and subscriber locality, double-digit increases in peak traffic, and some erosion in average data speeds in many regions.  Broadly speaking, mobile operators have been handling the workload without significant impacts on customer experience.  This is a testament not just to good planning, but to the ongoing work of network professionals who are monitoring and continually optimizing network performance.

    On the business side for CSPs, it’s been a mixed bag.  Demand for consumer services is holding relatively steady.  However, the overall economic climate will lead to an erosion of business services revenue.  Before the crisis, Analysys Mason was projecting a modest 0.7% increase in telecoms revenue.  Their revised forecast predicts a 3.4% decline across developed markets in 2020.  Despite this, operators are adding workers to their rolls to handle frontline services and are increasing salaries for essential workers in some situations. CSPs are stepping up in many cases to offer deferred payment plans, increased data caps, and contributions to various charitable causes.

    As quoted in the Financial Times, Hans Vestberg, the CEO of Verizon, said, “staff who have continued to work in the field to support customers — be they engineers or shopworkers — deserve credit. Those are the heroes.”

    I could not agree more.  Certainly, we all owe a big dose of gratitude to the frontline workers who are staffing health care facilities, delivering groceries, and looking after public safety (among so many other essential services).

    At the same time, frontline workers in the communications industry continue to be dispatched to customer locations (wearing PPE!), enter manholes, climb towers, and staff the few retail outlets that are open.  Behind them are network professionals who are staffing NOCs, data centers, and war rooms to provide critical operations support.  They are so essential that CSPs in India are making temporary living arrangements for them near telco facilities. No doubt, such accommodations are being made worldwide, with communications workers rising to the challenge of keeping global networks running.

    So here’s a shout-out to the Network Heroes!

    To understand the challenges faced by CSPs in offering quality video content over mobile devices

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  • A través de los ojos de un profesional de redes, cómo lidiar con la tormenta de incertidumbre

    A través de los ojos de un profesional de redes, cómo lidiar con la tormenta de incertidumbre

    El mundo de las telecomunicaciones está lleno de incertidumbre. Es durante estas situaciones de incertidumbre cuando el aumento de la demanda de los clientes y la carga en la red aumenta exponencialmente, el verdadero papel de un profesional de la red entra en juego. Durante estos momentos, cuando la red está bajo tensión, los profesionales de la red deben hacer un gran esfuerzo para garantizar la continuidad del servicio 24 × 7.

    Pero, ¿qué pasa con la “incertidumbre” que podría surgir de una calamidad natural, o interrupciones masivas del sitio, causa estrés en la red?

    En general, una red móvil sufre numerosos cambios. Estos podrían ser cambios planificados como ajuste de parámetros, optimización física, prueba / implementación de nuevas funciones, actualizaciones de software, etc., la mayoría de los cuales están dirigidos a mejorar el rendimiento de la red y la experiencia del usuario final.

    Sin embargo, por otro lado, son los cambios “no planificados” los que tienden a arrojar una llave inglesa al sistema. Estos cambios podrían ser estacionales o debidos a fluctuaciones a nivel del sistema en los elementos de la red que provocan una degradación severa en términos de rendimiento. Si tal incidente ocurriera en la hora más ocupada del día, entonces el impacto también se sentirá en el negocio.

    En ambos casos, planificados o no planificados, la acción para resolver un problema podría estar dirigida a cualquier dominio de una red, por ejemplo, radio, transporte, núcleo, etc. También requeriría la resolución de problemas de extremo a extremo y el análisis de la causa raíz.

    Tradicionalmente, los profesionales de la red manejan el impacto de tales cambios de manera reactiva, lo que a menudo resulta en casos en los que el “tiempo medio para reconocer” (MTTA) y el “tiempo medio para responder” (MTTR) potencialmente toman horas o, en algunos casos, días. De hecho, algunos casos complejos entre dominios pueden incluso quedar sin resolver.

    Sin embargo, a lo largo de los años, gracias a los avances en la automatización, los profesionales de la red han podido evolucionar hacia el manejo proactivo de dichos problemas. Al aprovechar las herramientas integradas con la experiencia en la materia, junto con los métodos estadísticos, los profesionales de la red pueden lograr una reducción significativa en MTTA y MTTR. Sin embargo, este enfoque está lejos de ser perfecto, ya que las acciones necesarias solo se pueden tomar después de que el impacto en la red ya haya ocurrido.

    Para comprender el enfoque correcto que debe adoptarse, demos un paso atrás y profundicemos en la vida de un experto en planificación y optimización de redes involucrado en la gestión del rendimiento diario de la red.

    Convencionalmente, un profesional de la red realiza un análisis del impacto de la red en un conjunto de KPI críticos y toma las medidas necesarias para mejorar el rendimiento de la red. Se invierte mucho esfuerzo en otra ronda de análisis para concluir si la acción tuvo un impacto en cascada en cualquier otro KPI importante o no. Una vez que el impacto de la acción tomada se considera exitoso, el análisis pasa al siguiente conjunto de acciones. Muy a menudo, tales acciones son tomadas por múltiples partes interesadas para mejorar el desempeño de sus respectivas regiones / grupos / sitios.

    En una red 4G, podría haber miles de contadores / KPI y cientos de parámetros, lo que hace que sea casi imposible para un ser humano analizar el impacto de un cambio de un conjunto de parámetros en todos los contadores / KPI relevantes, de extremo a extremo, diariamente. Los servicios como la transmisión de video y VoLTE a menudo requieren un análisis entre dominios para garantizar la continuidad del servicio.

    Es en tales escenarios donde Machine Learning (ML) comienza a surgir como la respuesta para manejar estas complicaciones desde una perspectiva de extremo a extremo.

    Sin embargo, el término “Aprendizaje automático” tiene una forma de introducirse en tales debates. Es, de hecho, casi en su propio detrimento a veces, ya que el aprendizaje automático casi se ve como un trabajo de magia, en el mejor de los casos, o simplemente un truco de marketing, en el peor de los casos. Casi todos lo mencionan en algún momento.

    Entonces, permítame tomarme un momento para defender por qué lo menciono ahora y por qué creo que el análisis avanzado basado en el aprendizaje automático puede resolver significativamente algunos de los problemas críticos que enfrentan los profesionales de la red.

    La respuesta corta de dos palabras sería “Agilidad” y “Precisión”. Permítanme dar más detalles.

    Un CSP puede aprovechar los modelos de ML que capturarán todos los tipos de impactos de red de manera consistente a partir de los datos de red generados en forma de contadores / KPI y parámetros a diario y ayudará a proporcionar información procesable a los profesionales de la red, que de lo contrario pasarían desapercibidos.

    Además, estos conocimientos son especialmente útiles cuando se utilizan en la planificación y gestión de eventos especiales, como la proyección de un evento deportivo mundial. En tal caso, donde se espera que aumente el aumento del tráfico, el modelo aprenderá del desempeño del evento anterior y proporcionará aportes críticos para la planificación del evento.

    Según la misma lógica, los modelos de ML generarán ideas procesables cuando se produzca una crisis y equiparán a los profesionales de la red para hacer frente a cualquier evento anormal que ocurra en tiempos de incertidumbre. Además, al aprovechar los modelos ML, los profesionales de la red pueden estar equipados para ejecutar simulaciones múltiples para realizar con precisión el análisis de impacto de la red para cualquier acción que tengan la intención de realizar en el futuro. Algunos escenarios clave que podrían gestionarse con mayor agilidad en cualquier momento, pero que adquieren una dimensión adicional de importancia durante una situación de “red bajo tensión”, serían:

    • Pronosticar con precisión el tráfico peak, la utilización de recursos y el uso de aplicaciones para planificar con anticipación
    • Optimización y ajuste de los parámetros de red para la expansión de la capacidad y la mejora de la calidad en tiempos de tendencias anormales de la red.
    • Mejora de la experiencia del cliente al realizar una correlación de calidad de experiencia (QoE) con QoS de extremo a extremo para servicios de transmisión como video Full HD.
    • Mantener la continuidad continua del servicio VoLTE de extremo a extremo.

    Como dicen, las situaciones únicas requieren medidas únicas, y durante los momentos en que la red está bajo estrés, los profesionales de la red deben hacer un gran esfuerzo solo para mantener la red a flote. Es un esfuerzo que a menudo pasa desapercibido, pero ayuda a mantener a los clientes conectados y a mantener intacta la reputación de la empresa. Machine Learning puede asumir un papel esencial en la transformación de estos “héroes de la red” en “superhéroes de la red” al equiparlos con poderes de agilidad y precisión mejoradas.

    La verdad es que la industria de las telecomunicaciones se encuentra en un punto de inflexión en el que los responsables de la toma de decisiones deben tomar una decisión sobre las capacidades que deben aportar a la red y cómo pueden equipar a sus héroes de red hoy en día. Estas decisiones críticas tomadas ahora proporcionarán beneficios en los próximos años.

    Para comprender los desafíos que enfrentan los CSP para ofrecer contenido de video de calidad a través de dispositivos móviles

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  • How to ride the storm of uncertainty through the eyes of a network professional

    How to ride the storm of uncertainty through the eyes of a network professional

    The telecom world is one that is fraught with uncertainty. It is during such situations of uncertainty when the surge in demand from customers and load on the network increases exponentially, the true role of a network professional comes into the fray. During these moments, when the network is under stress, network professionals need to put in a tremendous effort to ensure 24×7 service continuity.

    But what about ‘uncertainty,’ that might emerge from the likes of a natural calamity, or massive site outages, causes stress on the network?

    Generally, a mobile network undergoes numerous amounts of changes. These could be planned changes like parameter tuning, physical optimization, new feature trial/implementation, SW upgrades, etc., most of which are targeted towards improving the network performance and end-user experience.

    However, on the other side, it is the ‘unplanned’ changes that tend to throw a monkey wrench into the system. These changes could be seasonal or due to system-level fluctuations in network element(s) bringing severe degradation in terms of performance. If such an incident was to happen in the busiest hour of the day, then the impact will be felt in the business as well.

    In both the cases, planned or unplanned, the action to resolve a problem could be targeted towards any domain of a network, e.g., radio, transport, core, etc. It would also require end-to-end troubleshooting and root-cause analysis.

    Traditionally, network professionals manage the impact of such changes reactively, which often results in instances where the ‘mean time to acknowledge’ (MTTA) and ‘mean time to respond’ (MTTR) potentially take hours or, in some cases, days. In fact, some complex cross-domain cases can even remain unresolved.

    Over the years, however, thanks to advancements in automation, network professionals have been able to evolve towards handling such issues proactively. By leveraging tools embedded with subject matter expertise, coupled with statistical methods, network professionals can bring a significant reduction in MTTA and MTTR. However, this approach is far from perfect as necessary action can only be taken after the impact on the network has already occurred.

    To understand the right approach that needs to be taken, let us take a step back and delve into the life of a network planning and optimization expert involved in day-to-day performance management of the network.

    Conventionally, a network professional performs network impact analysis on a set of critical KPIs and takes necessary steps to improve the network performance. A lot of effort is invested towards another round of analysis to conclude if the action had a cascading impact on any other major KPIs or not. Once the impact of the action taken is deemed successful, the analysis moves to the next set of actions. Very often, such actions are taken by multiple stakeholders to improve the performance of their respective regions/clusters/sites.

    In a 4G network, there could be thousands of counters/KPIs and hundreds of parameters, making it almost impossible for a human to analyze the impact of a change of a set of parameters on all relevant counters/KPIs, end-to-end, daily. Services like video streaming and VoLTE often require cross-domain analysis to ensure seamless service continuity.

    It is in such scenarios where Machine Learning (ML) starts cropping up as the answer to handling these complications from an end-to-end perspective.

    However, the term ‘Machine Learning’ does have a way of creeping into such discussions. It is, in fact, almost to its own detriment at times, as machine learning is almost looked at as a work of magic, at best, or just another marketing gimmick, at its worst. Almost everyone brings it up at some point.

    So, let me take a moment to defend why I bring it up now, and why I believe machine learning-driven advanced analytics can significantly solve some of the critical problems faced by network professionals.

    The short two-word answer would be ‘Agility’ and ‘Accuracy.’ Allow me to elaborate.

    A CSP can leverage ML models that will capture all types of network impacts consistently from the network data generated in the form of counters/KPIs and parameters on a daily basis and will help in providing actionable insights to the network professionals, which would otherwise go unnoticed.

    Furthermore, these insights come in especially handy when used in planning and managing special events like the screening of a global sports event. In such an event, where the surge in traffic is expected to rise, the model will learn from the previous event’s performance and will provide critical inputs for event planning.

    By the same logic, ML models will generate actionable insights when a crisis strikes and will equip network professionals to deal with any abnormal events happening in times of uncertainty. Furthermore, by leveraging ML models, network professionals can be equipped to run multiple simulations to accurately perform network impact analysis for any actions they intend to perform in the future. A few key scenarios that could be managed with better agility at any point of time, but take on an additional dimension of importance during a “network under stress” situation, would be:

    • Accurately forecasting the peak traffic, resource utilization, and application usage to plan well in advance
    • Optimizing and fine-tuning network parameters for capacity expansion and quality improvement in times of abnormal network trends
    • Improving customer experience by performing Quality of Experience (QoE) correlation with end to end QoS for streaming services like full HD video.
    • Maintaining seamless end to end VoLTE service continuity.

    As they say, unique situations call for unique measures, and during times when the network is under stress, network professionals need to put a whole lot of effort just to keep the network afloat. It is an effort that often goes unnoticed, but it is one that helps keep customers connected and the company’s reputation intact. Machine Learning can take on an essential role in transforming these ‘network heroes’ into ‘network superheroes’ by equipping them with powers of enhanced agility and accuracy.

    The truth is that the telecom industry is at an inflection point where decision-makers need to take a call on what capabilities they must bring into the network and how they can equip their network heroes today. These critical decisions taken now will provide benefits for years to come.

    To understand the challenges faced by CSPs in offering quality video content over mobile devices

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  • ¿Cómo luchan los gestores de fraude en la industria de las telecomunicaciones a los estafadores?

    ¿Cómo luchan los gestores de fraude en la industria de las telecomunicaciones a los estafadores?

    Actualmente enfrentamos un brote global de COVID-19 con el consiguiente bloqueo, pánico y miedo en todo el mundo. Hemos seguido con atención los medios de comunicación para mantenernos actualizados sobre la situación. Si bien, de manera muy alentadora, más del 95% de la fuerza laboral ha comenzado a trabajar desde casa con una posible conectividad segura, los estafadores también han estado igualmente activos, buscando oportunidades para atacar a los suscriptores en todo el mundo. En el último mes, ha habido un fuerte aumento en la incidencia de IRSF, llamadas automáticas, estafas por SMS, fraude de ingeniería social, DDoS y ataques cibernéticos.

    Los operadores y los clientes han estado enormemente tensos durante las últimas semanas. Necesitamos estar a la altura de las circunstancias para proteger sus intereses. Según lo vemos desde Subex, se pueden seguir los siguientes pasos para enfrentar los desafíos relacionados con el fraude de las telecomunicaciones:

    • Conciencia del suscriptor: se debe lanzar un programa de concientización del suscriptor de inmediato para que los consumidores desconfíen de los diversos esquemas fraudulentos que surgen durante el período de pánico y miedo. Un caso puntual según lo informado por uno de los operadores asiáticos es que la semana pasada muchos suscriptores que habían instalado las aplicaciones de actualización en vivo COVID-19 en sus teléfonos recaudaron la friolera de $ 0.16 Mn porque no sabían que las aplicaciones también tomarían el estado del teléfono, incluida la función de lectura y escritura de SMS.
    • Priorizar el monitoreo de alertas de fraude: el trabajo remoto tendría sus desafíos. Los equipos de gestión de fraudes deben priorizar las alertas, especialmente las que tendrían un mayor impacto en los suscriptores y actuar en consecuencia y fijarlas en prioridad.
    • Acciones correctivas de causa raíz: la solución ideada para eliminar las causas de la actividad fraudulenta reducirá las probabilidades de su recurrencia. Por ejemplo, en la red, el rango de los números de destino de alto riesgo puede bloquearse por un corto período si se detecta un ataque de fraude IRSF.
    • Comunicación y colaboración: debemos estar conectados digitalmente a todas las partes interesadas para que actúen con dureza en actividades fraudulentas en la red. El SLA con las partes interesadas puede ser refinado y ajustado adecuadamente para una acción más rápida. Este es uno de los elementos clave cuando todo el equipo trabaja de forma remota para respaldar las operaciones diarias.
    • Actualizaciones periódicas sobre los patrones de fraude emergentes / recientes: visite con frecuencia los foros de fraude para estar al tanto de los patrones de fraude emergentes / recientes elaborados por los estafadores. Los delincuentes siempre están atentos a arruinar los procesos y sistemas para fines nefastos. Muchos operadores han informado un aumento en las llamadas automáticas, estafas por SMS y ciberataques durante este período.
    • Realización de la gestión del fraude como parte del Plan de continuidad del negocio (BCP): es muy importante incorporar la gestión del fraude como parte del BCP de manera importante y garantizar que tengamos la máxima cobertura durante este período.

    Según nuestros cálculos, los equipos de gestión de fraudes deberían estar más atentos y ágiles que nunca para enfrentar los nuevos desafíos del fraude de telecomunicaciones que se generalizaron durante este brote global de COVID-19. Los administradores de fraudes son superhéroes cuando se trata de generar confianza con los clientes.

    ¡Manténgase seguro y saludable!

    Para comprender cómo puede detectar y prevenir estafas y llamadas no deseadas utilizando modelos avanzados de aprendizaje automático

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  • Capacity Planning for 4G Networks

    Capacity Planning for 4G Networks

    As the telecom industry prepares to move to the 5G, it will look forward to the benefits that come with the technology such as faster speeds, low latencies, seamless connectivity, besides the possibilities of opening new business revenue streams for CSPs. 5G will bring with more unique use cases in areas beyond the consumer realm, with enterprise being a key focus area and a new point of entry for CSPs. However, while 5G does hold this promise leading to CSPs gearing up for this new technology, are they getting 4G right? Are their existing tools for 4G Capacity Planning and Network Capacity Optimization helping them make the most out of their 4G network investments done in the past?

    Most CSPs may not have a standard 4G Network Capacity Management tool in the first place, and those that do, may not be able to realize the return on their network investments recommendations generated in the past. One potential reason could be the limitations that come with their existing tool to ingest, process, and correlate data flowing from different domains.

    Another could be their current Network Capacity Management Process does not offer flexibility to network planners to run multiple iterations and simulations before zeroing on a final plan. Along with it, network capacity planning best practices often get lost because of lack of capability of a network planning tool to take feedback from past actions and record it for future usage.

    Traditionally, network capacity management metrics focus on technical KPIs as the only set of parameters used for network capacity planning. Though the approach worked fine a few years back, the drawback of this method is that the network capacity planning process outcome only generates a list of network elements required for capacity upgrade and augmentation. It doesn’t provide any priority-based investment decisions which can help a CSP invest in the areas capable of generating quick revenue while ensuring the customer experience is not compromised. All this can be achieved only with advanced analytics-driven network capacity and performance management systems built on Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. Such systems would be capable of providing meaningful insights from not just technical KPIs but millions of records flowing in the form of business and customer experience metrics, which otherwise gets missed.

    To know more about how advanced analytics can redefine what is network capacity Management for the 4G era.

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