Self-Organised Networks

One new story last week in particular caught me eye, not because it was exceptionally newsworthy, but more so because I felt it was the right time to express some of my own views on the challenges facing Self-Organised Networks and was reminded as such by NEC's intentions regarding SON for LTE. Last week, I attended just my second plenary meeting for the EFIPSANS project in Berlin, Germany. This focus of this research project is on the autonomic management of IPv6 networks and is due to complete by the end of 2010.
So what's the connection? Well Self-Organised Networks of course! Management of telecommunications networks typically consists of:

• Network Planning - planning the network including the topology and location of network elements, and defining the network element configuration such as frequency and power parameters for radio access network elements.
  
• Network Provisioning - deploy the network plan.
  
• Network Operations - just a fancy a name for the day-to-day job of monitoring the network for faults and performance.
• Network Optimisation - analysing the network performance metrics in order to create a more optimal and efficient network configuration or put another way refining the initial plan
• Network Upgrade - expanding the network, adding more hardware and capacity which is effectively a new iteration of all the above steps.

So what's the problem? Complexity which equates to higher Cost or Operations Expenditure (OpEx). All the above steps are labour intensive performed by skilled personnel in the Operations Centre of a Network Provider. This is especially so for Radio Access Networks (e.g. GSM, CDMA and UMTS). As a consequence of convergence these same Network Providers are under intense competition from cable MSOs, satellite providers, new entrants and of course each other. The Next Generation Management Networks (NGMN), an alliance of Network Operators, outline the requirements for Self-Organised Networks (SON) with the ultimate goal of increased automation and there reduced OpEx. The challenge is on the Network Equipment Vendors (e.g. Ericsson, Motorola, Nokia-Siemens Networks etc.) to bring to market next generation networks that are capable of SON so that Network Equipment can be plug and play where following installation and power-up the Network Elements can determine their optimal configuration based on their location and that of their peer network elements. What could be so hard about that? Maybe I'll try and answer that next week.

In the news this week...
NEC Corp has will provide a centralised LTE SON System from Actix Ltd. (See NEC Adopts SON for it LTE)