LTE is happening across Europe, bringing with it the need for operators to make important decisions about all elements of network management.
This week in Paris, for example, SFR launched a service in the business area La Défense while France Telecom-Orange said it would start to roll-out services in the Opera region in April and the whole of the French capital by the end of the year.
IP transformation requires new approaches: operators must consider how best to resolve network management issues to deliver consistently excellent QOS/QOE and overcome current problems caused by multi-vendor environments and incompatible equipment.
Operators are rationalising and unifying systems to make networks more transparent.
Vendors are doing the same: Centri Technology is launching an end-to-end network management solution supporting operators’ needs to create smarter, more efficient networks, which includes policy control, network security, flexible billing and full visibility of data streams across all networks.
Glen Ragoonanan, senior analyst, Analysys-Mason explained: “Currently, managing core, radio access, backhaul, small cells and devices is handled under separate systems. Network management must be abstracted with new software defined layers, brought into one system and integrated at a higher layer.
“Equipment vendors are consolidating network management systems but this can lead to vendor lock-in. It’s difficult to integrate new technologies, upgrade network management and ensure they’re backward compatible.
“Whatever happens at the device management side, operators will be blamed for any failures – operators can only easily control devices they sell. How will they manage VoLTE when it launches?”
Analysys-Mason estimates network management systems markets will grow at 6.5 percent CAGR between 2012-2016 when they will be worth US$6.4 billion driven mainly by LTE and national broadband networks.
Although LTE networks are still relatively empty, Steven Hartley, practice leader, Ovum told Mobile Europe: “It’s important to put the rules and systems in place for when they are needed. Lots of operators take a crude approach to looking at traffic and deciding whether it falls within the terms of users’ contracts.
“Network management is a blunt instrument but operators will need end-to-end systems to handle exponential growth in data traffic – they can’t leave it too late.
“If they don’t implement systems, they face losing credibility with customers. Whatever they do, they will have to deal with legacy 3G traffic. The sooner they implement end-to-end traffic control systems, the better they will be able to adapt to changing circumstances,” concluded Hartley.