Intent-based network provisioning and network slicing are very promising 5G features. But they are also two examples of how new capabilities are driving increased network complexity and making end-to-end network automation critical for mobile operators.
But while everyone in the industry might know at some level that they need automation, it’s a task that is not easy to tackle. Most NetOps teams are already fully engaged with their day jobs. So, how do they find time to work on network automation?
What’s needed are practical ways to implement automation.
That’s the focus of a Telecom TV webinar titled “Get ahead with automation: A practical guide for telecom operators” that will debut on Oct. 24 at 11 am ET/8 am PT.
The webinar will feature myself along with Caroline Chan of Intel, Mory Lin of Supermicro, with TelecomTV presenter Guy Daniels as host.
In the webinar, Guy Daniels will probe the panelists for details about how all three companies came together to become automation leaders in addition to solution security and other practical topics.
We plan to discuss the lessons learned from helping Rakuten Mobile create the world’s first fully virtualized Open RAN-based mobile network in Japan.
Rakuten Mobile built this network from nothing which also meant the company had to build an automation organization from nothing.
It organized automation centers of excellence with experts that worked with network domain owners to understand requirements and priorities. Intel and Supermicro were brought into this process to contribute telemetry and other data, and to develop the tested, configured systems that contributed to the automation effort.
The mandate for the automation team was to work on the most important use cases and stay focused on outcomes and execution. Another important aspect: don’t take on the biggest transformations, instead focus on those that can be done quickly so as to build momentum and accelerate new projects.
We are working this way with existing operators on all continents, using our learnings and leadership from Japan and accelerating change, lowering risk with others.
Another key factor to success is the ability to have the data needed to understand what is going on and then make changes based on that data. The network needs increasing programmability to enable these changes. That’s an advantage of Open RAN – it’s based on programmable interfaces that allow a human or an automated system to remotely control the radio access network.
Intel and Supermicro have built programmability into their hardware as well, which is enabling remote control of those servers down to individual CPU cores.
For instance, NetOps engineers can remotely control CPU sleep states that enable reducing frequency and power when network load is low to reduce power consumption. This results in a more sustainable network.
A good part of the webinar time will be set aside for user questions and there’s also a one-question poll to develop a better understanding of just how far along mobile operators are toward fully automated network operations. Attendees can ask questions and answer the poll ahead of time during registration, as well as submit them during the webinar.
If you know that automation is essential to your network performance as a mobile operator and need to know where to start, catch this 60-minute session which debuts on October 24. Register here.
