To comply with these growing demands, distributed virtualized network architectures in mobile networks provide significant scaling advantages and flexible deployment options. An example of this is the use of small cells in fixed broadband access networks to scale the capacity and coverage of mobile networks.
Improve in-building coverage
Meet growing demands for more capacity (either indoor or outdoor)
Improve the subscriber experience
Build a platform for value-added services
Most cellular operators are now committed to small cell network solutions in one form or another and have them in their business plans.
As wireless networks evolve to 5G and there are limited opportunities to add new spectrum bands and macrocells, small cells will play a critical role in delivering the high bandwidth, densification and low-latency connections required by the myriad potential 5G use cases.
Small cell deployment mainly solves coverage problems for business clients. Nonetheless, it can be used both in business and residential scenarios with any type of Backhaul (DSL, Cable, or Fiber) to treat coverage or capacity issues supporting LTE bands: CBRS 3.5 GHz, LTE-TDD and LTE-FDD licensed bands.
Here we discuss provisioning of small cells, access networks, and virtualized functions, orchestrating through various inventories, network systems, and elements involved in the provisioning automation. We will talk about how the automation and standardization of the small cells provisioning ensure the quality (reducing the manual turn-up/activation issues considerably), speeds up the deployment (allowing operators to reach 10x increase factor without hiring additional staff), and how the automated provisioning and configuration of the virtualized infrastructure and network elements provide network elasticity, expanded coverage and enhances QoE at an attractive cost.
By reducing the dependency on specialized hardware, operators can also expect to lower Capex and Opex while they speed up service delivery, allowing scalability on demand and responding to the network conditions and user needs in real time, opening the way for 5G and dynamic services.
Regarding the complexity of the orchestration, different elements and use cases need to be considered for automation: for management, the HMS / HeMS need to be configured together with the TR-069 ACS and KPI management.
Regarding the Core, the SeGW, HeNB / HeNB GW and Location Function need to be provided. The Core Density, Core Scalability, Transport security, and Multi-vendor small cell management are some additional challenges.
The solution needs to provide simplified management, accelerate time to market and assure ease of integration with the macro network.
Top 5G eMBB use cases in 2019 and beyond
5G and IoT are setting high expectations in the customer’s mind, raising the bar for service providers. The business case is centered in augmenting the wireless coverage for billions of connections and providing low latency. The only way to achieve that is by deploying hundreds and even millions of small cells efficiently and on-time.
Assuring that those small cells and backhaul links will meet service level agreements at turn-up presents a new challenge. Traditional manual provisioning and testing methods are simply impractical for current and future needs.
5G is the next-generation mobile networking standard that will build on the global 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) ecosystem. Its promise goes well beyond high-data rates, spectral efficiency, ultra-low latency, or massive sensor networks. It enables new service opportunities – from just people communicating on phones to fast real-time low latency data transmission between things.
With the landscape of 50B IoT devices connected to the network by 2023 (1), on-demand remote provisioning and management of mobile connectivity is going to be a key factor in catapulting this business to the next level.
(1) Internet of Things – number of connected devices worldwide 2015-2025. Published by Statista Research Department, Nov 14, 2019
From ‘Smart Appliances’ to ‘Smart Cities’, we will live in a world where everything is connected. We will have better information, more control and insight into the everyday things. With sensors everywhere, systems will be able to keep running autonomously.
Every device you own – and some that you don’t even know will soon be an instrumental part of your everyday life – will be connected to the Internet. IoT will transform everything we know in the coming years.
From the way we do business, to how we manage our household life, our health, security, manufacturing, and even our cities, everything will be powered by IoT connectivity.
The majority of communications service providers (CSPs) now agree that small cells are essential to future cellular networks in order to meet user demands. In countries with a developed cellular infrastructure, most are now implementing small cell strategies to meet both capacity and coverage demands in a cost-effective manner.
Wi-Fi hotspots are an essential part of communication networks, opening up better business plans for mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) and over-the-top (OTT) players. CSPs are likely to face new competitive trends.
Use of Long Term Evolution (LTE) over unlicensed spectrum opens up new opportunities for cellular operators, and the divide between Wi-Fi and LTE starts to become blurred.
The emergence of small cells has generated new business models and created the need for more partnerships involving CSP equipment vendors, system integrators, and property owners.
The current fulfillment and assurance processes in mobile operators were designed for macrocells. Those processes limit the deployment of cells to around 10/15 cells per day. To meet a goal of 25,000 or even 100,000 in the spam time needed, operators need to scale to at least 100 cell deployment per day. Adding additional staff (or contractors) is not an option.
The deployment entails complexities such as provision IP backhauls from different access technologies (DOCSIS, GPON, DSL, etc.), support different network equipment vendors (interoperability), and off-net providers with various technologies.
At a higher level, the small cell deployment and turn-up can be summarized in:
Key findings (from Gartner)
The majority of communications service providers (CSPs) now agree that small cells are essential to future cellular networks in order to meet user demands. In countries with a developed cellular infrastructure, most are now implementing small cell strategies to meet both capacity and coverage demands in a cost-effective manner.
Wi-Fi hotspots are an essential part of communication networks, opening up better business plans for mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) and over-the-top (OTT) players. CSPs are likely to face new competitive trends.
Use of Long Term Evolution (LTE) over unlicensed spectrum opens up new opportunities for cellular operators, and the divide between Wi-Fi and LTE starts to become blurred.
The emergence of small cells has generated new business models and created the need for more partnerships involving CSP equipment vendors, system integrators, and property owners.
Those processes limit the deployment of cells to around 10/15 cells per day. To meet a goal of 25,000 or even 100,000 in the spam time needed, operators need to scale to at least 100 cell deployment per day. Adding additional staff (or contractors) is not an option.
The deployment entails complexities such as provision IP backhauls from different access technologies (DOCSIS, GPON, DSL, etc.), support different network equipment vendors (interoperability), and off-net providers with various technologies.
Deployment preparation
Service installation
SLA monitoring and maintenance
Deployment challenges at each stage are described in the figure below:
Leading the Way for 5G – Small Cells Deployment
Based on no-code lifecycle service automation and closed-loop assurance, Symphonica automates the small cell turn-up. It offers clear SLA Installation visibility, which automatically benchmarks service quality levels and alerts the technician about any deviations from established benchmarks.
Where previously a technician had to dig through new services and manually configure the equipment and tests, Symphonica enables the operator to automate the service deployment process so that most small cells could be activated automatically.
An integrated solution allows the mobile operator to manage the life cycle of small cells in a mobile network on top of simple device provisioning. This is:
Control and automate the E2E fulfillment process
Keep an active inventory of implemented elements
Interact with operational tools at the mobile operator such as firmware management to ensure healthy ops
Validate installation parameters and generate birth certificates
Provide access to monitoring and telemetry data to external platforms via standard APIs
Evolve into the monitoring and telemetry of the small cells in the network, to trigger maintenance or dynamic changes in the network
Support the engineering function at migration and network design.
Provied with a flexible Small Cell provisioning process, supporting custom profiles, hierarchical and geographical deployments.
Simplify the integration with any Auto-Configuration Server (ACS) for the management of the Small Cell devices using TR-069 protocol.
Provide operational features such as Fault monitoring, Device software upgrade, Get/Set parameters, Profiles, Configuration Files and RPC Methods.
Support of specific management actions on each device, per region, per customer type, etc.
Provide fast integration with multi-vendor equipment
Natively support a standards-based northbound integration
Guarantee scalability through a virtualized architecture, allowing to grow capacity, adding new instances of the software.
Adopt new ways of network planning, installation and operations support to enable large scale and small cell developments with much lower capital expenditure (capex) costs.
Small Cells and Virtual EPC
While some cellular operators are still in the planning or trialing stages, others are ramping up their deployments and expanding into new market areas. Small cells can come in several forms:
End-to-end provisioning and management – including a mobile app for field service tasks, devices remote provisioning and firmware management, fault & performance monitoring, dynamic scaling, and self-optimization.
Distributed network architectures are emerging to provide significant scale advantages and flexible deployment options. An example of this is the use of small cell distributed nodes to scale capacity and coverage of cellular networks.
This emerging type of distributed network architecture requires provisioning of the remote infrastructure to onboard new devices (or nodes) and manage them remotely across its lifecycle.
The solution provides orchestration across the various inventories, network, and element management system that are involved in the automation of provisioning. This also assures the quality of installation of new remote devices to the network infrastructure.
Provides flexibility, expanded coverage, and improved QoS capabilities at an attractive cost.
Lower Capex and Opex by reducing reliance and specialized hardware, while speeding service delivery and allowing for on-demand scalability and responding to real-time network conditions and user needs.
Enables the pathway for 5G networks and dynamics services.
Centralized cloud-ready no-code provisioning of small cells, access networks, and core virtual functions.
End-to-End automation of every network element for the small cell installations and assurance via a mobile app for the field service technician. Any backhaul technology, ACS and Core platform.
Automatic provision and configuration of virtual infrastructure and network elements to provide infrastructure elasticity (dynamic scale in/out).
Support for northbound standard integration.
Flexibility in a multi-vendor environment and for the addition of new network elements.
No-code provisioning automation for the entire lifecycle of services orchestrated across multiple networks and multiple technology domains.
For service providers looking to scale to provide lighting fast time-to-market and improve operational efficiency, Intraway’s Symphonica is a no-code service provisioning solution.
With Symphonica, you can focus on growing your business without investing in a budget-heavy and time-consuming deployment project.
Orchestration and activation of any service from any vendor across any network technology from a single point
Accelerate time-to-revenue by enabling zero-touch provisioning, orchestration, and service activation of every network element or system from a single platform.
Create new or customize existing workflows and connectors faster. Unique in the market Design Studio. No coding required.
Integrate virtually any network element, cloud, or on-premise in hours, regardless of the protocol.
Assure the implementation with intelligent configuration checkups, inventory updates, and birth certificates.
Transition from physical to virtual or distributed infrastructure.
With over 40 million subscribers successfully served in more than 20 countries over three continents, Intraway specializes in driving fixed line and wireless operators’ Digital Transformation projects with a 100% success rate. Supported by a staff that clients claim is a natural extension of their team, Intraway supports “Telco Cloud” initiatives for operators looking to reduce OpEx and migrate BSS/OSS functions to the Cloud.
Their globally deployed, award-winning Business Process and Service Orchestration platform, Symphonica, is a no-code, cloud-native, telco-grade orchestration and service activation platform for automating the entire life cycle of services orchestrated across multiple networks and technology domains. Whether Communications Service Providers (CSPs) want to increase agility through automation, modernize their operations or embrace digital transformation, Symphonica has them covered.
Whether you have a question about features or anything else, our team is ready to answer all your questions.
