A New View on Systems

Open-standard systems are nothing new to the telecommunications industry. Most people realize the inherent benefits of open systems, mainly freedom of choice and flexibility. Carriers need open network-management solutions that allow them to easily manage the complex mix of equipment that comprise their networks. They also need the flexibility to adapt new applications or technologies down the road. As wireless carriers move toward centralized network operations, these needs are increasing.

But simply deciding you should implement an open-standard system is only the beginning. With a variety of open systems now on the wireless market, selecting a network-management solution is more difficult than ever before. There is a variety of issues that you need to be aware of as you make a product selection and as you begin integrating that solution into your network.

GOOD TIMING The key to an effective and successful implementation is up-front planning, according to Jim Smith, Comcast Cellular network operations manager. Comcast spent six months developing the details to reach its goal -- a live network operations center in January 1997.

"We learned that the time spent in up-front planning was absolutely critical to hitting the time lines we wanted," Smith said.

As you begin planning, first evaluate your business and technology strategies to determine the most appropriate time to make the move toward an open system. For some cellular carriers this is the most difficult step of the process.

"They have invested a lot of money in proprietary systems, so it is going to be a big mindset change to move to an open-system solution," said Robert Ma, Glenayre Western Multiplex product manager.

"It involves a new way of thinking."

Even if you are happy with your current proprietary vendor, Alain Lefebvre, Hewlett-Packard OpenView telecom marketing manager, said it is time to start preparing for the future. And now is a good time for many cellular carriers to make the investment in an open-standard system. You can time the integration with other network adjustments such as adding new equipment for system growth or adding replacement equipment.

"The legacy equipment has been around for a while, 10 or 15 years, and it all needs to be updated now or shortly," Ma said. "Here is a good chance to have a fresh approach."

According to Ed Kurzenski, Objective Systems Integrators (OSI) director of wireless solutions, you should take a methodical approach to determine what is in most need of repair. Then it is a straightforward decision: Decide what to do first by prioritizing your needs.

Unlike cellular carriers, new PCS providers have an advantage when it comes to implementing an open network-management solution. They are starting from scratch and do not have to integrate with or replace legacy systems, Kurzenski said. However, like cellular carriers, they must struggle with timing issues.

Lefebvre said as soon as the network is on-line, an operational support system (OSS) needs to be in place. This was BellSouth Mobility DCS' strategy when it realized that an open system was essential to its business from the beginning.

"Network management was built into the business plan, and our president had the vision that allowed us to build the (network operations) center from day one along with the network," said Paul Steckbeck, BellSouth Mobility DCS director of network management. "So when we went commercial (in mid-1996), the network-management center was already in place."

Lefebvre added that although deployment time is critical, BellSouth's situation is not reality for most PCS providers. Usually, OSS is not a top priority. Most PCS providers are focused on buildingout basic coverage, and they are not too concerned about managing the network.

"They are more concerned with coverage, not quality of coverage," Ma agreed.

But those PCS providers that do implement an open network-management solution from the beginning might have an advantage over the competitors who postpone the investment. An OSS will help you manage and monitor the network during your system launch so that it goes more smoothly and effectively. This ensures that your first customers are satisfied with the quality of service. PCS providers should consider the strategic benefits and value these solutions offer to the availability of the network, rather than focusing on the additional up-front costs, suggested Doug Strombom, US West International Systems Group director of operations for North America and Asia.

If you must delay implementation, how long should you wait? According to Lefebvre, there is no one right answer. The major question is how quickly do you expect the network to grow?

"If you want to keep up with quick growth, you need to have an OSS system in place from the beginning," he said. But if your total potential POPs is small, and you expect slow growth, you can put off implementation until your subscriber base increases.

OSI's Kurzenski agreed that it is hard to pinpoint an ideal time. Regardless of whether your network is at 300 or 700 base stations, once it reaches a certain size the dynamics change. Then you know it is time to start implementing an open-system solution.

THE SELECTION Once you have determined it is time to implement an open network-management solution, the real challenge begins. How do you make that crucial selection of which company and product you will trust with your investment and your network? Choosing the right vendor and solution is not an easy task. As more carriers demand the functionality and flexibility of an open system, more vendors and product offerings are entering the market.

"The open system has become a lucrative business with big demand," Kurzenski said.

You will want to evaluate many of the options available. According to Thomas Kelly, technology analyst, Comcast evaluated more than 10 products. After these vendors showcased their products to Comcast, the carrier went to eight locations to actually look at in-service platforms and talked to system owners to find out what they did and did not like about their systems.

During the selection process, you should closely evaluate the types of network elements the system interfaces with and understand the open systems and standards it supports, Steckbeck said. The latter may seem like a given for an open system, but not according to OSI's Kurzenski. Infrastructure vendors may suggest that they can offer open systems as part of a back-office tool set, but they almost universally run on their own equipment and methods, he warned.

Kurzenski agreed that although system may appear open in concept and architecture, when you actually use the system, it is not always easy to expedite. Look beyond the surface claim of openness to what the system actually offers in terms of features, he advised.

Make sure the system allows you to share in-depth topology and information between applications, Lefebvre added. Most open systems are based on an existing platform, so they have an inherent capability to integrate with applications and should have a library of connections to the network. But you should make sure the solution truly can provide multivendor support. Lefebvre added that you should scrutinize to find out how well your vendor really knows all of the equipment with which its solution must interface.

"Integrating the application and interfacing it to the network are the two key challenges carriers have to look at when they select an OSS system," Lefebvre said.

Therefore, you should look for three key characteristics: easy integration, a full library of connections to all network elements and the ability to be implemented in any wireless environment in a short time frame.

The product also should be a long-term solution with the ability to adapt and withstand the ever-changing technology of the wireless industry.

"Do not lock yourself into one momentary solution because you have to be ready to advance to new technologies," Smith said.

This was a major concern for Comcast. The carrier needed a product that would not become a legacy of its own, Kelly said. When Comcast introduced its network-management solution, it operated an analog network. Now the system is TDMA. In the end, Comcast's choice paid off because it was able to accommodate such changes without going back to its vendor for additional support or investment.

Although network-management solutions are usually carrier-specific, BellSouth's Steckbeck suggested carriers also investigate off-the-shelf products instead of the timely and expensive custom-developed products that early implementers had to use.

"The ability to leverage interfaces that have already been built is key," Steckeck said. "We did the custom development route because early on there was not much available off the shelf, but now there are some things available on the market that companies should seriously look at."

Beyond the product itself, vendors and carriers stress the importance of scrutinizing the actual supplier as well. According to Steckbeck, the reputation and telecom experience of the company providing the solution is critical. Kelly said this played a key role in its selection of HP's OpenView platform. Comcast wanted a vendor with a rich platform of telecom solutions. There are a lot of technologies available within the HP platform, and there were not a lot of telecom products on the other architectures, he said.

The vendor you select also will be important after the implementation process is over.

"It is one thing to implement a system and put it together, but maintaining those interfaces throughout your vendor's software upgrades is very challenging," Steckbeck said.

This is one lesson that BellSouth learned after it had already integrated the solution into its network. Select an OSS vendor that is a partner with your main infrastructure provider, Steckbeck advised. That way when the vendor upgrades software in the network, and the OSS or network-management system does not work, you are not stuck in the middle trying to get the OSS and infrastructure vendor together to fix the problems. In the future, BellSouth will look for a company that has a relationship with Nortel, its equipment provider.

THE INTEGRATION Although the main benefit behind open systems is that they can be easily integrated into a variety of network equipment, there is no guarantee. Most vendors do try to provide products that make life easy for you.

"We have been honing our ability to not make extraordinary demands on carriers to re-arrange data or change interfaces or buy new network equipment," US West's Strombom said. "We provide an information model and presentation into the existing network equipment or legacy support system."

Lefebvre added that if you have purchased a best-in-class application, easy integration should be an inherent feature. The key, he said, is how quickly that integration can be done. For example, he said HP implemented a solution for a Canadian PCS provider in 10 weeks.

"Wireline carriers had years to implement OSS; wireless carriers do not have that," he said.

Strong partnership is one way to help ease and speed up the integration process. Because much of the network-management solution is carrier-specific, you should choose a vendor you can partner with.

"You need to find someone that is willing to come in and spend the time to learn your system and what you are trying to do," Comcast's Kelly said.

Sam Chernak, Comcast vice president of operations and network engineering, added that this is even more important for smaller carriers that do not have significant in-house resources.

Regardless of size, Ma suggested carriers or employees that have not worked with an open-management platform seek some training. Although it will cost money, it will pay off in the long run.

Once you have completed training, established the necessary relationships and have selected the most appropriate solution for your network, you are on your way to fully integrating an open-system solution. And, as Strombom said, you are one step closer to a more effective and competitive network operation.

Many proprietary options still are on the market, and although vendors that offer open-standard solutions sing the praises of their systems, even they admit that not everyone really needs to move toward an open-standard system. According to Alain Lefebvre, Hewlett-Packard OpenView telecom marketing manager, a single proprietary solution can meet some carriers' needs effectively. For example, he said, some small carriers are looking for 1-stop shopping. Because they have small numbers of POPs, their subscriber bases will not grow very fast. Therefore, their initial need is not operational support systems (OSS). Instead, they need financing support. So, they can buy all of their network and OSS equipment directly from one vendor, such as Ericsson or Lucent.

Comcast Cellular's Thomas Kelly, technology analyst, added that carriers in need of a specific functionality also might select a proprietary solution. A large supplier can offer a tighter integration from its network-management solution to its infrastructure equipment, which might offer some features that an open system cannot accomplish. Other vendors will partner to write specifications that offer a similar tight integration for only their products. If you need that specific feature, Kelly said, then you must make a trade-off decision: Is it worth getting that particular functionality, or "good deal," and face the on-going limitations of a closed solution?

Despite these circumstances, vendors and carriers said that open-standard systems are essential to today's needs, according to Ed Kurzenski, OSI director of wireless solutions. Intuitively, an open system is the safest way of doing things because networks continue to be more diverse as more services are brought to the market, he said.

"Unfortunately, some (vendors) are stuck on the proprietary model, but they will soon realize that for the future you have to have open systems," agreed Paul Steckbeck, BellSouth Mobility DCS director of network management. "Carriers have lots of different types of support systems, and the information needs to flow between many of those systems ... Exchanging information is a key functionality that people need today."

Although openness has become critical criteria for many carriers when selecting network solutions, vendors also are offering a variety of other features to make operational support more efficient. Many of these companies used Supercomm '98 to showcase the latest features.

Bridgeway is providing methods to help you integrate, monitor, measure and manipulate network data. According to Bridgeway, it is critical that these solutions allow carriers the ability to maximize existing infrastructure and manage the network based on your specific needs. The company's latest solution, the Keystone Network Performance System, (currently in beta with general availability expected by third quarter) combines real-time monitoring of service-level agreements and additional functionality for effective network-management services.

Objective Systems Integrators' (OSI) Gary Barton, product marketing manager, agreed that integration is becoming a key to successful operational support, especially for fault- and performance-management solutions. OSI plans to make a performance-management announcement in September.

GenSym also is bringing more intelligence to network operations. The latest addition to its suite of software tools, the Operations Expert (OpEx) support system, recognizes and diagnosis network problems early, suppresses repetitive alarms and eliminates flooding through alarm/message/event filtering.

Visonael is offering carriers intelligent software that serves as a "network knowledge base," according to George Schaefer, solutions consultant. The company's relational database integrates support for effective network de sign and management. Because all network information is stored in one central database, every user has access to the network's most accurate and current information.