Recently, Phil Kendall, Executive Director of Strategy Analytics, delivered a keynote speech entitled Research and Development Suggestions for Autonomous Networks (AN) at the 7th 5G Core Summit. Drawing on Strategy Analytics’ comprehensive research on AN, he noted that the AN is a must for handling the operations and maintenance (O&M) challenges on cloudified core networks, and he proceeded further to offer related suggestions. The 7th 5G Core Summit was hosted by Huawei.
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Phil Kendall compared conventional telecom networks with cloud native networks and pointed out that although cloud native brought huge convenience, significant risks are involved with its technology and AN will be an optimal solution to mitigate such risks. The core network schedules and manages overall resources on the network, and once a fault occurs, the impact will be huge, therefore the core network must be highly stable. The AN helps operators transform from passive O&M to proactive prevention and from manual operations to automatic execution, ensuring high stability and efficiency of the core network. To be specific, in terms of high stability, Phil noted that operators should focus on building new capabilities such as proactive risk prediction, automatic fault detection, precise fault demarcation, intelligent disaster recovery (DR) simulation, and universal network monitoring and visualization to provide users with always-on communication services. As for increasing efficiency, he emphasized the importance of automatic scheduling, decoupling of telco cloud and specific Network Element (NE) changes, and tool-based upgrades so as to reduce the complexity of routine O&M operations on cloud-based networks.
Phil Kendall also shared examples of successful AN practices in the industry, including NFV cross-layer fault demarcation and intelligent DR, which were jointly innovated by China Mobile and Huawei. NFV cross-layer fault demarcation provides proactive and fast fault detection and intelligent fault diagnosis, helping operators implement automatic, intelligent, fast, and accurate O&M in NFV scenarios. With capabilities such as DR evaluation and real-time visualization of the DR process, intelligent DR helps operators efficiently complete DR drills and minimize risks. These industry-leading solutions have proved highly effective in helping operators maintain high stability, and set a benchmark for other operators as they implement AN. Finally, he called on global operators to accelerate their deployment of autonomous core networks to mitigate increasing core network O&M costs and operation risks brought by cloud native and full convergence; and to complete the digital-intelligent transformation as soon as possible.