Big Data Mining for Smart Operations

From the 2G to 3G era, mobile internet has changed user behavior. In the present LTE and SNS era, demand for full connection is driving operators to adjust their business models. The major difficulty in operations is no longer expansion of the operation scale but user experience expectation and challenges posed by innovative technologies such as network function virtualization (NFV).
Operators are seeking all kinds of transformation. However, this transformation cannot be achieved overnight. The evolution of operations does not mean to deny everything. Operations need to find the value of interconnected information and data while dealing with new technologies. Digging out valuable information is the key to the next-generation operations and is also critical for service providers to help operators address future challenges and transformation.

Operations Data Mining

Operators are eager to gradually break down the constraints of existing stovepipe operation systems and eliminate private applications. By deploying software-defined networking (SDN) and NFV technologies, operators will have open networking capabilities and obtain global cross-network, cross-layer, cross-domain, cross-technology, and cross-manufacturer information.
During long-term evolution, operations data itself is valuable. Millions of bits carrying key information are flowing through data pipes and can be fleeted away. Improving efficiency on a single link will amplify its effects in repetitive operations events. This blue ocean of data is a treasure waiting to be uncovered. To save energy and increase profit, ZTE focuses on operations data source itself. Big data technologies are used to mine the entire value of operations and capture key data among isolated islands of information. Simple, intuitive digital interfaces are used to support special applications, and instant information query quickly improves operational efficiency and resource utilization (Fig. 1).

ZTE's service tools platform provides efficient data support for troubleshooting and has end-to-end, real-time, and multi-dimensional view and analysis capabilities based on both service and user levels. With service-oriented query and mining view, the platform helps operations staff rapidly acquire data, guarantee services and make decisions. Deep operations data mining will become a new engine for operators to develop their business.

NetNumen™ OSS for Smart Operations

ZTE's smart operations solution based on self-developed NetNumen™ OSS platform enables data sharing, integration, and innovation. NetNumen™ OSS is based on the best operations practice, standard capsule prototypes, and cloud environment. NetNumen™ OSS also makes full use of data correlation and analysis in business intelligence (BI) and can customize the best solution as required. The standard prototypes make zero-code development more practial. All these ensure an easy-to-use, smart, and open visual operations support system.
ZTE's NetNumen™ OSS solution contains several tool modules that cover the entire managed services. AOS provides a unified access portal; FMS provides complete alarm monitoring; PMS provides performance management; eFlow including SPM and WFM supports a complete electronic operation procedure; SLM manages QoS; and NIM and ITNMS provide comprehensive network assets management and integrated IT NE management. When mining operations data, these modules coordinate with each other to help the operator control the overall situation and devise proper business strategies (Fig. 2).

More Practical Smart Analysis

Most operations tools cannot analyze the causes but only present faults or suggest solutions for individual subsystems. Troubleshooting needs to be handled manually with step-by-step inspection. NetNumen™ OSS uses massive databases for correlation analysis of information, data, resources, and terminals. Correlation anslysis involves triggering smart terminals for data collection or dial test and locating the root node of a fault automatically. With 75 to 100 per cent of causes of faults being located, correlation analysis outperforms a traditional root cause analysis (RCA). NetNumen™ OSS can also classify all problems statistically for data analysis by operations personnel and customer centers, and coordinate with configuration and commissioning management systems for self-healing and optimal configuration. This resolves potential network faults and protects the health and quality of infrastructure. In a closed loop of smart operations, smart monitoring is a basic link that deals with a wide range of complicated real-time data sources. An appropriate big data solution can increase the processing capacity of this link.

More Accurate Smart Prediction

Using machine learning and big data techniques, NetNumen™ OSS builds a regular event model to predict and prevent future events. Specifically, for sports events or major exhibitions, NetNumen™ OSS can use historical network indicators and operations data such as information about ticket sales and weather to predict possible network faults and QoS. In this way, NetNumen™ OSS can predict that lower network and service configurations than expected may raise risk for user experience. This prediction capability can further improve dynamic resource allocation and scheduling capabilities when combined with NFV and SDN. An eFlow energy analysis engine enables power and environments to be intelligently predicted and scheduled. This significantly reduces the duration of a power outage, increases the ratio of effective power generation, and makes the network more adaptive to changes in services and users. By analyzing predicted and actual values, NetNumen™ OSS determines prediction accuracy and accordingly optimizes prediction algorithms and policies for continuous improvement of prediction accuracy.

Active Operations by Massive Data

Through in-depth data mining and offline analysis, operations are driven by QoS rather than traditional alarm events. NetNumen™ OSS filters high-value cells in advance and presents the volume of business, such as the number of users, voice traffic, SMS and data traffic, and other performance trends for the next week using the prediction function. It also automatically focuses on the cells whose thresholds might be exceeded. According to the specified SLA and future performance trends, NetNumen™ OSS can predict the cells whose SLAs will be affected and will not meet the standards in the next week. Therefore, operational level agreements (OLA) for these cells are further adjusted so that NetNumen™ OSS can prioritize operating high-value base stations and collaborate with eFlow to automatically inspect and dispatch work orders. Operations data can horizontally connect various sub-network management systems and even service monitoring centers for three-dimensional operations information exchange. In this way, administrators obtain sufficient information for network troubleshooting or optimization.

Openness and Sharing: The Driving Force for Operational Innovation

The traditional OSS has changed a lot within the closed telecom system, which has been unsuccessful. The development of SDN and NFV will bring new operational concepts. With ZTE's open operations platform, cooperative partners can share operations data and participate in development. They can build a complete smart operations system involving smart monitoring, prediction, and guarantee by associating their networks with services. Operations-based big data has become the key to smart operations. Currently, analysis of operation-based big data is only the tip of an iceberg of data value activation, and service data integration and dynamic relationship modeling will be the long-term focus of operators. Integrating information scattered in an operator' existing charging system, CRM system, terminal information base, signaling monitoring system, and OSS system and mining its value will become a most important direction for the next stage of operations development.
ZTE released its SDN and NFV development strategy in 2014. NetNumen™ OSS is the core operations platform in this strategy, and it meets operator requirements for excellent end-to-end user experience based on the service operations center. NetNumen™ OSS enables operators to have timely access to operations data, reduce maintenance difficulty brought by new technologies and services, rapidly improve digital economy, and transform their operations.