There's no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to planning NGN migration, but the rise of data traffic and disproportionate revenue growth is forcing operators to devise an NGN strategy that suits their current and future needs sooner rather than later.
That was the message from the inaugural Network Strategies 2010 conference in Singapore last month, as operators from around the region gathered to share their experiences with NGN deployments.
One constant theme was the importance of taking a staggered approach to NGN migration - prioritizing which elements to upgrade first and deciding how and when the rest of the network will follow, said Danny Buldansyah, deputy president director of Indonesia's Bakrie Telecom.
"Staggered deployment is the most effective strategy for NGN while the organization is in the high-growth stage," he said, adding that this also helps the various departments within the operator get through the inevitable learning curves that NGN will require. "A staggered approach makes it easier for everyone."
One key aspect to remember, said Pacnet CTO Wilfred Kwan, is that at the end of the day, technology comes second to the business case.
"The CFO is the one who is really in charge. You can no longer plan your next-generation strategy with just a PowerPoint deck and a hazy set of financial guidelines," he said.
Kwan said it was key that when developing an NGN strategy, operators sort out the following key questions: "Do you really know your market? Do you know who your customers will be five years from now? What are your bread-and-butter products vs your cutting-edge products? Who will you partner with? Once you sort those things out, the technology part is comparatively easier, though of course it's still very complicated. You can't start with the technology and then figure out who your customers are and what they want."
Kwan also listed numerous external factors that will impact NGN decisions, from government NBN initiatives and mobile internet to social media, video, cloud computing and how much of your traffic is international vs domestic.
Ivan Tam, CTO of Hong Kong Broadband Network, emphasized the importance of QoS as a major element
of his company's network strategy - the broadband provider offers a bandwidth guarantee to users of at least 80% of the speed specified in their service package.
"We monitor bandwidth, installed 400 field probes to measure performance and have a team that monitors network performance and troubleshoots if there are problems," he said.
Developing markets have their own concerns when it comes to evolving their networks. Bangladesh, for example, has low fixed-line infrastructure and no 3G in a mobile-driven market, and while the number of GPRS/EDGE subscribers is high, less than a quarter of them actually bother to use it.
"They express a lot of frustration with cost, speed and screen size, so our service improvement initiative had to address those concerns," said K.M. Tariquzzaman, deputy director and head of planning, design and dimensioning, for Grameenphone
Grameenphone's plan focused on a device management system enabling the operator to proactively ID devices on the network and push settings over the air to offer appropriate services for that device, a PCRF (policy control and rating function) for policy enforcement, enabling fair use policies and flexible charging schemes, and data optimization for faster download speeds and better bandwidth optimization.
Tariquzzaman said the operator expects to gain 20% more active data subscribers thanks to effective device management and 20% reduction in capex and opex from data optimization, as well more charging flexibility by service, volume, time and event.
Network sharing is also an option, said Dian Siswarini, CTO of XL Axiata, noting that network costs account for 28% of XL's total costs, "so reducing that can impact our profitability."
Indeed, she said, "network sharing can realize up to 40% savings, so that has the biggest impact."
The question then becomes what to share, with whom, how, and when? The answer depends largely on the balance between the dependability of the partner and the feasibility of sharing various infrastructure elements. "Trust is a major issue," she said.
MORE ARTICLES ON: Bakrie Telecom, Grameenphone, HKBN, NBN, NGN, Pacnet, XL Axiata