Network monitoring was a fairly straightforward task back in the days when networks were built on a single technology (TDM) and provided a single service (voice). But with the advent of the internet, global roaming and the demand for multimedia services has dramatically altered needs in network monitoring.
Today’s operators don’t have the luxury of managing and maintaining a single network type. To keep pace with changing technology and customer demands, they must operate and interconnect to a myriad of network types.
The migration to a converged all-IP network will take many years and providers will have to support a variety of networks and interconnections between the networks well into the future. Each new technology introduces its own interfaces and protocols. Delivering service compositions adds another layer of complexity -- operators have to support a greater number of network elements to blend real-time services such as voice and video with non real-time applications like presence, availability and user preferences.
Interconnecting different technologies requires mediation, and there’s more involved than simply linking one network type to another. Mediation challenges exist within networks that support different technologies such as bearer independent call control (BICC) protocol and session initiation protocol (SIP), as well as different versions of the same protocol like customized applications for mobile network enhanced logic (CAMEL) v1 and CAMEL v2.
Furthermore, providers must manage the interaction and mediation between multi-vendor resources such as mobile switching centers and service control points that may have vendor-specific implementations of the same protocol.
Complex networks and cross-domain signaling call for operational tools and personnel expertise that span the entire network. Systems built for legacy networks usually don’t support new network protocols and monitoring personnel typically are trained in a single technology and its related protocols.
Consequently, providers monitor each network independently with tools and personnel dedicated to each technology. The end result is a fragmented view of the network. Without a common set of applications and consolidated expertise, providers can’t gain a holistic view of their operations and services.
A single vantage point for collecting and analyzing real-time, network-wide data is essential to effectively manage hybrid networks. The ability to evaluate and characterize network usage enables operators to maximize network resources and reduce operating costs. Equipped with detailed data, providers can accurately engineer network components to ensure the highest level of quality of service (QoS).