The concept of automation through integration of network planning, configuration, and optimization into a single, mostly automated process requiring minimal manual intervention is not new, and implementing automation into mobile networks is now a reality after the 3rd Generation Partnership Project’s (3GPP) and the Next Generation Mobile Networks (NGMN) Alliance made it a top priority on their agenda a few years ago.
The chief objectives of introducing self-organization into mobile access networks are operational and capital expenditure reductions by diminishing human involvement in network operational tasks, as well as optimization of network capacity, coverage, and service quality. The role of vendor-agnostic centralized SON (C-SON) is critical to achieve that goal, and this white paper explains why.