P.I. Works Technology Vision

Next generation mobile networks promise a diverse range of services (transmission of a patient`s high quality diagnostic videos from a moving ambulance to a hospital for early triage and treatment, a Z-generation teenager watching a virtual-reality video to learn about dinosaurs). The differing connectivity requirements drives the need for flexible resource allocation as `network slices` in 5G. SON is critical to deliver these service level requirements with optimal network resource utilization, performance management and cost control.

If you experience muscle pain, dry cough, nasal congestion, then you may be suffering from a flu. Would you follow a prescription you get from a robot doctor when you input these symptoms? Or, what about identifying the problems even before they occur? Mobile network operators have passed the first stage by deploying a set of tools such as closed loop SON and real time performance management that evaluates the existing network conditions and implements automatic changes in the network. AI brings advanced capabilities to improve the network efficiency by speeding up the learning process from activities in the network. Self-Aware Networks based on machine learning techniques continuously tune the network for optimal performance and cost.

Next generation networks will provide a transparent environment to measure and assess the Quality of Experience. Mobile operators need solutions that use these inputs to send commands to a Network Orchestrator ensuring overall QoE is improved. P.I. Works EVO Platform with Network Function Virtualization (NFV) functionality will provide additional flexibility for orchestrating the network resources. You can also capitalize on the benefits of NFV to dynamically scale the network to varying traffic demand by deploying and executing network functions and the resources required by these functions on demand.

Today's mobile network providers all suffer from a common headache namely `site leasing`. There is a substantial growth in mobile network subscriptions together with increased pressure in finding extra physical space to mount traditional base station hardware. Virtualization of telecom centric equipment to commodity IT hardware in data centers will provide benefits and enable an alternative for capacity expansion for mobile operators. During this transformation, existing and new network planning, management and optimization capabilities have to be in the picture so that operators maintain the control over their network configuration especially in areas where non-virtualized RAN and virtualized RAN co-exist.