REGULATIONS AND STANDARDS ON AUTOMATIC
Overcoming complexities and opening up new opportunities with automation ROBIN MERSH
If operators are to scale their networks successfully, their network architecture must evolve to become more agile, flexible and efficient A
ccording to Statista, global IP data traffic is expected to reach 278,108 petabytes per month by 2021. Tis is only set
to escalate with the emergence of new and innovative technologies such as 5G, the Internet of Tings (IoT), Industrial IoT (IIoT), 8K video streaming and more. Tis staggering growth in network traffic,
combined with the emergence of these technologies, and significant pressure on reduced time-to-market, reiterates the significant transformation the network must make if it is to remain agile enough to cater for this demand. Automation is vital to the success of 5G, IoT and
digitalisation as a whole, and requires operators to take a new approach when it comes to their networks. To meet these demands, networks must in turn become scalable and flexible to increase their capacity – in terms of throughput and the breadth of devices, nodes, and systems to be managed. However, with this additional capacity, comes increased complexity. Tis is why the industry is turning to automation for a solution.
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Increased demands = increased complexities Technology has come a long way in recent years, with the proliferation of new technologies set to significantly change the way in which we live, the way we conduct business and the way that we run our cities. But with this increased demand, comes further headaches for fixed network operators. When it comes to telecom networks, there
is still a long way to go until networks can fully support the ultra-connected world which is emerging. Traditionally, networks were built and designed around purpose-built network equipment, based on vendor-specific hardware. Tis resulted in a long and overly complex lifecycle management process, which, in turn, hindered the introduction of new services and applications into the networks.
Interoperability is key In response to the huge rise in bandwidth demand, operators across the globe are in a race to roll-out fibre as deeply in their networks as
possible, increasingly all the way to the home and/ or building. Some are already making the leap to next-generation 10Gb/s PON technologies. However, when it comes to any PON
technology, one of the biggest challenges operators face is that – unless they are from the same vendor – optical networking units (ONUs) don’t automatically work with any optical line terminal (OLT). Tere has to be significant interoperability work done for them to work in harmony. However, network operators don’t like to
be tied to one vendor for a variety of reasons, ranging from competitive costs, to benefiting from market innovation and speed-to-market. Tus, interoperability is crucial to enabling operators to respond to increasing network demands as rapidly as possible. Tis is where ONU Management Control
Interface (OMCI) comes in, by defining a mechanism and message format which can be used by the OLT to configure, manage and monitor ONUs. But with so many operators
Fibre Yearbook 2020
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