Trends

JUNE 2011 ISSUE 29

SmartCare for Your Network

By Hou Yuzhou

Mobile networks are experiencing a revolution of broadband access and IP transmission. Broadband access results in the personalization of end
users and the diversification of services; IP transmission causes services to be deeply packaged, posing a challenge to in-depth service analysis.
In the process of network reform and evolution, due to the personalization of users and diversification of services, there are different quality
requirements on different users' different services, one user's different services, and the same service of different users, thereby posing an
unprecedented challenge to operators' operation and maintenance. No longer does maintenance focus on single pieces of network equipment,
nor is network optimization oriented merely towards single network element KPI. Rather, it is necessary to pay attention to QoE and KQI
according to users' requirements on KQI and the requirements of services on network quality.
In this about-face process, how do we make QoE and KQI visual and assessable? How do we quickly spot and address QoE and KQI problems?
How do we manage QoE and KQI like network element KPI? SmartCare solution gives you a complete answer.

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Trends
Challenges Posed by Broadband
Access/IP Transmission to
Operators
How to Conduct Overall KQI
Management
Broadband access subverts the single
service model of voice service in traditional
mobile communication networks, making
the diversification of application possible.
The widespread use of broadband access
to mobile networks frees the last segment
of traditional broadband networks from the
constraint of lines. Therefore, high-speed
mobile networks deliver richer application
than fixed broadband networks. Mobile
Web browsing, mobile online games,
mobile video, mobile search and mobile mail
have gradually found application in mobile
broadband-based networks.
Along with changes in the services carried in
the networks, operators face the challenge
of turning from voice KQI management
to overall quality management of multiple
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services. Voice services are not very
demanding on network quality; the key to
ensure accessibility, retention, and portability.
With the diversification of services, different
services have different requirements on
quality: Web services are not very demanding
on overall rate, but require low latency from
click to display; online games require low
latency in full-service time; mobile videos
demand low bit error (one-time transfer
accuracy), etc. Mobile networks provide
increasingly rich services, which have more
and complex requirements on quality. In
network operation and maintenance, overall
KQI management poses a huge challenge to
operators.
How to Quickly Locate KQI Problems
Overall QoE and KQI management addresses
the establishment of a monitoring system,
which makes KQI visual, and an evaluation
system, which makes KQI problems visual.
On the basis of overall QoE and KQI
management, how to quickly locate KQI
problems becomes a second challenge
posed by the evolution of mobile networks
to operators. At present, there are two
barriers to the quick location of KQI
problems – E2E multiple equipment vendors
caused by a long business chain, and deep
service packaging brought about by IP
transmission. Only when the two barriers are
effectively removed, can the quick location
of KQI problems become possible.
How to Conduct Differentiated QoE
Management
The diversification of services carried on
mobile networks brings about opportunities
and challenges for differentiated QoE
management. QoE differentiation means
high-end users can be developed on the
basis of traditional user model to enlarge
operators' sources of revenue, while value-
added services have not yielded in large
amounts of profits. At the same time,
however, QoE differentiation will pose a
great challenge to operators' operation and
maintenance capability – How to conduct
differentiated QoE management? How to
improve high-end customers' KQI while
ensure general users' basic KQI? How to
restrict the uncontrolled occupation of
network resources by malicious users? All
these are issues that urgently need to be
addressed.
How to Conduct Delicacy KQI
Management
The widespread use of broadband has
beefed up mobile networks' capacity, and
promoted the development of more and
more high-quality services. Meanwhile,
network loads grow along with users'
demand. However, as operators gain
revenue mainly by leasing their networks,
their revenue has not increased along with
load. While bringing about opportunities for
operators, broadband-based networks got
operators into a contradiction of increased
volume without increased revenue. How
to balance cost, revenue and QoE/KQI is
a question that must be considered by all
mobile operators that are undergoing the
high speed process.
Along with the widespread use of high-
speed Internet access and the diversification
of application, network loads are directly

related to services. Different service types
and service offerings generate different
network loads. How to identify service types,
deeply analyze service offerings, restrict
services involving high input and offering
low output, encourage services involving
low input and offering high output, and
conduct lean management will become
another challenge facing operators.
Value Care of SmartCare
Solution
In response to the challenges facing
operators in broadband access/IP
transmission, SmartCare solution establishes
an overall evaluation system for data KQI
and QoE. Utilizing the solution, not only
can operators quickly locate and solve
KQI problems, they can also proactively
spot and quickly address potential user
complaints, and conduct customized
differentiated user management and lean
management. Not only does it integrate
Huawei's KQI management platform for
E2E monitoring and analysis of KQI and
QoE, SmartCare combines professional
consulting, integration, evaluation and
optimization services to help operators cope
with challenges in overall KQI management
faced in the development of broadband-
based IP-based mobile networks, quickly
locate and solve KQI problems, and conduct
differentiated user management and lean
management, thereby occupying the high
ground in future fierce competition.
Making E2E Network KQI Visual
With the modeling of KQI evaluation
system for different types of services and
the associated modeling of objective KQI
and subjective QoE at the core, gather E2E
signaling data, from users to wireless access,
to transmission, to core networks, and target
networks on Huawei's KQI management
platform, and conduct normalized database
management and analysis. On such basis,
help customers make overall E2E KQI visual
through flexible report customization and
geographic customization:
••Make KQI of different types of data
services visual
••Make different users' QoE of different
services visual
In-depth Service Analysis, Quick Service
Failure Locating
Huawei's KQI management platform can
implement multi-vendor E2E network
equipment – including "wireless + core
network + bearer network", addressing the
long business chain of mobile broadband
service and the difficulty of locating faults
across vendors. Apart from voice service (CS),
packet service (PS), multimedia service (IMS),
and even cloud computing and CDN can
also be introduced in the platform gradually.
Through Huawei's KQI management
platform, information on the IP bearer
network is acquired in real time and deeply
analyzed to the database in the shared layer,
including topology information on the core
network and bearer network, service path,
information on bearer equipment, bandwidth
traffic information, and bearer network KQI
information. This addresses analysis difficulty
caused by deep service packaging.
After addressing E2E multi-vendor equipment
and deep service packaging, help customers
quickly locate and address KQI problems
through Huawei's knowledge system for KQI
problem locating and solving:
••KQI problem locating based on different
service types
••Quick KQI problem solving based on user
position
Active Care, Differentiated User
Management
In differentiated user management, we
focus on two types of users:
VIP users: They are important support for
operators' revenue. By guaranteeing VIP
users' KQI and proactively showing concern
for their QoE, operators can boost VIP
users' satisfaction and loyalty, and avoid
the negative impact of the churn of key
customers on their revenue.
VAP users: They are a main source of
pressure in network operation and
maintenance. By quickly identify VAP users,
locating and solving their KQI problems, and
proactively showing concern for their QoE,
operators can ease the pressure in network
operation and maintenance, and avoid
JUNE 2011 ISSUE 29
the negative impact of the churn of key
customers on their network brands.
Huawei SmartCare solution helps customers
conduct differentiated management of VIP
users and VAP users:
••Real-time KQI monitoring of VIP users
••Real-time monitoring of VAP users
•• Quick KQI problem solving for VIP/VAP users
SmartCare solution can provide KQI
assurance in VIP areas. With regard to
regional KQI assurance for major events like
the Olympic Games and the World Cup,
eliminate KQI problems at the venues and in
surrounding areas in advance through user
KQI and active detection based on QoE.
Intelligent Pipes, Detailed Data Analysis
With the widespread use of broadband and
the diversification of services, operators still
gain revenue mainly by leasing their networks,
and their revenue has not increased along with
the sharp rise in network loads. If anything,
increased network loads pose unprecedented
pressure to network operation and maintenance
and network investment. Huawei SmartCare
solution helps identify service types and deeply
analyze service offerings. Before considerable
profits are generated, it helps operators restrict
services involving high input and offering low
output, encourage services involving low input
and offering high output. Meanwhile, it helps
operators accumulate experience and data in
profits from future services.
Based on Huawei's KQI management
platform, SmartCare solution can help
customers open MBB network pipeline
to conduct in-depth analysis and delicacy
management of services, and work out
relevant business strategy, covering Web,
WAP, Email, IM, MMS, FTP, Streaming, etc.:
••Analysis of business models based on
terminal types/user types
••Analysis of network loads based on
different services
••In-depth service analysis based on
particular areas
••In-depth service analysis based on
different SP/CP
Editor: Graham Willis
graham.willis@Huawei.com
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