Point of View

Why is Network License Management

crucial for Telecom Operators?
 Abstract
The transformation is happening around telecom networks, especially in the context of SDN/NFV, has brought immense
challenges to Telcos in terms of license management. Network appliances grew diverse and sophisticated, involving
multiple vendors offering different types of software/hardware architecture. All of these have generated the need for
controlling, policing and limiting network functionalities through licenses. This POV brings to light the transformation
happening across the telecom networks and analyzes why converged strategy to license management is crucial for
Telcos in the current scenario.

Ever experienced paying for a software license for the apps
you no longer use? Or while re-installing your app, found
yourself missing the required license key? Or not renewing the
license on time, ended up rushing through your company
renewal processes to avoid the business impact? Most of us
have had some of these experiences and we understand how
exasperating it could get. Now imagine the challenges of
managing software licenses in a typical complex Telecom
operator’s environment with hundreds of licenses distributed
over numerous business-critical network elements and
systems owned by multiple functional teams. Think about how
complex the process could get to achieve complete visibility of
all the licenses in a centralized repository that provides
up-to-date information on usage, expiry and availability on
each of them.
Why have licenses become important?
During initial years, Telecom operators used to buy the
network appliances from vendors and manage the contractual
licenses manually and periodically. Slowly, the demand from
the market grew in line with the changing business
environment, causing the network technologies to evolve in a
myriad of complex ways catering to enterprise and retail
customers. In that journey, many technologies have become
obsolete while a few established themselves to the changing
customer needs with continuous demand on new use cases
leading to sophisticated appliances architecture.
Partially to meet this new demand in scalable and efficient
manner and partially due to monetization incentives, vendors
started to introduce license-based feature controls on the
network functions. Over time, operators also adapted to this
license regime controlling physical network functions across
the various network domains. For instance, license controlled
features have become de-facto in 3G/4G RAN devices. In
addition to it, the supportive functions such as OSS / BSS
stacks for network appliances demand their own set of
software licenses enablement at hardware and software levels.
Without much fanfare, slowly, the network operators were
flooded with various network appliances which are license
controlled at multiple levels. Managing hundreds of various
licenses across the network is not complex it's a gargantuan task
and is only going to grow when operators start replacing physical
network functions (network gears) with virtual network functions
(VNF).
Why the need for License management in
network environments?
There are many types of licenses Telcos handle in their
operations. Depending on the use cases, they can be pay-as-you
grow licenses, capacity-related licenses, feature licenses or
annual recurring licenses. In each of these categories, operator’s
teams need to handle the license and its related behavior. For
instance, vendors build certain functional behavior in
capacity-based licenses through feature degradation, that is,
degradation of the services during capacity over-utilization
scenarios. It is vital to understand the over-utilization scenarios
or in some cases forecast the license over-utilization on network
devices to avoid poor customer experience.
There are instances where the operator teams like to manage a
virtual license pool of similar category licenses and deploy or
distribute them on a need basis. Whenever the network
appliances are decommissioned, there's a need for a streamlined
process to recover the license and spool that into the virtual
license pool.
Many operators have tactical approaches to keep optional
licenses and use them for cluster of sites during high voltage
events such as the Super Bowl, or a premier football match,
music event, massive election campaign gathering, etc.
Monitoring these licenses is crucial as it helps in understanding
the underlying usage analytics and making necessary plans for
the future. Other use cases such as stitching the license data to
the purchase order, contract and FAR add value to license
lifecycle management.

www.subex.com
Managing the network related licenses involves many in many operators’ networks, the license management
aspects including: becomes even more critical. In NFV environment, the
license management should happen in real time by
enabling virtual network function lifecycle activities such
Tracking licenses across the network to gain insights
as onboarding, instantiation and scale-out operations
such as which license key is enabled on a network device
interlaced with MANO orchestration components.
or used in a data center server

SDN/NFV is really in the evolutionary stage with several

Understanding the license usage across the network and
moving parts that need to be orchestrated. What started
identifying unused license keys
with ambitious goals to take control of networks
completely into their hands, optimize Capex/Opex and
Maintaining the license pool for respective license
on-board vendor VNFs on a need basis has now turned
categories and re-using them based on the demand
into a unique and evolving situation where many
vendors are coming up with their own NFV stacks, some
Renewing licenses well in advance to avoid any services
of them complying to ETSI MANO model, some of them
outages that could lead to poor customer experience
inheriting ONAP architecture, some of them in hybrid
mode and some of them completely proprietary in
Performing audit activities on actual license usages
nature.

Reconciling with contracts and vendor invoices and

Except for a few, in general, operators are striving to
taking appropriate corrective actions
achieve seamless NFV adoption, continuous and
glitch-free operations of key network functions driven by
In short, operators require license lifecycle tools and the need to automate, scale and make it completely
processes to effectively manage the varied licenses software driven. In this context they depend on vendors’
distributed across networks and overseen by different own license metric monitoring tools to scale VNFs and
organizational functions. are not quite looking at aggressively integrating with the
orchestration engine. True NFV license management is
License management in NFV world expected to paly out when the initial adoption reaches a
As Network Function Virtualization (NFV) is becoming a reality certain maturity level.

Conclusion
As workloads move from traditional network gears to data center appliances and virtual network functions, Telcos will
require a comprehensive and coordinated license management strategy that will address the requirements of the hybrid
environment. In the evolving NFV scenario, operators need to identify and adopt the functionalities required to manage the
licenses from different providers across different platforms such as ONAP, MANO etc. ONAP and MANO platforms.
Enforcement of licenses should be enabled through a mechanism trusted by both parties, and to ensure uninterrupted
functioning of the network and services and derive the best business value out of them, the licenses need to be discovered,
tracked and managed comprehensively.

Key Takeaways

Network elements are growing complex in terms of License lifecycle tools and processes will help in managing a wide
technology and functionality. variety of licenses spread across the networks.

Devices with multiple license-controlled features make Tracking, discovery, utilization monitoring and reconciliation are
license management cumbersome. important aspects of license management

Monitoring the licenses will aid in usage analytics

and decision making

References:
1. ETSI NFV Release 3; Report on License Management for NFV - https://www.etsi.org/deliver/etsi_gr/NFV-EVE/001_099/010/03.01.01_60/gr_nfv-eve010v030101p.pdf
2. ONAP VNF License Beijing Release - https://onap.readthedocs.io/en/beijing/submodules/vnfrqts/requirements.git/docs/Chapter8.html?highlight=entitlement#vnf-license-information-guidelines
3. TMForum License Management - https://www.tmforum.org/resources/exploratory-report/ig1143-license-management-r16-5-1/

www.subex.com
 www.subex.com

Subex Limited. 2018. All rights reserved. Although every endeavour has been made to ensure that the information contained within this document is up to date and accurate, Subex Limited cannot be held responsible for any inaccuracy or error in the information contained within this document. 28082018.
About Subex
Subex is a leading telecom analytics solutions provider, enabling a digital future for global telcos. Founded
in 1992, Subex has spent over 25 years in enabling 3/4th of the largest 50 CSPs globally achieve competi-
tive advantage. By leveraging data which is gathered across networks, customers, and systems coupled
with its domain knowledge and the capabilities of its core solutions, Subex helps CSPs to drive new busi-
ness models, enhance customer experience and optimise enterprises.

Subex leverages its award-winning product portfolio in areas such as Revenue Assurance, Fraud Manage-
ment, Asset Assurance and Partner Management, and complements them through its digital solutions
such as IoT Security and Insights. Subex also offers scalable Managed Services and Business Consulting
services.

Subex has more than 300 installations across 90+ countries.

Pipeline Innovation Award 2018 for

Winner at Aegis Graham Bell Awards
2017 – Data Science Category
Innovation in Managed Services category, Global Telecoms Business
Winner at Converge 2018 Big
Innovation in Big Data & Analytics and Innovation Award Runners-up in Best Global
Data & Analytics Awards -
Innovation in Security & Assurance 2017,2016, 2015, 2014, 2012, 2011 Product/Services
Customer Analytics Category

BSS & OSS Latin America Global Market Leader for Revenue
Best Fraud Prevention Awarded Global Carriers Assurance & Fraud Management Winner of Telecoms Award
Project Award 2016 Awards 2015 Solutions, 2010 & 2011 2015 - 'Advances in B/OSS' category

Subex Limited Subex, Inc Subex (UK) Ltd Subex (Asia Pacific)
Pte. Limited
RMZ Ecoworld, 12303 Airport Way, 1st Floor, Rama
Devarabisanahalli, Bldg. 1, Ste. 390, 17 St Ann’s Road, 175A, Bencoolen Street,
Outer Ring Road, Broomfield, CO 80021 Harrow, Middlesex, #08-03 Burlington Square,
Bangalore - 560103 India HA1 1JU Singapore 189650

Tel: +91 80 6659 8700 Tel : +1 303 301 6200 Tel: +44 0207 8265300 Tel: +65 6338 1218
Fax: +91 80 6696 3333 Fax : +1 303 301 6201 Fax: +44 0207 8265352 Fax: +65 6338 1216

For more information write to info@subex.com Regional offices: Dubai | Ipswich