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Don’t Underestimate the Importance of Service Management in WiMAX Deployments
By Torbjorn Ward, Chief Executive Officer
Aptilo Networks
One of the most accurate predictors for a profitable, successful WiMAX (News - Alert) deployment is the choice of service management solution. Service providers often underestimate the importance of managing services in the early phases of market introduction. All too often this comes as an afterthought. The fact is that, regardless of how much planning is done to leverage the very best out of your market, nothing impacts success more than service management.
Service management is the glue between the radio network with its users and the service provider’s legacy OSS/BSS systems. It is where services are defined and personalized, and policies enforced to control which users access the Internet, their service level and billing.
Making the choice of service management system a priority at the outset can save a great deal of time and money. The expense of deploying several back-end subsystems from different vendors and getting them ready for launch can be substantial. It is a complex and costly road, especially if something does not work as intended. Here is where it is critical to choose a proven service management solution, one with a track record of successful deployments.
A pre-integrated solution alleviates the initial need to engage in the time-consuming process of getting all of the back-end systems to work together. Pre-integrated service management systems have – in the case of Mobile WiMAX - most typical connectivity service network (CSN) subsystems integrated into the platform, prior to deployment. Traditional CSN architecture is comprised of numerous subsystems for functions including mobile WiMAX authentication, authorization and accounting (AAA), DHCP, prepaid billing, provisioning, customer portal, policy management, captive portal, customer care, service portal and more. These subsystems frequently come from different vendors, meaning that operators must invest significant time and money in the procurement and deployment of the network, as well as for ongoing maintenance. A fully pre-integrated service management solution will speed time-to-market and reduce costs in procurement, integration and overall maintenance.
The right solution will address a key factor for success: reliability. The service management system can prioritize allocation of available bandwidth to ensure the right Quality of Service (QoS) to meet service level agreements. It is not only about providing the correct subscriber management and billing capabilities, but also to dynamically authorize and approve user sessions and assign the correct network resources, matching user requests with network capabilities. Once errors or problems are identified, the system must provide a simple and reliable reason for the problem to the network administrators so service can be resumed quickly.
It can also future-proof your installation. Service management solutions must support all leading radio, ASN gateway and mobile IP home agent vendors. This is especially critical today when the WiMAX technology is still maturing.
And, since WiMAX is an evolving technology, it is important to realize there are many new, advanced uses of the network that simply have not been proven and performed yet. With a flexible and open service management platform, service providers can leverage the benefits of WiMAX as an open business model by quickly modifying services to leverage the latest features in the standard.
Although the WiMAX Forum (News - Alert) has defined the specifications for the core network, the technology is still in an early phase and vendors are struggling to not only implement, but also interpret the more intricate interactions between nodes when more advanced features and services are used. This underscores the need to find a service management vendor that has proven interoperability with many vendors in the WiMAX ecosystem.
Beware of service management solutions that have predominantly been used in static business models for existing (often wired) broadband services. This will expose your WiMAX installation to unnecessary risks. Insist on a proven track record of successfully having worked in a fast-changing business model environment for both nomadic and wireless services.
Lastly, consider an outsourced, or hosted, service management solution. This is ideal for new, small installations – where an outsourcing partner can be the one responsible for ongoing operation of the service management system, for instances when a deployment needs to happen quickly and there is limited time to train your own personnel. For many, this hosted or Software-as-a-Service (SaaS (News - Alert)) option is a very cost-effective solution. In this context, look for a vendor with the flexibility to support the transfer from managed service to your own operation at a later stage. It is also a great way to extend an initial WiMAX radio trial to include a more thorough end-to-end functionality.
In summary, the decision to make the choice of service management system a priority at the beginning of any WiMAX deployment is the number one way to predict success. Today’s market is increasingly competitive, and WiMAX is an emerging technology. Careful planning combined with a proven solution will minimize risks and help ensure the success of your installation.
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