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A practical example of the new generation OSS: The project at IpT

The open source stack at Internet Para Todos Peru is the practical implementation of new generation OSS that will support all network operations processes.

Luis Fernando Rubio Martínez
20 Oct 2020
A practical example of the new generation OSS: The project at IpT

A practical example of the new generation OSS: The project at IpT

The telecommunications industry is immersed in a change process as it continues to incorporated new network technologies, such as 5G, virtual radio access network (vRAN), open RAN, software-defined networking (SDN), network functions virtualization (NFV) and network disaggregation. Such technologies represent an unprecedented opportunity for growth in which operations support systems (OSS) will play an essential role in monetizing these opportunities at scale.

We can see one clear example of this at Internet Para Todos (IpT) Peru – a wholesale rural operator in which Telefónica, Facebook, BID Invest and CAF have holdings. The operator’s main objective is to bring broadband and value added services to the remotest regions of Peru where telecommunications are most frequently absent.

In this social initiative, Telefónica worked with IpT and everis – an NTT Data Company – to deploy and maintain a new generation of OSS pioneers in the creation of an open source stack that will enable IpT to operate its hybrid network. This open source stack is the practical implementation of the new generation of OSS mentioned before that will support all network operation processes.

This new generation OSS had to meet the requirements for efficiency, flexibility and agility that are demanded by new network business models and technologies, without impacting the quality of service, and with the clear goal of minimizing costs.

Telefonica and everis were dealt a challenge by Telefonica’s Global Innovation area and the Architecture department within its Global Chief Technology and Information Office. This challenge was to design and deploy the new generation of OSS for IpT. These systems were designed in compliance with the Telefónica Open Digital Architecture (TODA) model, Telefónica’s blueprint for a digital architecture, providing IpT the necessary efficiency, flexibility, and integrity.

The solutions provided are based on open models for network deployment support systems, as well as for advanced network data analytics systems, AI and machine learning applications, among others.

The architecture design of this new OSS is made up of several horizontal uncoupled levels that are fully integrated and synchronized:

  • Creation of a cognitive layer comprised of several horizontal components to exploit information from all operational flows. This was composed of ingestion, real-time processing, an analytics datastore, visualization and cloud – given that all architecture components can be deployed over a virtualized infrastructure and public or provide cloud environments.

  • Event-driven architecture: To enable two-way communications between the functional modules and the cognitive architecture, as well as with other company systems.

  • Prioritized vertical systems: The functional modules prioritized were inventory, work order management and lean NOC (network operation center).

    • Inventory - via a solution that could manage all the elements associated with the deployments within the perimeter of IpT Peru. An open source solution was selected that could provide a real-time hierarchical view of the resources and services and their relationships, as well as a graphical user interface to support all network lifecycle management processes.

    • Work order management - which also combined open-source business process management software (BPMS) and business rule management system (BRMS) solutions, and automated the prioritized processes such as infrastructure deployments, in situ maintenance and parts replacement.

    • Lean NOC: With the aim of aggregating the network operations information associated with the different infrastructure components that IpT would manage. It enabled an integrated real-time visualization of the network situation so that the network assurance operational processes could be automated. It also employed an information processing system via AI and machine learning algorithms for real problem resolution and closed loop automation.




The implementation of this project makes it clear that the new situation for operators and their businesses is much more dynamic and complex. It poses a new challenge, for which a new generation of OSS is fundamental and must be capable of handling the needs for agility, flexibility and efficiency. Design principles and new technologies such as data analytics, AI and machine learning, microservices architecture, network virtualization and open source are also all essential as features that will enable this new reality.