The modern NOC checklist: How to Embrace the Evolution of Network Operations in a Digitally Transformed Era

Continuous change is a part of today's digital society. We live in an era where remote work, cloud-based services, and seamless connectivity are an absolute necessity, and the demand for efficient network operations has never been higher. Mobile network operators (MNOs) constantly face the challenge of meeting this demand while controlling, regulating, and maintaining costs.

Businesses are relying on cloud-based services, and enterprises are increasingly dependent on seamless connectivity. This is critical as more businesses migrate to a digital world as society and the ecosystem around us navigate their digital transformation. The rise of remote work and the boom in entertainment and gaming industries are further propelling the demand and need for reliable, efficient networks. We live in a data- and connectivity-heavy world. Keeping up with these requirements needs smart operations to ensure cost control and operational excellence.

MNOs are turning to advanced network operations centers (NOC) to keep up with the demands of the digital age. NOCs are underscored by their commitment to research and innovation, which epitomizes unparalleled operational efficiency and cost savings.

While engaging with a NOC, here are some strengths to assess that can help MNOs enhance their operations and deliver better experiences.

The essence of intelligent operations lies in harnessing AI and network data to streamline network functions and enhance operational efficiency. A strong NOC stands as a testament to this principle, offering an array of solutions that embody this transformative approach:

● Predictive Alarm Detection: Explore if the NOC employs advanced AI algorithms to preemptively identify potential network issues, enabling proactive measures that mitigate service disruptions and optimize network performance.

● Self-Regenerative Actions: Through automation and AI, the NOC must be able to empower networks with self-healing capabilities, ensuring seamless connectivity while minimizing manual interventions.

● Smart Trouble Ticketing System: Intelligent systems can automate workflows, prioritizes incidents, and delivers real-time updates, resulting in expedited issue resolution, improved customer satisfaction, and resource optimization.

● Smart Root Cause Analysis: By swiftly pinpointing the underlying causes of network failures, the NOC should be able to significantly reduce resolution times, ultimately lowering the mean time to repair (MTTR).

● Energy Management System: With sustainability becoming a core value, it is essential to ensure the NOC optimizes energy consumption, curbing costs and minimizing the ecological footprint.

The bottom line remains that intelligent operations stand as a cornerstone in addressing the burgeoning demand for network traffic and usage while concurrently managing costs and swiftly responding to failures.

Cutting-edge NOCs bring the knowledge garnered from research and industry acumen to their clientele. These NOC harness AI and ML algorithms to optimize resource utilization, amplify service quality, and curtail operational expenses. The tangible outcomes translate into active energy conservation features, spectrum pooling, predictive fault detection, self-regenerative actions, and a comprehensive reduction in energy consumption, mean time to open (MTTO), and MTTR.

As MNOs navigate the ever-evolving demands of modern society, the rise of intelligent operations underscores the necessity for swift and technology-driven transformation. A NOC with unmatched expertise orchestrates a convergence of technologies that empower MNOs to optimize resource utilization, elevate service quality, and minimize operational expenditures. However, the true mission remains to enable customers to unleash the full potential of intelligent network operation, leading to reduced OPEX, optimized resource utilization, and elevated service quality. This checklist could be a useful first step.