How intent-based network designs can dynamically match resources to customer needs

5G has vast potential to help generate new revenues, significantly shorten time-to-market across application scenarios, and launch countless new services – to fully harness this opportunity, however, CSPs must get better at understanding the requirements of individual customers. This requires a move away from static service design, and adoption of intent-based networks to match resources dynamically to customer needs.

Using TM Forum’s Open APIs and Open Digital Architecture (ODA), the Translating customer needs into service and network intent Catalyst explored how to manage the lifecycle of a 5G network slice through its expressed business intent, focusing on the multi-layer interaction between commercial systems (BSS) and operational systems (OSS) and the underlying network resource layer systems.

The goal was to help CSPs overcome two major limitations to end-to-end service management. The first is a difficulty enterprise partners have in navigating the many complex details involved in sourcing the right network services to meet their business requirements. That challenge is compounded by static and rigid rules-based methods to design and assign network resources to each and every new service request - as a result, CSPs generally overprovision their underlying infrastructure resources.

Intent-based networks means the customer can focus on the “what” rather than the “how”

Run by Telus, Verizon, BT Group, Nokia and Salesforce, the Catalyst employed intent-based methods, which use declarative rather than traditional imperative definitions that require the customer to be heavily involved in describing how their requirement should be met. By contrast, intent-based methods limit the customer’s role to stating what they need, and leaving the solution provider to determine how to satisfy that need.

The Catalyst tested applications in which a CSP used intent-based methods to enable an event organizing company to communicate their requirements. To that end, the Catalyst integrated BSS commercial software (provided by Salesforce) to OSS operational software (provided by Nokia) using TM Forum 921 API (for intent-based methods). The team created the 921 API payload so as to simplify the declarative expression of requirements, and allow the OSS systems to interpret those requirements and then determine the best way to satisfy them.

This approach enables intelligent network infrastructure resource management systems to satisfy requests using the most efficient means possible, as long as the parameters of the customer’s requests are satisfied.

“Autonomously operated and self-adapting 5G networks will introduce new business models and achieve an unprecedented level of efficiency in service delivery,” explained Jermin Girgis, Manager at Telus. “Intent based will play a critical role in achieving the zero-touch vision: it is a market game-changer to pull customer required services into quick realization. The intent-enhanced approach will definitely bring new revenue streams.”

In a similar vein Pranab Das, Technical Manager at Verizon, notes that “in the 5G era, zero-touch networks and service management will provide a better customer experience and drive growth. This intent-enhanced approach would be a big step towards reaping the benefits of artificial intelligence in the telecoms industry. The business impact on our industry will be significant upon realizing end-to-end intent-driven interfaces.”