How Open RAN SMO empowers CSPs for E2ESO automation
Open RAN SMO emerges as a transformative solution, promoting innovation in service delivery and network management. As part of the E2ESO, it provides a comprehensive solution that integrates smoothly with the industry’s wider ecosystem.
As CSPs navigate the complexities of modernizing networks, they encounter the significant challenge of incorporating advanced technologies while maintaining top performance, ensuring customer satisfaction, and achieving cost-effectiveness. Open RAN SMO emerges as a transformative solution, promoting innovation in service delivery and network management.
Management and orchestration of RAN
The telecommunications industry is undergoing significant change due to 5G, leading to a demand for more agile, scalable, and energy-efficient networks, managing and orchestrating RAN has become more critical than ever. The introduction of Open RAN adds complexity to this task. In this evolving landscape, end-to-end service orchestration (E2ESO) becomes crucial, providing a comprehensive solution that ensures Open RAN SMO integrates smoothly with our industry’s wider ecosystem.
“Intelligent RAN automation solutions will help operators to minimize RAN energy consumption and operating costs.”1
The emergence of Open RAN
Open RAN introduces a significant change in RAN deployment and management, offering a disaggregated approach that enhances hardware-software separation and supports multi-vendor interoperability. While this encourages innovation, lowers costs, and increases deployment flexibility, it also challenges managing a varied and evolving setup. Effective service management and orchestration solutions must handle various radio technologies, including both Open RAN and traditional architectures, requiring a system that seamlessly integrates old and new technologies for smooth transitions and operations.
RAN domain controller
As mobile networks transition from 4G to 5G, including deploying 5G SA networks, Open RAN and E2ESO are set to significantly influence this evolution, offering the potential for new services. Regardless of the RAN architecture – be it Open RAN, traditional, or a hybrid – support for both 4G and 5G services is essential. E2ESO and SMO are tasked with the end-to-end lifecycle management of these services, ensuring smooth operation and delivery across different network generations.
Service order single point of entry
Amdocs E2ESO, an advanced platform for service management and orchestration, serves as the central entry point for various client interfaces, streamlining the processing of service orders in line with 3GPP TS 28.531 and TMF 641 standards. These standards guide CSPs in managing network resources and services effectively (see Figure 1). 3GPP TS 28.531, is part of the broader 3GPP framework and focuses on provisioning management across multiple radio technologies, from 2G to 5G, including network slice management. TMF 641, or the Service Ordering API REST Specification by TM Forum, facilitates Amdocs E2ESO in ‘transforming’ service order requests from systems like BSS or customer portals (for example, The Linux Foundation/GSMA CAMARA-based exposure gateways) into actions for resource-facing services, enhancing telecom service management.
Figure 1 Treat RAN service management & orchestration as part of the bigger telco E2ESO
“The on-demand, secure, and controlled exposure of ‘network’ capabilities pave the way for transforming operator networks into service enablement platforms, facilitating the application-to-network integration, which will be key to delivering enhanced and service-tailored customer experience in the 5G era.”2
Amdocs E2ESO in RAN orchestration
Building on its role as a central hub, Amdocs E2ESO offers a comprehensive solution for integrating Open RAN SMO seamlessly into the broader telecommunications ecosystem. It provides critical service management and orchestration capabilities that are adaptable to various RAN technologies, ensuring consistent and efficient network operations across diverse infrastructures. This adaptability is crucial in today's technologically varied landscape, positioning the solution as a key contributor in the evolution of network management practices, improving efficiency and innovation by supporting the integration of emerging technologies.
To learn more about Amdocs E2ESO, click here.
