Service Assurance

The concept of service assurance was never a simple one for communications service providers, but in an era of IPTV, mobile multimedia, and user-generated content, assuring the adequate delivery of service--not to mention correct billing and collecting—has become even more complex and challenging. Competing in this new digital landscape creates a critical dilemma for service providers. While creating robust demand for new services and network capacity, it also generates unprecedented requirements for maintaining performance and service quality thresholds in networks, systems and processes.  Service Assurance is an all-encompassing paradigm that revolves around the idea that optimising the customer experience inevitably improves the long-term profitability of an enterprise.
 
TMNG Global assists its clients to develop a robust, proactive Service Assurance program which encompasses their customers’ experience across the entire value chain including all providers, processes, systems and user devices to assure Quality of Service (QoS) and Quality of Experience (QoE).

In the shift from “reactive” to “proactive, operators must shift their assurance strategies based on managing performance across the entire supply chain. To accomplish this, operators must address numerous challenges:

• The introduction of new protocols, network elements and complex/multi-level services
• Multi-media applications requiring orchestration of multiple access devices
• Multiple partnerships and providers in the value chain requiring new SLA agreements and KPIs
• New value added services requiring monitoring techniques across the entire two-sided value chain
• Growth of real-time services requiring real-time service monitoring

For mobile service assurance, the challenges are even more daunting:

• Subscriber access from multiple sources, including WiFi and other “unlicensed” IP sources for which operators cannot guarantee service levels
• Huge surge in data traffic often resulting in a mismatch of supply and demand and interruption of service
• Existing QoS techniques not previously engineered into mobile data networks
• Growing trend of real time services like on-line gaming and social networking
• New KPI models encompassing not just networks and services, but also devices and applications

These challenges cannot be addressed in a vacuum or from one vendor’s viewpoint. A best-in-class service assurance program must be holistic, include all vendors in the value chain, highly automated with real time solutions and based on an integrated Network/OSS/BSS approach.
 
Our Approach
Cartesian has developed a proven three-phase approach specifically designed to assess and enhance a service providers’ service assurance programs, which may include one component or the entire program from end to end:
 
1.  Phase One:

• Assessments of:
  • Existing programs to determine gaps in QoS and QoE for both fixed line and mobile customers
  • Internal (network and OSS/BSS) and external (CRM, Social Media) monitoring systems as they track traffic and transactions across different technologies, devices and networks
  • Trouble tracking and management systems
  • Customer trouble reporting system and processes from trouble entry through to trouble resolution
  • Tools and techniques for accessing multimedia real time data and customer statistics
• Evaluation and recommendations for selection of vendors and potential partners for service management platforms and new diagnostic systems

Development of a best-in-class service assurance plan with identified contingencies, quick wins, long-term goals and timeline for delivery

2.  Phase Two:

• Implementation of new service assurance program encompassing
  • New governance and policy management guidelines
  • New products, processes and systems as required to ensure timely customer trouble reporting and fixing
  • New management and monitoring of KPIs and SLAs across all providers and partners in the value chain
  • Dynamic problem detection including, real-time call or session tracking across multiple interfaces and protocols to determine irregularities and failures as traffic passes through signaling and media gateways on different networks,
  • Implementation of a settlement system that will allow tracking and verification of transaction records from all vendors in the value chain
  • Knowledge transfer and training

3. Phase Three:

•   Maintenance and support
  
  To assist our clients in the development and implementation of service assurance programs, Cartesian has a proven Program and Governance Management Methodology which has delivered results across major business improvement initiatives.
   
  For more information on Cartesian’s PMO methodologies, click here