How enterprises can be the game-changer for telecom?

At the TLF 2020, delivering an industry keynote on Service Orchestration and Close Loop Assurance in 5G, Azad Singh, Solution Specialist OSS/BSS and Orchestration, CMS, HPE, said that HPE can help with service orchestration and close loop assurance in 5G.

Digital transformation is reshaping the communications, media and entertainment landscape. There are new infrastructure requirements, and with it, newer challenges. Eg., user equipment connected car, with three slices. One is the simple IoT slice. There is the mobile broadband slice or eMBB slice. Lastly, the URLLC slice or the user plane at the edge.

5G changes how the mobile networks are built, created, operated and used. Within service orchestration, there are parameters such as slice management, application/configuration management, etc. NFV MANO and SDN control integration are the key enablers to help SPs and enterprises. 5G management and orchestration is a combination of 3GPP network slice and traditional ETSI NFV MANO. Traditional ETSI MANO is not sufficient for the 5G management and orchestration.

HPE provides the 5G management and orchestration functional architecture. There is a layered view of how 5G management and orchestration works from service definition up to network function deplyment over NFVI. HPE also offers the 5G service-based architecture, PoI. The 5G service assurance approach is also changing as compute capabilities are changing how the networks are built.

There is a move to a flattened network, where functions are optimally placed. There also needs to be an OSS assurance service to embrace 5G services. These need to be intelligent, automated and agile. They should also be Big Data driven, with zero-touch operations. HPE is introducing new functions/components such as SD4SM, container management (NFVD) and NWDAF network function.

Enterprises a game-changer for telecom

Manish Sinha, CMO, STL, moderated a session on how enterprises can be the game-changer for telecom?

What should we be doing for the enterprises? Arun Karna, MD and CEO, AT&T Global Network Services India Pvt Ltd said they come from the enterprise data business. Enterprise CIOs have three pillars: they are getting virtualized, are data defined and are shifting to the cloud. We are also seeing lot of IoT deployments. There is also an increase in IT assets. They are also looking at providing security.

SPs are delivering edge-to-edge intelligence where a lot of digital assets lie. SD WAN and NFV are delivering all that. AR/VR depend on compute power, right to the edge of the network. In IoT, no one can succeed alone. Everyone must come together to bring a user-centric network. Cyber security is another key area.

The enterprise, or the neglected child, is now demanding everything as a service. We should be primed to provide infrastructure as a service. We can provide it as a pay-as-you-use service. As enterprises are in the cloud, telcos can collaborate so that they have multi-cloud environments. Enterprises also want SPs to enable product-as-a-service.

Azad Singh, HPE, said that there is a need for CSPs to offer more to enterprises. There needs to be comprehensiveness. CSPs are equipped to bring the network closer to the customer. Programability and agility will also help to quickly fulfill the services. Business drives technology. The ability to innovate is very important.

Ashutosh Vasant, Director, POM, Railtel, said that the enterprise is a revenue churner for telecom. "We need to see are we getting what I am paying for? As Railtel, we invite you to join us. We have rolled out content on demand. The final money comes from the government. There is huge scope to make money with CPSUs. We were the first to offer telebusiness. We provided everything as a service, and built SLAs. The world has to change, based on experience.

"Right now, we have 5,500+ stations with WiFi, and it does not stop there. There is a 10G OLT box in various places as well. Now, there are over 10,000 sanctions for LTE. This is the secure network, that can fan out to create more value for your network. We also have all CCTVs functioning across stations. We can give you 30 million passengers per day. I must also have a security partner who lives in that world."

Devendra Taneja, Founder and CEO, PC Solutions Pvt Ltd said that telcos have played little attention to the enterprises, focusing more on consumers. Enterprises are adapting, but telecom also need to play a leading role by developing an ecosystem. Telcos also have to link with multiple clouds. Issues need to be comprehensively addressed.

Manish Tiwari, Senior VP and CISO, Bharti Airtel, said there has been a huge revolution in services over the last two decades. IoT, cloud-based services built on a secure foundation, have the potential to transform our country's economy. We can also have transform lives. We can deploy IoT technologies to manage traffic. Telcos are playing a very important part. We need a great and productive telecom backbone. With IoT, you need connectivity, data centers, etc. Telcos are well positioned to capture this market and bringing lot of critical services.

There was a security breach in the USA. Telcos can fit in connectivity. They should also provide a secure platform. Businesses can develop apps on that platform, provided by the telcos. There needs to be collaboration between telcos and enterprises.

Presenting his views, Maj Gen Ravi Chaudhary, Former Head, Digital Army Projects, said that telcos and SPs need to give more attention to the enterprises. Content and connectivity need to go together. The army had to have one organization looking after storage. You need to have firepower and mobility. The requirement begins from connectivity, to content, on to intelligence. There will be niche areas, such as more technologically- or entertainment-oriented. CPSUs have their own fiber. Those can be used.

Vikas Chhabra, Director, Service Provider, Cisco Systems noted that the enterprises have not really been focused upon so far. The focuse has been more on the consumers. Surveillance is very important in huge campuses. Telcos can step in here, as an example.

Telcos are also a bit risk averse. Some use cases around IoT have been evaluated for the enterprises. The returns are a little far. Telcos need to be convinced for revenue and investment protection. CSPs will be at the lead of the entire thing. Anyone who leads the services for enterprises will lead the change.