SON (self-organizing networks is not just a buzz-word, but an essential part of mobile network operators’ (MNO) operational support systems (OSS). Using human engineering skills to manage networks ended with the introduction of 4G technologies, and full manual management of telecom networks is now simply impossible. There are two main groups of SON solutions:
- distributed SON (d-SON)
- centralized SON (c-SON)
The first is typically an add-on, delivered with hardware from a RAN equipment vendor. It used to support only the automatic neighbor relations feature, and was vendor specific. But today’s MNOs usually have at least three RAN vendors, which would require three separate, non-synchronized d-SON solutions, so this model was quickly replaced by c-SON solutions covering all vendors and technologies.
SON tools are advertised as self-standing, solving all radio performance issues. This is true, but they often create new problems at the same time. This is because SON can’t operate independently of other existing OSS applications, especially when network elements are being changed in parallel.
These SON tools usually deal only with neighbors and reselection optimization. But managing a telecom network, even if only limited to its optimization, involves many tasks that have to be run periodically or on an ad-hoc basis. Thus, SON still has to be supported by planning and configuration management tools.
In this whitepaper you will learn
- What’s missing in SON tools
- How you can possibly enhance SON capabilities
- Comarch SON integration box for SON – Case Study
- How to transform to truly SON-oriented OSS
