There is a misconception that automation needs to be a an ‘all-or-nothing’ transformation project. This is simply not the case – automation can be introduced incrementally at your own pace, while bringing immediate business benefits.
The 5G Core network is still, in its infancy, but on the verge of transforming the telco industry. It offers MNOs and operators the chance to provide differentiated, innovative services and new use cases to both B2C and B2B2C customers.
It will support the dynamic, on-demand provisioning and recycling of 5G services and network slices, while supporting edge computing where the network effectively acting as the processor. In turn, this enables ultra-high speed, low-latency mission-critical applications, such as self-driving vehicles, smart cities, robotics, and so on. In time, it will transform everything that has gone before.
Manual processing in the 5G era is simply not an option
Software-defined network and virtualisation give it immense flexibility, power, and agility. But with this agility and power come challenges. The 5G Core network will be the most complex network to date, and managing such dynamic and diverse services and slices, in real-time, is simply not possible via manual processes.
The speed of data processing required, the agility and flexibility required to get innovative new services to market, the dynamic instantiation and retirement of network slices, and much more, quite simply need automation. Put simply, automation is an operational imperative.
Automation is imperative. But where to start?
The entire telco industry has grasped the importance of automation if it is to monetise the opportunities that 5G brings. While artificial intelligence is further down the line, automation can support significant business benefits right now. The two will create a powerful symbiotic relationship, but until that happens automation is already transforming the industry.
However, it’s one thing knowing that automation is essential, and another knowing where to start. The danger is that service providers may procrastinate in deploying automation for multiple reasons. First, there is a perception that automation is an ‘all-or-nothing’ process.
This simply isn’t true – automation can be introduced pragmatically and incrementally for individual processes or domain. In time, each domain or process (and sub-process) can also be automated and integrated with existing deployments, providing even more powerful benefits. Going ‘all-in’ can be a daunting prospect and can lead to inertia. Automation can be applied incrementally on any scale.
Second, there is an idea that before an automation project can only be deployed if processes are in perfect shape and accurately documented. Again, this is not the case. Imperfect processes can be automated and honed over time as experience grows.
An incremental approach to automation brings immediate benefits, while reducing risk, cost, and disruption
In reality, an easier (and less risky) approach is to take a pragmatic approach to automation projects to gain sustained returns on automation investments, with each process or domain adding to the other over time. Key to this is the concept of reusability.
The We Are CORTEX automation platform enables process fragments, chains, and function blocks to be reused across multiple areas, making the process of automation repeatable by domain, process, or project. It enables a pragmatic and repeatable approach to automation.
There is no need for an operator-wide or complete network transformation. Each automation brings incremental benefits that secure immediate gains without the risk, disruption, cost, and stress of the ‘all-or-nothing’ approach. Automation is a moving target that can bring immediate benefits, while offering a powerful roadmap that can be honed according to future needs, including integration with AI.
We Are CORTEX uses building blocks that are reusable, future-proof, and that feed into each other once the journey has started. To find out more about starting your automation journey, download our latest paper by clicking below.
