Network outages - a thing of the past?

Blue Planet, a division of Ciena, is harnessing the power of automation and artificial intelligence (AI) to help providers not only predict but to also proactively avoid outages. Blue Planet’s new Proactive Network Operations (PNO) solution enables AI-assisted operations to significantly improve the trouble-to-resolve process, forging a path toward a more adaptive network.

 

As networks become more complex and software-driven due to the rise of 5G, IoT, and cloud-based services, service providers have an urgent need to use more proactive methods for addressing service disruptions.

 

According to Ovum, communications service providers (CSPs) indicate that their top priority use case for AI is network fault prediction, detection and correction, with over 40 percent prioritising the implementation of this use case within the next 18 months[1].

 

Colt Technology Services has seen the benefits of Blue Planet’s predictive capabilities that collect and process telemetry data from multiple sources across its global production network and identify faults with strong accuracy. Using advanced machine learning algorithms, Blue Planet’s PNO can predict potential service disruptions with exceptional accuracy, foreseeing up to 95 per cent of unplanned network outages based on analysis of Ethernet and optical loss of signal (LOS) anomalies. PNO can quickly pinpoint the root cause and then prescribe the best actions to pre-emptively resolve the issue. Blue Planet has also created an OpEx savings calculator to estimate the potential savings by deploying PNO. According to Blue Planet’s estimates, providers on average can save up to 38 percent in trouble-to-resolve OpEx per year. PNO can be integrated into existing provider environments regardless of which vendor systems and networking equipment are in place. Additionally, Blue Planet’s service professionals can help fine-tune and tailor PNO based on specific business objectives and network environment.

 

Mirko Voltolini, Global Head of Network on Demand at Colt Technology Services said, “AI works best when applied to real-world use cases that improve our network operations by eliminating time-consuming manual tasks. Blue Planet provides the capability to move beyond the hype to deliver real business benefits from predictive and eventually prescriptive analytics. This allows us to plan for the future, preparing our network for 5G, IoT, cloud and other emerging technologies.”

 

Kailem Anderson, Vice President of Portfolio and Engineering at Blue Planet, a division of Ciena added, “More providers are realizing that AI is key to facilitating a more automated way of running their business. Blue Planet’s goal is to enable customers to apply intelligent, closed-loop automation to all aspects of their operations with the goal of realizing Ciena’s vision of a fully adaptive network.”