As operators take advantage of the opportunities offered by 4.5G and 4.5G Pro on the path towards 5G, they are tasked with simplifying the network operations of multiple legacy radio technologies. The Nokia NPO Transformation service will help them do this, reducing the time spent on network planning and optimisation by up to 40 percent and freeing resources to focus on proactive customer-centric tasks. The Nokia NPO Transformation service will help operators cut through that complexity, reducing the time spent on network planning and optimisation by up to 40 percent and freeing resources to focus on proactive customer-centric tasks.

The service includes an operational assessment which uses value stream mapping and a task model, developed from Nokia’s extensive experience in conducting transformation projects with multiple operators. The assessment provides operators with a clear view of their current performance, measuring variables such as productivity, capital expenditure, and the level of customer satisfaction. Armed with this data, Nokia can then work with an operator to define its goals in these areas and put in place a detailed transformation plan focused on roles, processes and tools.   

With access to a plethora of automated technologies and analytics, Nokia can also provide operators with an in-depth view of network conditions over time, allowing them to move away from reactive, labor-intensive network operations to a more predictive approach. With tools such as the recently launched, cloud-based AVA platform, Nokia can enhance knowledge of the customer experience, allowing operators to make the most of existing infrastructure and to prioritise future investments more efficiently.

Nokia is trialing the use of new technologies such as drones, to cut the time, cost and manpower spent on traditional drive- and walk-testing. One customer trial used drones for optimising network performance  in a sports stadium. The company is also using minimisation of drive-testing features to provide a more rounded view of the network over a longer period of time than can be gained by traditional drive-tests. 3D Geolocation offers a more detailed alternative, with the ability to correlate data on radio conditions and application performance, and unlock hidden insight about the mobile experience for subscribers inside high rise buildings.  Where tasks such as site acceptance require traditional drive-testing activities, Nokia is using automisation to speed up data processing.

Dennis Lorenzin, head of Network Planning and Optimisation at Mobile Networks in Nokia, said: “By leveraging Nokia’s global scale, tools and its wealth of expertise in network planning and optimisation, operators can take advantage of cost structures and technologies that may not otherwise be available to them. The Nokia NPO Transformation service offers operators a comprehensive, step-by-step approach to free them from many of their daily planning and optimisation tasks, allowing  them to focus on their strategic business goals.”