Proactive network maintenance through Intelligent Networks technology
Our Intelligent Networks technology has been developed to help operators increase service uptime and reduce operational costs by the means of proactive network maintenance. Its core idea is simple: taking proactive actions to possible network issues creates a better outcome in terms of business value and customer satisfaction compared to just reacting to problems after they have occured.
The technology consists of intelligent optical nodes and amplifiers and their management software working individually or together. They enable:
- Up-to-date, spatial information about network status, from device level up
- Automatic adjustments and self-configuration in the devices by replacing traditional plug-ins with electrical controls
- Remote management via the management software
Adopting the technology enables operators to spend less time in network maintenance while improving customer satisfaction through increased service reliability and uptime. Happier customers, in turn, lead to growing loyalty and repeat business.
Below, we introduce five ways to utilize Intelligent Networks technology to achieve considerable business benefits:
1. Up to 60% fewer truck rolls
One key issue in network management and maintenance is that network problems can be difficult to locate which makes fixing service issues slow, leads to higher repair costs and takes customers onto a path potentially leading to churn. Intelligent network devices can be used to find out where the disturbances enter the network and what their impact areas are. The management software can attach detailed spatial information to each device and, when information from an affected device arrives, show its exact location on a map. As experiences from the field show, up to 60% of truck rolls can be avoided by knowing precisely where to go to fix a problem.
2. 30% less tickets and calls to help desk
Network reliability is the single-most influential factor causing customer dissatisfaction in the cable television industry. Intelligent Networks management software can help avoiding even 30% of all customer calls and tickets by providing the needed information from the device level up to fix issues quickly and effectively. In addition, the intelligent devices feature an automated ingress-switching functionality that allows segregating the failing network segments until fixed, thus limiting the number of homes contaminated by the ingress.
3. Up to 20% reduction in power consumption
Intelligent nodes and amplifiers introduce several innovations for controlling power consumption in the amplifier module, including remotely adjustable performance levels as well as autonomous and load-based performance adjustment. These are based on the simple idea to save energy by adjusting bias current in the amplifier module according to the actual capacity in use. This can save up to 30% of the power consumed by the amplifier module, which, in turn, can reduce the total network power consumption by up to 20% without sacrificing the end-user quality of service.
4. 100% less seasonal maintenance visits
Traditionally, network devices have required frequent maintenance operations, such as seasonal visits to the site, due to changing temperatures. The intelligent network devices are able to reconfigure themselves and keep all adjustments precise thus avoiding regular on-site maintenance visits. Temperature changes do not impact the network performance, and consumers can enjoy robust broadband speeds.
5. Higher network uptime and considerable savings in time and money
The overall impact of Intelligent Networks on network maintenance is significant. Experiences from our customers show that, on average, the technology enables a 30-minute-faster repair time for the ingress and CPD problems while making severe node area breaks 150 minutes shorter. Scaled to the entire network level, the increase in service uptime is remarkable, as are the monetary benefits.
