Automation, Orchestration, and Testing

Automation and orchestration have been tightly integrated into the development, deployment, and operations life cycle of modern networks. A 5G network is no exception. 5G network specifications emphasize a cloud-native framework on which the various network functions are built, which goes hand in hand with massive-scale network automation. In this chapter, we will delve into details of network automation, understand how these critical networks are orchestrated, and discover how advanced use cases such as automatic scale-in and scale-out can be achieved. Automatic failure recovery is another topic that we will discuss in detail, and we will explore why it is needed.

The integration of various network components in a highly complex network such as a standard 5G network is a massive time consumer for Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) and Communication Service Providers (CSPs). We will discuss in detail how various network components can be integrated...

Automation infrastructure in 5G

Network automation is the heart of a stable, well-performing 5G network. With every generation of mobile networks, their complexity is increasing. 5G networks are built block by block by combining the network functions with a lot of network gear running a wide variety of heterogeneous technologies.

Figure 17.1 – A typical 5G production network

A typical mid-sized mobile network, as shown in the preceding figure, would comprise thousands of radio units and thousands of servers and network equipment items that would have been procured from multiple vendors running different hardware and operating systems. Hence, to be able to build, test, maintain, observe, and troubleshoot a large network, it is imperative to invest in network automation.

The network automation areas at a high level can be as follows:

• Deployment: A network is composed of various types of network elements; some can be appliance-based and...

Introduction to network orchestration

This is the aspect that brings out the flexibility provided by a 5G network. The importance of orchestration cannot be stressed enough. In a network that is trending toward rapid virtualization and cloudification, a network orchestrator becomes all the more necessary. Network orchestration from a high level may look like the following figure:

Figure 17.3 – Network orchestration tools

It contains an orchestration engine, which acts as the brain of this system. Orchestration is most popularly used for the deployment of services, cloud-native functions, and network functions, which can also be virtualized network functions.

But it is not limited to the deployment operation. A network orchestrator participates in every aspect of life cycle management. Most network function vendors have their own life cycle management tools. An orchestrator works to integrate all of them to provide a one-stop shop for all life...

Integration planning in a multivendor environment

By now, we are well aware of the complexity and the sheer number of components that constitute a 5G network. Integrating these would not be a trivial task. Each network component is a part of the puzzle that needs to fit in an airtight way for the network to function. Hence, there are multiple aspects to consider when we go about laying the foundations of the network and planning its integration. The following points should come in handy while doing so, and it should be noted that all of these steps should be automated for faster test cycles and integration:

• Unit testing: This is the most basic part of testing and, possibly, the starting point for any network engineer before they can start the integration of the components. It is important to check the sanity of each network component before it is ready for integration. This is usually done with the help of an independent test framework that simulates the external interfaces...

Monetization via AI and ML

AI and ML are no longer buzzwords. They have very much become a reality in modern networks. A telecom network is a treasure trove of important information that can be mined and analyzed to further improve business opportunities and the network itself.

Patterns in user behavior can be mined and analyzed to suggest better mobile usage plans for them. They can be used to provide meaningful insights to the user. For example, if the user is in a mall, there could be a recommendation of ongoing discounts or the latest offers in the food courts and restaurants that the user can benefit from. Such recommendations would improve the quality of experience of the user and thus also improve their loyalty to the service provider.

Similarly, if a user regularly downloads a large amount of data every day, then there could be a recommendation for a plan that would allow a large data download at discounted rates. This would again result in savings on the side of the...

Summary

In this chapter, we have seen that automation plays a key role in the smooth operation of a 5G network. MNOs are adopting this practice widely. We have learned about network orchestration and how it is helpful in various scenarios, such as dynamically scaling in and out of a network, automatic failure recovery, congestion control, and implementation of network slicing.

We have also covered aspects of planning integration in a multivendor environment and how to go about testing the same. Finally, we concluded with the importance of AI/ML in the telecom business and how it can be used to expand horizons.

This book has walked you through the concepts needed to build, design, operate, and monetize a 5G network. We have gone over use cases that highlight the capabilities that a 5G infrastructure unleashes for various applications to consume.

I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate you for completing the book and also thank you for being persistent till the...

Further reading

To continue your learning of the topics covered in this book, you can now delve into the low-level details provided by www.3gpp.org. The specifications dig into the depths of each feature, right up to the level of implementation.

The specifications provide some insights shared by industry experts that will highlight some of the exciting opportunities and the future they envision for this technology.