Optical network automation a cost saver for operators

Operators that implement automation in optical networks and service lifecycle management can save more than 50% on their operational costs. That is according to a report from Nokia and Analysys Mason, which looks at automation solutions for global optical networks.

Implementing automation solutions in optical networks can help to simplify complex network operations tasks. It can also allow operators to shorten the time necessary for provisioning, configuring, deployment, and management.

With automation, operators can expect to benefit from 10% greater revenue from faster services, combined with an accelerated time-to-market for new services and the ability to offer differentiated services made possible by optical network slicing and network-as-a-service business models.

Put simply, optical networks are like highways for the super-fast internet connections used by businesses, online services, and data centres. They allow data to travel quickly and reliably, which is crucial for new and emerging tech like cloud computing.

These networks, made up of fibre optic cables, are vital for connecting different parts of the internet over long distances, linking to cloud services and storage, linking offices and facilities for big companies, and delivering high-quality video and other content.

Automation also promises to cut down significantly on operating expenses. Costs related to network provisioning could see savings of up to 81%, with other areas like network optimisation and fault diagnostics also seeing costs cut by more than half.

“The benefits of automation for optical network operations varied significantly among operators because they are at different stages of automation,” according to the report.

“Many of the operators that we have interviewed are looking to optical network slicing to deliver highly differentiated services such as bandwidth on-demand for enterprises,” the authors said.

Nokia offers a set of services called WaveSuite, which is a complete platform for automating optical transport, from access to core and long-haul networks. Some companies have already been looking to capitalise on this new offering, which uses machine learning and other innovative tech to lower costs and increase the reliability of networks.

Analysys Mason is one of the UK’s leading management consulting firms in the telecom and technology sector.