Why I Hate My Cell Phone (cont'd)

Existing OSSs Can Help

Finally we get to what many would consider a most tenuous connection to network reliability - operations support systems (OSS). More than one service provider executive has asked: "What does an accurate circuit inventory system have to do with network reliability?" This is a good question, and one that is not necessarily easy to answer. Think of the network as a 747 jet liner, traveling coast to coast at night in dense fog. One cannot just look out the window and tell where the jet is, where it is going, what its altitude is, or if it is on course. The pilot can tell all of this by scanning the airplane's instruments, and can take passengers to the right destination safely and efficiently as a result.

For the wireless executive trying to navigate a network to profitability, the weather is precipitous with poor visibility and OSS systems are his or her instruments. Some OSSs, such as billing and finance systems, are old friends to most executives. Others may be less familiar and more complex, but no less important. There is great value in the customer complaint and network trouble management systems already in place - they can identify where consistent network problems occur to support executive decision making. Linking network monitoring systems to customer information can benefit customer care call handling because problems will have been identified before the calls start to arrive. Performance and inventory systems linked together can fruther identify problem areas - such as those flaky backhaul circuits create - before subscribers notice them.

Each service provider has a unique opportunity to use its installed OSSs to better manage and improve network performance in ways that customers will notice quickly. In many cases, it is possible to use existing systems to enhance service, decrease churn, and improve each customers' perception of the mobile service her or she perceives. Ultimately, OSSs used the right way can help change a user's love-hate relationship with a mobile phone to something that at least resembles friendship, if not true love.

«Prev   |   1   |   2   |   3   |   4   |   Subscribe

© 2004, All information contained herein is the sole property of Pipeline Publishing, LLC. Pipeline Publishing LLC reserves all rights and privileges regarding the use of this information. Any unauthorized use, such as copying, modifying, or reprinting, will be prosecuted under the fullest extent under the governing law.