Mobile network operators need to enable science, not art, says Actix

London, 3 February 2009 – Actix, the leader in Network Status Management (NSM) solutions, has today released findings that mobile network operators could benefit from 65 – 85 percent efficiency gains and save hundreds of millions of dollars in costs by using a more systematic, consolidated approach to mobile network engineering and optimization, bringing them one step closer to a Self-Optimizing Network (SON).

Mobile data usage has increased tenfold in the last 12 months, and operators have felt the pinch of reduced average revenue per user (ARPU), coupled with the continuous cost of investment in new technology and infrastructure to manage the growing data load. However, with the fragmentation of tools and process rife in the radio access network (RAN), the introduction of new applications is simply adding additional costs and complexity to operations.

Other areas of the mobile business such as IT, customer service and billing have long benefited from the cost and efficiency gains of systemized and consolidated operations, but this trend has not yet extended to the RAN environment; even though the RAN accounts for 40 percent of all operational expenses - almost four times more than billing. As many as 50 desktop tools can be replaced by a single web-based NSM solution, reducing the time taken to remedy critical network issues by more than 65 percent.

“Systemizing the RAN has been avoided thus far because it is not an easy area to understand, or change. The radio connection between the RAN and the mobile device is viewed as a ‘black art’, with RF wizards in control,” commented Alex Hawker, Actix CEO “Today, the RAN is one of the last bastions of an artistic process in the operations of a mobile network. Fragmentation is everywhere, with some RAN engineers using as many as 50 desktop tools to carry out their daily tasks, and the processes and tools used changing from desk to desk and office to office.”

New NSM solutions from Actix, which have been built from the ground up to support enormous real-time data loads and numerous interfaces, automatically distribute network intelligence across the entire organization and are now being seen as the first major stepping stone in the route to a truly Self-Optimizing Network. Some NSM customers have credited Actix with shifting the industry towards a more scientific approach to network status management.

“Operators are realising that a piecemeal approach to network management blocks potentially large operational and financial gains. Smart operators are today investing in NSM to save hundreds of millions of dollars in direct costs, underpin a cost-focused business model, and prepare their networks for the arrival of the Self-Optimizing Network, which is a lot closer to reality than many realize,” said Hawker.