Network inventory systems do not increase the turnover or income of operators in a direct way, yet it is thanks to them that operators acquire the operational efficiency expected by their clients and shareholders. Instantaneous access to the information about the network, its components, parameters of hardware installed along with its usability statistics and configuration details is in today’s telecommunications worth its weight in gold.

Network management in the system allows operators run processes automatically, which otherwise would take up long days or weeks. New client registration, granting them access to the services, quick launch of new services, network development planning, efficient debt collection, analyzing faults effects — all of these actions are network inventory - propelled.

The extent of benefits of using a network inventory system depend on how well the system reflects the physical network, and how many and which business processes make use of the collected data. HFC (Hybrid Fiber-Coaxial) network inventory is much more complex compared to the traditional copper and optical networks.

Solution

The network inventory  system forms a repository of information on the entire network – the copper and the optical. The system contains also the information on minimal operating parameters, such as noise level in individual network segments, power level and the like. This data can be used to manage the network (in problem detection for example). Network Inventory system stores technical documentation that, among other data, contains information on the ways to access devices, principles of servicing and extending, and their warranty dates.

Drawing on the information stored in the Network inventory  system one can quickly determine whether a customer located under a certain address can be granted access to a given service at once, or the network has to be first changed in structure or in configuration. As for network development departments, they can design new nodes based actual analysis of the use of network capacity as opposed to guesswork.
The development of network is reinforced by dedicated modules used by network development departments. Dedicated modules enable to determine which areas of the network need to be expanded. This facilitates the subsequent process of adding new objects and monitoring the network’s parameters in new configuration. The system has also been equipped with collaboration mechanisms — you cannot design a telecommunications network single-handedly — and mechanisms for simultaneous development of various projects covering  the same area.

To design a network one needs visualizations: objects from a library which is synchronized with ERP system are placed on the map and building diagrams. In this way it is clear which devices are available, which can be linked together and how, and what the parameters of the installed objects are. Multiple versions can be created for the need of one project. Having chosen the final version, it is possible to start modeling consecutive stages of its realization and mark the completed ones in a combined plan of the network. This helps coordinate the development of the copper and optical networks. The design of the optical and the coaxial networks takes place under one system – this gives us a cohesive picture of the network as a whole.

Detailed information on network structure is crucial for the financial standing of a telecommunications company. This system enables to verify the possibility of connecting a client to the network more quickly. The quicker you launch services, the sooner you will be able to issue invoices, and the sooner the investment in the network will be returned. Availability of information about the pace of network expansion allows to lay a detailed plan for purchasing devices. The information gathered in the system can be drawn upon when negotiating purchase contracts.

The more information gathered in the network inventory  system, the more benefits can be get in the long run. If devices produced by this or that company are faultier or that failures more frequently having been serviced by a certain subcontractor, carrier can prevent future problems and avoid resulting expenditures. The integration with financial system gives a crystal-clear picture of past repair costs.

A network inventory  system makes it possible to optimize emergency situations management both in technical (determining the actual extent of failure, giving repair orders to suitable services or subcontractors) and in customer-service terms.

Benefits

• Organizing and merging of information on the topology and logical structure of coaxial and optical networks
• Possibility of a complex expansion or modernization of the network
• Convenience of checking services availability in given network points.
• Successful network management thanks to comprehensive information about configuration of the network.
• Access to analytical tools which allow to enumerate the parameters of a designated point of the network.
• Swift analysis of failure results, locating potential areas of encountering them, and triggering precise remedial actions along with a coordinated client-information activity
• Analysis of devices reliability and verification of purchase policy
• Easy and business operation-based development of coaxial and optical networks.