In the fast-paced world of telecommunications, 'intent-based' has become a buzzword over the last five years. For those who regularly follow telecommunications blogs and articles authored by IT professionals, it's a term that frequently appears. This concept is most associated with cloud networking, autonomous networks, 5G, and the Internet of Things (IoT). It's often described as the future of network management, known as 'Intent-Based Networking' (IBN) or, sometimes more specifically, as 'Intent-Based Provisioning.' TM Forum addresses this area with the Intent Common Model and the recently released Intent Management API, allowing intents to be expressed in a particular ontology language.
As with many hyped concepts, these technologies tend to be embraced and standardized by large telecommunications companies, communication operators, and market vendors.
However, the question arises: what do these advancements mean for the smaller and medium-sized retail, wholesale, and B2B fixed line fiber operators?
Simplify Service Configuration with Intent-Based Provisioning
Intent-Based Networking is not entirely new; it has been adopted by cloud companies to address scalability and elasticity issues associated with running large-scale cloud deployments. For example, Kubernetes is a well-known and widely deployed intent-driven system.
In essence, an intent-driven network represents a modern approach to network operation and automation, ensuring the network remains in its 'intended state.' This is made possible by a 'closed-loop' system designed to monitor the network's performance and behavior. It then automatically adjusts the network to maintain its intended state.
The input to this loop, which may originate from a user using a graphical user interface (GUI) or processes within an operator's Business Support System/Operation Support System (BSS/OSS), is described as 'intents' rather than an explicit set of parameters. In this context, 'intent' describes the 'what,' but not the exact 'how.' This shift away from traditional methods of describing and configuring network services streamlines the launch of new services, making it quicker and more straightforward.
For instance, when a customer orders a point-to-point connection between two locations, the 'intent object' describes a tunnel between points A and B, along with high-level constraints and properties like service speed and security. However, it does not specify the configuration details, the number of devices used, or the precise application of BGP configurations.
Leveraging the Power of Intents in FTTx Operations
When delivering FTTx services to homes and small businesses, operators can also gain advantages by using intents within their BSS/OSS solution. For example, a typical service would have a specific 'intended' speed, Quality of Service (QoS), and Service Level Agreement (SLA). Product and service specifications in the catalog can be defined using sets of 'features' that can be toggled 'on' or 'off.' SLA levels can be defined as discrete options, such as Standard, High, and Premium, each corresponding to a minimum acceptable transfer rate, latency, and service uptime. The order orchestration, automation, and provisioning platform processes this information as a set of intents, configuring the service to meet the desired state. When the same customer later orders a service upgrade, the system should intelligently transition from the current state to the new one with minimal disruption to the customer's services.
The key here is that the automation platform must be smart enough to determine 'what' needs to be done to achieve the objectives without requiring a network engineer to specify the exact sequence of commands. In most traditional BSS/OSS solutions, this would typically involve complex orchestration flows with conditional executions of various paths, predefined in advance. Upgrades would often result in a full disconnection of existing services followed by a connection of the new service.
For large telecommunications companies deploying 5G and IoT, artificial intelligence (AI) is essential in this process. The network state is a constantly shifting target with millions of devices and elements appearing, moving, and disappearing. This is where the assurance aspect of IBN becomes crucial, providing the system with the ability to validate that the network is functioning as intended. While this level of complexity may exceed the requirements of running a medium-sized fiber network with mostly residential and small business customers, the concept of abstraction between the BSS/OSS solution's configuration of elements and the network remains valuable.
Using an intent-based approach in the order orchestration and provisioning layers offers several key benefits:
- Simplified Configuration: Shifting to an intent-based approach means network engineers no longer need to configure a set of commands in a sequence. Instead, they work with high-level models and business policies. This simplifies the configuration process and reduces the chances of human errors, as users can describe their intent across multiple layers without needing to specify each detailed step. By using declarative models, the system can automatically translate high-level intents provided within the BSS/OSS into specific network provisioning operations. This automation ensures the consistency and quality of configurations for products, services, and resources.
- Layer, Vendor, and Technology Abstraction: The use of intent-based modeling enables a clear separation between different types of intents, such as customer intents, service intents, and network intents. This abstraction not only helps managing business and network operations more efficiently but also facilitates the introduction of new vendors and models into the network, thus reducing the risk of vendor lock-in. Implementing a vendor-agnostic and technology-agnostic approach in all layers is crucial for ensuring consistent network provisioning across different technologies and devices.
- Flow Reusability: By using declarative intent-based configuration, order orchestration flows become less complex. There is a clear separation between order business logic and network provisioning logic. This means that the business rules governing the provisioning of new products and services can be defined separately from the technical details of network configuration. It simplifies the management of complex services and enables easier changes and updates. Furthermore, it promotes the reuse of orchestration flows. Once an intent is defined and tested, it can be reused for similar scenarios. This not only saves time but also guarantees consistency and reliability in service delivery.
- Faster Onboarding of New Products and Services: In summary, using an intent-based approach can accelerate the onboarding of new products and services. Engineers can define the intent and high-level properties for new product offerings and services, and the system can quickly translate it into the necessary network configurations. This speed-to-market is essential for network operators and service providers looking to stay competitive.
Conclusion
Embracing an intent-based approach in the fiber operator industry can unlock numerous benefits. Fiber operators can streamline their network provisioning processes by simplifying configuration, leveraging layer, vendor, and technology abstraction, promoting flow reusability, and enabling faster onboarding of new products and services.
With the advancements in technologies like NETCONF/YANG and the adoption of industry standards such as TM Forum's concept of 'features,' fiber operators can stay competitive and meet the evolving needs of their customers.
