Real-time monitoring and operational assistant system for mobile networks

The functioning of modern mobile networks is characterized with generation of huge volumes of network operational data, including alarm, performance, traffic, billing, and customer service data. The question is not only in receiving, organization and storing this data, but mostly, and more importantly, in data interpretation and analysis to support the operational and management needs of the network operators as well as the customers. For mobile operators, like Telecom Italia Mobile (TIM), the management of network operational data is a critical service quality-affecting factor that allows differentiating TIM from its competitors. In order to warn network operational personnel on existing or potential network troubles, and to correct them, monitoring of network performance data is needed. This allows network operators to detect performance degradations before they become service affecting. We describe the architecture and the functionality of a real-time monitoring and operational assistant system called NetDoctor which was developed to manage the faults and performance of mobile (cellular) networks.