An Agile Service Design Method for Network Automation and Zero-Touch Management

With the continuous access of massive data, devices, and emerging applications to the Internet, network complexity and network management are facing unprecedented challenges. Therefore, it is urgent to optimize network and service management through artificial intelligence technology, and Standards Development Organizations (SDO) put forward the standards for network automation and zero-touch management. The service design of the Product-Service-Resource (PSR) model discussed in the paper is one of the means of network automation and zero-touch management through decoupling networks and services hierarchically. The paper also introduces the method of automated service design that effectively reduces the development cycle and human errors, which is the basis for realizing a fully autonomous network.

I. Introduction

As the evolution of the network has become increasingly complex, improving the level of autonomous networks and reducing human intervention will be an inevitable trend. ESTI [6]–[8] and lTU [3]–[5] explore the use of artificial intelligence technology to achieve agile and efficient network management. ESTI GS ZSM 006 [1] mentions that Zero-touch network and Service Management (ZSM) is defined as enabling network and service management in an automated way, ideally with 100 % automation, which is expected to transform the way telecommunication networks and services are managed. Moreover, autonomous networks introduced by TMF [2], which are defined as providing zero-wait, zero-touch, and zero-trouble customer experience for vertical industry users and consumers through intelligent infrastructure, agile operations, and all-inclusive services of fully automated networks and ICT, have the same goal as ESTI. The PSR model introduced by TMF [9]–[12] is also one of the means of automation mentioned in ESTI GS ZSM 006 [1].