Towards Autonomous Networks-Applying Digital Twin to 5G Xhaul Telecom Equipment Configuration Dynamic Management

This study focuses on enhancing 5G Xhaul telecom equipment configuration management through the application of DT (Digital Twins), addressing the urgent need for autonomous networks in Communication Service Providers (CSPs). We explore the transition from manual data synchronization (Digital Model stage) to an automated system (Digital Shadow stage) by DECS (Dynamic Equipment Configuration Synchronizer). DESC is composed of three sections: Infrastructure, Configuration Collector, and Equipment Module Plug-in. These components schedule and coordinate all data extraction tasks, providing a unified and standardized method to represent equipment from various manufacturers. They also convert the collected raw configuration data of the equipment into a more structured and standardized format, synchronizing the equipment configuration data through the TMF639 Resource Inventory Management standard interface. DESC has significantly improved the accuracy and efficiency of network resource allocation. This advancement in digital twin technology, specifically applied to Chunghwa Telecom’s 5G Xhaul, supports over 3 million 5G users. It enables automatic updating of configuration data, thereby reducing manual errors and dispatch failures for resource provisioning. Our results show a leap in configuration data accuracy from 90% to 99%, which is crucial for efficient End-to-End Service Quality Assurance. Alongside this, it optimizes network traffic by facilitating accurate congestion management and improves equipment security by enabling precise vulnerability assessments. This study marks a crucial step towards autonomous network management, driving digital innovation in the telecom industry.