Case 6:20-cv-00272-ADA Document 65-9 Filed 03/14/22 Page 1 of 4
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`Exhibit 7
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`

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`Case 6:20-cv-00272-ADA Document 65-9 Filed 03/14/22 Page 2 of 4
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`294 Understanding telecommunications networks
`
`customers (known as ‘provisioning’) and the management of the performanceofthe
`network — known as ‘provide and maintain’ functions. These two sets of functions,
`which are focused on the network, are normally considered to provide the so-called
`role of ‘network management’.
`For any national operator, network management is a vast undertaking. It involves
`the control of many thousands or millions of lines, multiplexors, subscriber concen-
`trator switches, digital transmission line systems, local exchanges, junction tandems,
`trunk exchanges, etc. Each piece of equipment has to be configured, assigned to a
`customer or for commonuse in the network, its performance monitored, faults have
`to be repaired and the equipmentbrought back into service. Just keeping an up-to-date
`inventory ofall the equipment identities, their location, their status, etc., is a huge task
`in itself. Although historically the records used were paper-based with manualtrack-
`ing, increasingly now operators use computer-based network management systems.
`Thus, the network management function is delivered through a range oflarge com-
`puter systems running programsthat enable technicians at several dispersed centres
`within the country to control remotely whole regions of the network. Such systems
`require large data bases to hold all the inventory and status information of the equip-
`ment in the catchment area. Real-time monitoring and remote control is provided by
`the extensive deployment of control links from the various network elements (ie.
`equipment) to network-management centres. Typically, the latter are referred to as
`‘operations and maintenance centres’ (OMCs). The control-links from the equipment
`and the OMCs are deemedto reside in the top layer (Administrative Layer) of the
`multi-layered model of Fig. 11.4, described earlier in this chapter.
`OMCsprovide a range of functions, typically including:
`
`(i) Remote monitoring of alarms from exchanges and Core transmission systems.
`(ii) Remote access to the exchange-control systemsto:
`changethe status or features of a subscriber’s line;
`initiate a new subscriber’s line;
`monitor a subscriber’s line;
`change the telephone numberof a subscriber’s line;
`change the contents of the exchange routeing codes andtables;
`set software changes and upgrades;
`manage software restoration actions;
`install software builds.
`(iit) Monitoring of unmanned exchange and Core-transmission buildings for
`intruder and fire alarms,etc.
`(iv) Remote collection of traffic usage information (to be used for dimensioning
`and forecasting of growth in demand, traffic dispersion,etc.).
`(v) Remote collection of call-record data from the exchanges for forwarding to
`separate billing centres.
`
`In addition, there are separate network management centres which monitor the whole
`national network, the links to other operators and the international links to other
`countries. These national or regional control centres have the responsibility of overall
`control of the network performance. Importantly, it is the technicians at these centres
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`VOP_RBR0002426
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`Putting it all together 295
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`that have the ability to initiate remedial action across the range oftransmission systems
`and exchanges to cope with major breakdownsortraffic overloads in the network.
`Wherethere is advanced warning oflikely telephone traffic surges — e.g. as a result
`of televised telephone voting, where a massive numberofcalls can be expected to a
`single number during a short time of day — technicians at the network control centres
`can initiate re-routemg of calls and other measures, such as call gapping, to limit the
`extent of overload and ameliorate the effects on the QOS for the customers. In the
`case of call gapping, the control systems of the offending local exchangesare set to
`switch only a limited proportion of calls to the overloaded destination, e.g. one call
`every 5 seconds [13].
`In practice, the management of the network is undertaken at two levels. The
`first level is that of the management of individual pieces of network equipment or
`‘elements’, e.g. cables, multiplexors, line systems, cross-connects, exchanges, sig-
`nalling systems and intelligent network data bases. So-called element managers are
`control systems, usually computer-based, that are specific to the particular elements’
`technology. For example, an SDH add-drop multiplexor (ADM)controller is used
`to configure the ports on all the ADMs supplied by a particular manufacturer. Nor-
`mally, element controllers are able to extend remote control to all the many elements
`within an area — typically a region within a country, as set by practical constraints
`or organisational boundaries of the network operator. In addition to managing the
`configuration of the equipment, element managers usually also monitor one or more
`performance parameters(e.g. digital error rate) and any fault alarms or system error
`messages. Element managers are usually located in operational buildings, such as
`exchanges or Core Transmission Stations.
`The second level of network managementis at the overall network level, having
`end-to-end control for that particular network. Examples include: the full network
`view of private circuits (or leased lines), telephone calls and ATM cell routeing.
`Generally, network managers, which are also computer-based systems, coordinate
`the outputs from all the element mangers involved in the network so that a total
`overviewis obtained.It is these network management systemsthat are located in the
`network management centres described above.
`Sofar we have considered only the managementofthe networkitself, but there is a
`further range ofoperations associated with managingthe interactions with customers —
`usually referred to as “customerservice’ or ‘service management’. There are four main
`areas of service management, namely: order taking, fault management, provisioning
`and billing. The key aspect of service managementis that it involves providing an
`interaction with customers. This is provided by service centres which are contacted
`by customers through telephone calls, e-mails, fax, web sites or even in person. The
`support systems for service management employ large-scale computing with massive
`data bases.
`Fig. 11.11 presents a summary top-level view of the widely accepted logical
`architecture for operations management, which is structured as a five-layer hierar-
`chy. At each layer a distinct set of operational activities are undertaken by groups of
`people, using dedicated computer support systems, associated with the relevant data
`bases, following prescribed processes and providing outputs for different recipients.
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`VOP_RBR0002427
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`296 Understanding telecommunications networks
`
`* Budget
`———>
`
`
`
`* Cost tracking
`
`
`« Business planning
`* Pand L. management
`Support
`ject management
`systems
`
`¢ Order handling
`
`+ Fault report management
`data
`
`
`+ Billing
`
`* Account management
`Support
`~
`-
`Por"
`[Processes
`+ Customer records
`systems
`« Provisioning
`
`* Network Operator's
`managers
`
`¢ Customers and users
`
`.
`Business
`offices
`
`.
`Customer
`service
`centre.
`centres
`
`Business
`Management
`
`Service
`Management
`
`Network
`Management
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`Network Control Layer
`
` Performance management ea ————
`
`
`
`Operations
`* Routeing table build
`7
`
`
`and
`» Remedial action
`
`Maintenance
`+ Restoration and fault mgt. Support Processes
`
`
`
`centres
`« Software builds
`+ Resource management
`systems
`
`
`Element Control Layer
`= ——
`
`y a
`« Alarm management
`
`
`« Configuration management
`Processes
`Support
`* Assignment management
`systems
`
`
`Network
`etwork
`nodes
`
`* Network-elementcontrollers
`* Other network operator's
`network-management
`systems
`
`¢ Network elements
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`Figure 11.11 Operations Management Hierarchy
`
`At the base of the hierarchy are all the network elements, i.e. the network itself. As
`described above, these are managed by technicians at network buildings using element
`controllers, shown as the second layer in the architecture. The element controllers
`are, in turn, managed on an end-to-end basis by the network management centres,
`which are deemedto sit in the third or network-control layer. Abovethis is the service-
`management layer providing the interface to the customers of the network service.
`Finally, there is a top layer which comprises all the activities associated with man-
`aging the operator’s business. This includes functions such as budget build, financial
`tracking of expenditures within the organisation — particularly expenditure on net-
`work equipment! — human-resource management, payment ofsalaries, invoicing and
`treasury functions, etc. Generally, the element-control layer and the network-control
`layer are assumed to act as a combined network-management function.
`Whilst the five-layer architectural view of Fig. 11.11 helps define the various
`categories ofactivities involved in managing a telecommunications-network-operator
`business, it does not provide a structure for the design ofthe vast range of support
`systems and their data bases and the process associated with execution. However,
`the Telecommunications Management Forum (TMF), which includes representation
`from network operators and equipment manufacturers worldwide, has addressed this
`problem. The TMF have developed the so-called FAB model to help the industry
`agree on how the set of activities or processes involved in providing network services
`should be structured. Fig. 11.12 presents the model, which identifies three sets of
`processes: those associated with customer care, service development and operations
`and network and systems management.Its nameis derived from the three fundamental
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`VOP_RBR0002428
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