AT&T and cloud platform provider ServiceNow are offering a way for communications service providers (CSPs) to manage 5G and fiber network inventory.
AT&T provided strategic design and technical guidance for development of Telecom Network Inventory, which is a cloud-based management platform. It will be deployed by AT&T and will be available to other network operators as well.
The companies say that existing approaches to managing inventory are complex and challenging because they lack a consolidated view of the network and a consistent workflow through which to connect and utilize data. The Telecom Network Inventory platform is designed to answer this question by providing a single platform that connects systems. The platform will maximize network investments, manage orders, improve experiences with customer service and enhance business agility, the companies said.
AT&T will provide ongoing strategic guidance as the product evolves. The carrier says that consolidating equipment and services into a single platform is critical and that it expects the platform to provide better insight into network operations and issue resolution.
“Working with ServiceNow to develop Telecom Network Inventory was a great collaboration to create a tool that could help us address an industry-wide challenge,” Jon Summers, AT&T’s senior vice president of information technology and chief information officer, said in a press release. “As we approach our internal deployment, we also look forward to seeing how other operators around the globe might take advantage of it.”
Network management may become a more complex issue as carriers expand beyond their traditional local exchange carrier turf, as AT&T Chief Operating Officer Jeff McElfresh said the company is looking to do and as the company subsequently said it would do through its Gigapower joint venture.
