Huawei held an IP conference, via online, with its industry partners, to present the Key Architecture Index (KAI) and share its applications. The theme of the conference was “Leading smart IP networks, accelerating smart connectivity”, the event was part of the AfricaCom festival held last November.
In the operator's environment, the IP network allows fixed-mobile convergence, the evolution of the network, the shift to multiservices and the cloud era.
At the moment, a challenge faced by most IP networks (internet protocol) is unnecessary complexity, due to the lack of standardization of the IP architecture. Most networks were built without adequate provision, and next generation networks, whether 3G, 4G or 5G, were built on top of existing networks. This created network complexities around the lack of visibility, management and control.
“We have to simplify our networks once and for all as we move to autonomous and smart networks,” said Samuel Chen, Director of Solutions Sales and Marketing at Huawei Southern Africa at the conference.
The KAI architecture specifically addresses the challenges of complexity, enabling networks ready for the future with easy integration, visibility, management and control, measuring five dimensions of the transport network. The KAI model indexes are Congestion Free, Scalability, Simplification, Always-on and Intelligence. Each dimension is evaluated through the optical layer, IP and manager / controller / analyzer.
“The KAI model helps measure results to an acceptable level across our portfolio of offerings so that we can take a cloud-based approach to monitoring architecture,” said Hugh Ujhazy, vice president IOT and Telecom at IDC.
Zoltan Miklos, general manager of network planning for MTN South Africa, made a presentation at the conference highlighting the congestion-free IP transmission network with the best experience, which would be the direct result of following an architectural model. He emphasized that it was essential to build networks with the customer experience in mind. "The user experience is not just related to the wireless network, but to all aspects that are part of the service chain - from the customer to the core of the network," he added.
According to Miklos, MTN is working hard to improve the network architecture and is achieving excellent packet loss rates of less than 10-4 across its network. MTN's continued P3 best-in-test achievements are testament to that, he said.
A report, entitled Transport Network Architecture Index in 5G and Cloud It was published by industrial intelligence firm IDC this year, encouraged many operators around the world to move their network towards the KAI index model, seeking to prepare their network architecture for the future.
Tony Hu, vice president of Data Communication Product Line at Huawei, said that a step-by-step approach was the right way for customers to adopt this evolution for the KAI architectural model. “We need to think not just as layers of cash. We need to think about the layers of the system, the layers of architecture, ”said Hu. "We need to rethink how services will run on future IP networks and how to evolve our current networks for the future."
According to him, IP networks can evolve by evaluating the current network in relation to the five KAI dimensions. The KAI score obtained could then help the operator to define the destination network and the necessary corrective measures to be taken to get there.
The KAI model measures the five dimensions of a network as follows:
Congestion Free: Fibration rate, 10G / 25G for the site, convergence rate, network division.
Simplified: SRv6 / EVPN, Precise Clock Sync (G.8275.1).
Scalable: IP capability, fixed + mobile + corporate convergence, separation of control and user plan (BNG).
Always On: Topology - Ring and mesh, network and service decoupling, protection - IP FRR / TI-LFA, IP + optical synergy.
Clever: Automatic provisioning, visualization in GIS and logical topology, problem recovery (level of minutes), predictive and proactive maintenance, Full Stack AI.
