With the massive explosion in mobile data traffic expansion, massive device connections, and emergent new services and applications situations in the future, revolutionary service experience and new business application models is needed. 5G puts forth diverse requirements on essential transport networks, transport network require to be upgraded in time. Thus, carrier’s transport network transportation has evolved into an inevitable trend. 

During the 2021 Ultra-Broadband Forum (UBBF), Alan Loh, innovations & executive and solutions executive general manager at Zain KSA, made a presentation called “Intelligent IP Network on SRv6 Accelerate 5G Success.” In this he shared the experience of Zain KSA in building the agile and smart transport networks on the basis of SRv6 and SDN. 

Alan Loh observed that, developing a future-oriented sophisticated IP network for providing ideal end-user service experience, there are major points: streamlined and simplified protocol, agile provisioning, intelligent O&M. 

1] Simplified protocol: SRv6 + EPVN, enhancing service agility. Conventional networks have several protocols and complicated configurations, making configuration, administration, and maintenance tough. Zain KSA leverages the next-gen simplified protocols SRv6 and EVPN, can streamline network deployment and implement inter-AS one-hop connectivity with no VPN combination. As the foundation of the SDN digital infrastructure, SRv6 is compatible with network programming. By working with the Huawei SDN controller iMaster NCE, network-wide latency visualization, policy-driven centralized path calculation and automatic optimization undergo implementation, enabling traffic engineering and furnishing on-demand SLA assurance on the basis of services. 

2] Agile provisioning: Automatic service provisioning and optimization. Presently networks are manually operated and maintained by specialists and skilled personnel. In the future, this will no more be viable due to the several connections, improving network scale, and on-demand cloud-service provisioning E2E service automation, policy-driven closed-loop automation ought to be applied to enhance service deployment and maintenance efficiency. 

Alan Loh shared a Zain KSA’s practice in network automation and closed-loop in KSA. Zain KSA B2B are lately encountering challenges with client requirements to have a pool of capacity either for DIA or IP-VPN. The client requested a pool of throughput to be defined in the offer while they have several sites, and each shouldn’t have policer restricting the traffic as long as the cumulative volume is still within the purchased bulk. 

Zain KSA puts forth the service dynamic BOD function of Huawei iMaster NCE to go about implementing ongoing traffic monitoring, and automatically adjust bandwidth for sites. The automated fast closed-loop function facilitate Zain to release new cost-effective offering for the users. 

3] Smart O&M: Service visibility and AI-driven troubleshooting: During the course of the previous decade, operator’s O&M expenses have been escalating in the cumulative revenue structure. Owing to the rapid technology development, intricate network variants, and complicated network administration and maintenance, operator’s OPEX has been increasing on an ongoing basis. 

When 5G experiences its introduction, can carriers swiftly detect abnormal service information from massive network data, correctly identify faults, enhance service generation efficiency, and minimize repetitious labour? Alan Loh put forth Zain KSA’s innovative ideas. But putting forth the iFIT technology, service SLA can be real-time monitoring and facilitate minute-level fault demarcation and locating. AI technology will be introduced on an ongoing basis in the future to be compatible with global network analysis, forecast network traffic and faults, undertake diagnosis of root causes, and furnish troubleshooting suggestions, to accomplish proactive O&M. 

Zain KSA, a noteworthy service provider in the Middle East region, is putting down new benchmarks for furnishing a really reliant and high performing 5G network experience, has won the Speedtest Award as Fastest Fixed Internet in Saudi Arabia for the third time in sequence, ever since its rollout of the region’s biggest 5G network. 

Through deployment of next-gen technologies, KSA is developing the most sophisticated transport network in the region that can ensure the best in class SLA and also provide for all future requirements of 5G and cloud era. Zain KSA has the capacity to leverage smarter networks to furnish improved services for users.