An awareness of ongoing issues in network operations is paramount in being able to effectively integrate network components, as well as integrate the network into current practices and systems. Some providers have gone as far as to establish plans for a "professional services procurement zone" that would contract only with a small number of vendors to provide all professional services support needed for network installation and operation.
Operators are currently divided on whether professional services for network integration and operations should be provided by an equipment vendor or by a third-party. So far, the trend has been to promote equipment vendors in the role, giving preference to vendors with a broad enough product base to have strong representation in most areas of NGN infrastructure.
Vendors with a broad product base can be an asset even in the next-generation network (NGN) planning phase, and outsourcing transformation planning is increasingly interesting to operators as a result. In fact, the worldwide trend for network operators is to increase the use of outsourcing and professional services during all phases of NGN planning and deployment.
As this trend develops, the symbiosis between the professional support services aligned with the project phases will increase, and it is likely that professional services will be as significant an NGN planning and project area as equipment will be.
Part two of a three-part series.
Next: Launching a network ops outsourcing project
Back to part one: Outsourcing network ops and planning
Tom Nolle is president of CIMI Corp
This article originally appeared on SearchTelecom.com