Telecom Access Orchestrator With Attribute Catalogue For Local Condition Handling

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional broadband access network architectures fail to account for local conditions influencing end-user access situations and network resources, leading to inefficiencies in service modifications and usage changes.

Innovation Solution

A method that incorporates an attribute catalogue entity within the central office point of delivery, enabling decentralized subscription management and real-time updates through an access orchestrator, allowing for ad-hoc modifications and automatic synchronization of access line usage and service adjustments.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If a self-service application is used to communicate with business and operations support system, then customers can attempt to apply changes to subscribed services, but the system cannot take precisely into account local conditions influencing end-user access situations

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveself-service capabilityVSAvoidaccuracy of service modification
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces an attribute catalogue as an intermediary component between the self-service application and the business/operations support system. This attribute catalogue stores local network conditions, subscriber information, and access parameters, enabling the system to accurately interpret and process service modification requests while considering specific local circumstances. The attribute catalogue acts as a mediator that bridges the gap between generic self-service operations and localized network conditions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Productivity

If conventional architectures are used, then system structure is simpler, but service modifications and usage changes are inefficient

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveservice modification efficiencyVSAvoidsystem architecture complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the network management system into distinct functional components: a self-service application layer for customer operations, an attribute catalogue layer for storing local conditions and subscriber data, and a business/operations support system layer for processing modifications. This segmentation allows each component to specialize in specific functions, improving overall productivity while maintaining manageable complexity through modular architecture.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent adds a new dimensional layer - the attribute catalogue - that operates between the self-service application and the support system. This additional dimension enables the system to store and process local network conditions, subscriber-specific parameters, and access information, thereby improving service modification efficiency without fundamentally redesigning the existing architectural layers.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

3Measurement precision

If decentralized attribute catalogue is implemented, then real-time local conditions are captured accurately, but system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveaccuracy of local condition captureVSAvoiddecentralized system complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements decentralized attribute catalogues at local network elements (such as access switches or routers) that are specific to each local domain. Each local attribute catalogue captures and stores conditions relevant to its specific area, such as local network topology, subscriber locations, and access parameters. This local quality approach ensures accurate capture of local conditions while distributing the complexity across multiple smaller, independent catalogues rather than a single centralized complex system.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentEP4096164B1Method for operating a broadband access network of a telecommunications network, the broadband access network comprising at least one central office point of delivery, broadband access network or telecommunications network, system, attribute catalog entity or functionality, program and computer-readable medium
Publication Date: 2025.01.01 DEUTSCHE TELEKOM AG
  • EP4096164B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP4096164B1 patent drawingFigure 3~5
  • EP4096164B1 patent drawingFigure 6

AI summary

The invention relates to a method for operating a broadband access network of a telecommunications network, the broadband access network comprising at least one central office point of delivery and the central office point of delivery comprising an access orchestrator entity or functionality, at least one element management system entity or functionality and a plurality of access nodes serving or being related to one or a plurality of end users or subscribers of the telecommunications network, wherein the telecommunications network furthermore also comprises a business and/or operations support system wherein the central office point of delivery additionally comprises or is assigned or related to an attribute catalogue entity or functionality, the attribute catalogue entity or functionality realizing a decentralized and/or access-related subscription layer or subscriber portfolio catalogue, comprising subscription information regarding the plurality of end users or subscribers, wherein the method comprises the following steps: -- in a first step, a modification event message is received by the access orchestrator entity or functionality, wherein the modification event message reflects a subscriber-related modification and/or a network-related modification, -- in a second step, the access orchestrator entity or functionality contacts the attribute catalogue entity or functionality resulting in an update operation of the attribute catalogue entity or functionality adapted to the subscriber-related modification and/or the network-related modification.