Auto-Provisioning of Open Access Networks in North America Possible Through Nokia and COS Systems Partnership

September 28, 2020 — COS Systems, a company which has been automating service provisioning on fiber networks in Europe since 2008, is working in partnership with Nokia to introduce this functionality to open access networks in North America.

Auto-provisioning, or automatic zero-touch provisioning, of open access networks is a digital mechanism offering a streamlined process for service providers to enroll for management on open access networks.

To detail the specifics behind auto-provisioning true open access networks, Isak Finer, chief marketing officer and vice president North America of COS Systems, joined Mircea Ciocan, business development manager at Nokia, in a virtual workshop to discuss the topic, which aired Thursday as part of Broadband Communities 2020 Virtual Summit.

Isak Finer of COS Systems during the Broadband Communities Virtual Summit

Finer initiated the workshop by specifying what a “true” open access network is. According to Finer, the distribution of true open access networks is divided into three layers: the service layer, the operations layer, and the infrastructure layer.

Finer advocated for the true open access model, saying that is “an incredible waste of resources” for internet service providers to each attempt to build their own fiber networks in a given region.

“Look at broadband networks as roads,” said Finer, saying that fiber networks are “the roads of the future,” which should be seen as critical infrastructure. “Just as roads are open, fiber networks should be open to a number of providers,” said Finer.

Finer specified how the auto-provisioning process works for service providers, saying “services are sold on a digital network marketplace, much like an app store,” where “customers can provision, or self-activate, themselves online and can choose from a number of services.”

“The digital marketplace is available 24/7 and with full automation it provides an excellent customer experience,” added Ciocan.

Zero-touch, automatic provisioning of open access networks allows for networks to be lit with no human intervention. The workshop demonstrated that auto-provisioning, or self-provisioning, takes only a few minutes, makes transactions extremely efficient, and keeps costs down.