Customer Experience vs. KPIs: How Do You Measure Your Network Performance, and What is More Important to Focus On and Fix?

Network optimization has evolved tremendously over the past 20 years. Initially, it relied on a limited number of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) sourced from Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) Operational Support Systems (OSS). Today, however, network optimization benefits from diverse data sources, including network probes, Call Details Records (CDR), crowdsourced information, and geospatial data sets.

This evolution also reflects the changing landscape of network usage. We have shifted from voice-centric communication on 2G and 3G networks to the seamless streaming of ultra-high-definition (UHD) videos on 4G and 5G networks. The handset became our personal computer and TV. With these developments comes the need to harness the power of varied data sets within and across the network to drive further advancements in network optimization, and shift focus from network KPIs to user application experience.

Carriers today have a wealth of data resources, yet their primary emphasis often remains on network KPIs. These KPIs encompass a range of essential metrics. From OEM data, carriers can monitor accessibility, retainability, and mobility. They can also monitor critical data performance indicators like latency, error rates, and jitter. Network probes provide an additional layer of insights: end-to-end call flows with message tracing, data sets like "true call," and others designed to capture the intricacies of VoLTE and VoNR. Carriers can also harness crowdsourced data. This data, whether externally or internally gathered, grants a geospatial perspective, and includes user background application data.

Carriers can easily get absorbed in the plentiful data at their fingertips, but they should focus their attention on the end user. Decimal points worth of improvement in drop rate matters less than the impact being made to the end user, the real voice of the network. OEM KPIs help capture about 90% of the performance issues, but carriers often struggle with that last 10%. To address this critical gap, carriers should focus on a bottoms-up approach around users’ application experience.

TeleWorld Solutions’ Recommended Approach to Network Performance Evaluation

TeleWorld Solutions advocates for a multifaceted approach to network performance evaluation and metrics. Carriers should begin by leveraging the evolution of user-based performance management. Through this, they can harness the advancements in data analytics and AI/ML to construct detailed network and user profiles to enhance the overall user experience. While using these data sets, they should focus on the application experience, device performance, and how demographics correlate to network performance.

While the network side of KPIs is critical, TeleWorld Solutions provides solutions like Hypertuning. Hypertuning can create a network twin and sector profiles. This tool supports performance evaluation without impacting the network or costing a prohibitive amount.

 Leveraging User-based Performance Management to Improve Accessibility Issues

TeleWorld Solutions embarked on an analysis to address high accessibility concerns for a carrier involving more than seven million records in a pivotal city. The city was served by one of the world’s largest 4G-only networks. TeleWorld Solutions leveraged its advanced Hypertuning algorithm and swiftly identified that the issue was primarily concentrated in two specific geographic areas. Small Cells were then strategically deployed to the locations identified by geo-tagged data to resolve the problems. With just a few adjustments, the carrier achieved a remarkable 50% reduction in failure rates.

TeleWorld Solutions drives tangible improvements in network performance and reliability to its valued customers with its solutions and 20+ years of industry expertise. TeleWorld Solutions helps carriers simplify the process of network performance optimization and can help efficiently manage and monitor entire networks.

Sponsored article by Bhupinder Mann, Chief Services Officer, TeleWorld Solutions.