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Energy Company Implements Monitoring to Assure LTE Performance
Technology Category
- Analytics & Modeling - Real Time Analytics
- Application Infrastructure & Middleware - Data Exchange & Integration
- Networks & Connectivity - Cellular
Applicable Industries
- Utilities
Applicable Functions
- Logistics & Transportation
- Maintenance
Use Cases
- Predictive Maintenance
- Real-Time Location System (RTLS)
- Remote Asset Management
Services
- System Integration
- Testing & Certification
The Challenge
The energy company was implementing a new, private LTE environment to support their digital transformations and critical communications services. They needed to assure quality delivery of services over the LTE environment as soon as the service is in production. Over the years, the cost to maintain these digital transformations has also increased to the point that IT and executive leadership concluded that implementing a private Long Term Evolution (LTE) environment will help improve the costs and quality of service necessary to run today’s and future technology advancements. The plan includes bringing the critical business services and power listed above, and more, into the new LTE infrastructure. The IT staff for this energy company recognized that they have held their WAN, Internet, and Cellular service providers to strict service level agreements over the years to ensure high-quality delivery of all their services.
About The Customer
This U.S.-based energy utility company provides electric services and natural gas to millions of customers with the support of several thousand employees. The region they service covers both densely populated and rural communities, which all require regular billing, maintenance, and customer service support. For this multi-billion dollar company, strategic investments in digital transformations over the years for smart meters and automated sensors on telephone poles have helped them maintain the high standards they have set for themselves in the areas of customer care and continuous power availability. Technology enhancements throughout this energy company’s ecosystem have made billing, customer care, and service delivery more stable, consistent, and efficient. However, it has required an internal network infrastructure and multiple vendors to support the applications running across the environment.
The Solution
The energy company selected NETSCOUT® to provide the necessary visibility to help them protect the availability and service assurance of all the application services over their new LTE environment. The IT team leveraged NETSCOUT’s vast experience in supporting LTE global suppliers, both large and small, to provide packet-based, real-time monitoring and analysis throughout their future environment. By starting the process early, the team has been able to initiate a plan to acquire and implement the nGeniusONE Service Assurance solution for proactive, end-through-end monitoring and analysis. Implementation will occur in concert with each segment of the LTE deployment to ensure pre-production testing can happen to validate quality delivery of services before cut-over begins. Key elements of the NETSCOUT solution include nGenius Packet Flow Operating Software for Certified 5100 Series Packet Flow Switches, nGeniusONE Service Assurance solution, nGenius Session Analyzer, and Radio Access Network (RAN) Monitoring and troubleshooting.
Operational Impact
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