KDDI's New Network Monitoring Mechanism Realizes Quick Failure Response Through Automation

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KDDI has introduced a new service monitoring mechanism that utilizes the operation automation function at the network operation center in Osaka Prefecture.

On the 12th, the appearance of the network operation center in Tokyo, which has already introduced the same system, and the company's disaster countermeasures were released to the press.

Constant monitoring is required

　Network monitoring means checking whether there are any abnormalities in the mobile phone lines that users normally use 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. In the unlikely event that a problem such as a connection failure occurs, it is necessary to deal with it quickly.

Hironori Kamiguchi, General Manager of KDDI Engineering's Operation and Maintenance Business Headquarters, explains that until now, network monitoring operations have largely relied on the skills of engineers.

　With the spread of smartphones, mobile phones and mobile networks have become even more closely related to our lives.

　In order to automate the work, it was necessary to visualize and standardize about 2000 work items of the engineers. From here, 40,000 system requirements have been prepared, and smart operation using an automated mechanism has started from 2021.

　The Network Operation Center, located in Tama City, Tokyo, is located within KDDI's facility, which has a vast site area for related facilities. It is a form of relocating the functions of the operation center, which was conventionally located in Shinjuku.

　Tama City was chosen because of its low earthquake risk and its location over 100m above sea level. Equipped with an emergency generator and UPS (uninterruptible power supply), the power receiving equipment and communication racks are completely duplicated to ensure redundancy.

Underground seismic isolation rubber An oil damper (orange tubular) that speeds up the convergence of earthquake tremors

　As earthquake countermeasures, a seismic isolation device with seismic isolation rubber and an oil damper is installed. A circulating air conditioning system is in place that draws in cold air from the outside, exhausts the air warmed in the machine room to the hollow part in the center of the building, and releases it by the force of the rising air current.

"Scribing meter" that records the shaking of an earthquake in the horizontal direction A part of the air conditioning that records the shaking of the earthquake. The rooftop of the facility where the warmed air is exhausted here. Equipped with a heliport

Automation speeds up response

With the diversification of services expected in the future 5G era, it was possible that conventional network monitoring that relied on people could not keep up. Mr. Mouth.

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KDDI introduces a new service monitoring system at its Osaka operation base-up to 40% reduction in recovery time in case of equipment failure

　Automation makes it possible to find equipment failures and restore them in one stop. The time it takes to restore service is expected to be reduced by up to 40%.

　In the past, experienced engineers conducted investigations based on procedures, such as what had broken down in the equipment and whether it would affect services. Smart Operation, on the other hand, is divided into three layers: an automation platform, a service monitoring platform, and an information platform.

　The most important service monitoring platform judges abnormalities from various information and notifies the monitor and controller of the results. The interface actually prepared for the monitor displays the time when the failure occurred, which part of the network has an abnormality, and the user's usage status.

A display in the operation center. The third picture from the left shows the state of the center in Osaka. Further to the right, you can check information such as Twitter

On the screen of the controller, in addition to the type of equipment failure and service impact, Twitter information etc. will be displayed, allowing you to check the user's reaction etc. ing.

In the future, it will be possible to monitor at home

　The operations of the operation center are also being made more redundant. In the past, the center in Tokyo was the base, and the center in Osaka acted as a backup facility to undertake monitoring in the event of a disaster in the Kanto region.

　This time, the center in Osaka has the same functions as the center in Tokyo, making it possible to monitor in the same environment at both centers. As a result, even if one of the centers is damaged, it will be possible to maintain a normal monitoring system without interruption.

　Currently, in order to judge abnormalities from the equipment monitoring system, the monitoring staff must come to work at the center. Although high security measures are required, in the future they hope to establish a system that enables network monitoring anywhere, such as at home or in a satellite office.

In the future, it is possible to monitor the network from home using a laptop computer (the photo is an image). A standing desk is also installed in the back of the free address

Disaster countermeasures that are becoming more important

　Disaster countermeasures are also indispensable for the stability required of mobile phone networks.

Especially in recent years, the scale of disasters has continued to expand, and it may interfere with the use of networks locally. In the example of 2019, about 800 base stations shut down during Typhoon No. 15, and 4,000 people were deployed in 9 days. Similarly, in Typhoon No. 19, about 600 stations stopped broadcasting, and 6,000 people were put in for 6 days to restore them.

In 2021, there will be no large-scale disasters similar to those of the previous year, but Junichi Ogata of KDDI's Engineering Promotion Headquarters, Network Resilient Promotion Office, believes that catastrophic disasters will not disappear due to the effects of climate change and other factors. says Mr.

　As a countermeasure for the network center, multiple facilities with the same function are prepared to achieve redundancy. However, there is a possibility that the center itself will be damaged in an intensifying disaster.

Therefore, by setting up centers with the same functions in separate locations, it is expected that even if one of them is damaged, one of them will still function. Of course, in preparation for blackouts, we are also taking measures such as concluding priority refueling contracts for generators and fuel with fuel companies.

Equipment in case of damage to the base station

In order for the mobile phone base station to function, a power supply and an optical cable that connects to the Internet are essential.

If either or both of these two are blocked, the user will not be able to use the mobile phone service. In preparation for such a situation, the base station can supply power for at least 3 hours, and depending on the location, 24 hours. ing.

In addition, in-vehicle base stations and portable base stations can be cited as measures to prepare for when the optical cable is cut or when the base station itself is damaged.

Deployment of special vehicles and cooperation with local governments

But these measures must first reach the damaged base stations.

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How au's disaster countermeasures have changed, evolution since the Great East Japan Earthquake

　In the past, areas where roads were destroyed had to be explored on foot, and heavy equipment was brought in by hand, but KDDI has made it possible to carry out activities in areas where it is difficult for normal vehicles to enter. We have introduced vehicles such as motorcycles and amphibious vehicles.

In addition, in order to strengthen cooperation with the government, the company's employees are dispatched to the local government's disaster response headquarters. We are conducting activities such as confirming the roads that can be driven and requesting the restoration of the roads necessary to reach the base station.

　The restoration of roads with low traffic may be postponed, but there are times when base stations in the mountains cannot be reached without going through such roads. In such cases, cooperation with the government has enabled rapid recovery.

On the other hand, not only land routes, but also cooperation with the Japan Coast Guard, installation of base station equipment on the company's cable maintenance ships "Ocean Link" and "Infinity", area coverage with drones and distress by radio wave identification Experiments such as the discovery of human beings are being conducted.

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