Professional services give added value to the customer who provides its services to the end user. Professional services include consulting, project management and technical support based on the terms and conditions laid down in a special written contract between the parties.
Professional services cover three main areas:
- Planning (network services definitions, network architecture design, network dimensioning, strategic studies for solutions/business models, technical solution),
- Advanced support (project management, technical support, emergency service, remote access, verification of operator interoperability, protocols or equipment),
- Consulting (consulting about project plan, product and service configuration, network design and planning, application planning).
Planning
Network services definitions
Selection and determination of services provided to end users that comply with the operator’s business plans and consider the target market, market requirements and possible scope of the services.
Network architecture design
Network architecture design for the provision of selected network services. The service covers the detailed analysis of the current network and the necessary changes, alterations or expansions of the network elements/components for the network infrastructure to support the optimum set of services.
Network dimensioning
This service comprises the elaboration of the network migration plan from the current to a new system, or just the necessary modifications of the current network. The migration plan includes the migration implementation method and all aspects of migration to a new network type or configuration.
Strategic studies for solutions/business model
Elaboration of strategic studies, analyses and business models for the customer/operator to introduce certain services into its network.
With high-quality consulting services, understanding of telecommunications technologies and present and future trends, Iskratel's experience can help telecommunications operators and service/content providers to improve their strategies by introducing new technologies and expanding their operations based on new telecommunications technologies.
Iskratel's comprehensive technical knowledge enables the elaboration of precise strategic studies on networks, technologies, service development and migration from old to new networks, new equipment and new services.
Strategic studies on telecommunications, information technology and the media sector are divided into:
- Network solutions
- Metropolitan area networks (MANs)
- Rural area networks
- New technologies
- New services
Technical solution
Technical requirements review. Collected data, the prepared technical solution and the specifications are compiled in the document called the Technical Solution. The document is subject to final approval by the customer.
Iskratel’s approach to preparing technical solutions is as follows:
- Analysis of the current situation
- Preparation of the questionnaire and site survey
- Analysis of requirements to provide a certain level of services (safety, quality, bandwidth, management, delays, costs, etc.)
- Creation of the document for network planning, including an analysis of existing technologies from the technical and commercial point of view, analysis of manufacturers of the selected technology, analysis of possible network technologies, analysis of the end-to-end solution management, monitoring of services and description of the technical solution.
- Test of technical solution in Iskratel’s facilities – optional.
- Test of technical solution on site – optional (interoperability test).
- Elaboration of project documentation, comprising: network design, traffic calculation, dimensioning of power supply, installation plan, cable connections and specification of the equipment and services.
Advanced support
Technical on-site support
If the customer wants Iskratel experts to perform certain on-site activities outside their obligations under the Service Support (warranty and post-warranty) agreement, a special purchase order is required for this support service. Depending on the scope of the on-site work, support is provided either by the system engineer or an expert.
Emergency on-site support
Following a customer’s emergency call, Iskratel’s certified expert responds within the agreed response time and may – depending on the problem’s severity - even visit the customer’s site in order to solve the critical situation or to diagnose the problem.
Remote-control management service
This service is one of the possible technical support services provided to the customer. Remote support requires remote Ethernet access to Iskratel's equipment via the internet or a dial-up connection. Without this access, repair times can be considerably longer. The use of a firewall or some other protection system is recommended and shall be provided by the customer. When remote access is established, the customer shall cooperate with Iskratel’s certified technical support expert.
Project management
- Project management based on Iskratel’s network solution
Iskratel provides the expert for project management, who coordinates the activities in connection with the implementation of Iskratel’s network solution. Project management activities include coordination, logistics, management, prioritizing and supervision from Iskratel Group facilities.
- Project Manager
For undisturbed project implementation and service management, a Project Manager is appointed by Iskratel, who coordinates all the activities from one of the Iskratel Group facilities.
- On-site project management defined by the customer
This service is necessary for strategic and turn-key projects. Iskratel appoints the Project Manager, who coordinates all the project-management activities of the customer’s choice with the customer’s solution.
Consulting
Iskratel provides consulting services to the customer for planning and the introduction of new services. These services are intended for end users and service providers. Below you will find a list of possible consulting services.
Consulting about planning
- Encompasses a detailed review of the objectives and needs of the project.
- Determination of existing and new Iskratel technologies that comply best with individual requirements and business objectives regarding time, costs and availability.
- Consulting is performed by system engineers.
Consulting about objectives of products and services
- Covers the definition of the best processes for the configuration of Iskratel’s products to achieve the application objectives.
- Includes the availability, maintenance, redundancy and spare-equipment plans.
Consulting about network design
- Definition of architectural levels, required system services and interfaces between application components.
- Detailed call analysis and planning of resources, detailed review of call models and traffic analyses for optimization and reliability of the network.
- Technical support and planning of system interfaces for system support, including interfaces for network management, provision of services and diagnostics.
Application design
Planning, implementation and provision of customized applications for the customer. The service is decided for every application separately.
The service includes analyses, planning and implementation of the customer's applications.
- Service-provision applications
- Applications covering different network elements in the customer’s solution.
- Interfaces between different network elements in a certain customer’s solution.
- Network-management applications
- Applications covering different network elements in the customer’s solution.
- Interfaces between different network elements in a certain customer’s solution.
- End-user applications
- Specific applications for the end user.
- Interfaces between different network elements for providing services to the end user.
Interoperability testing
Migration to IP technologies implies the use of ”open standards“, which are less strict regarding certain protocols. To a large degree, the final decision regarding the implementation of certain protocols is left to equipment manufacturers. The result of such technology development and the growing number of operators is the requirement to test the interoperability of devices.
The following is tested:
- Interoperability of two operators
- Interoperability of the equipment protocols of different manufacturers
- Connection of the terminal devices of other manufacturers to the basic network equipment