DIRECTION FOR ELEMENT MANAGERS AND NETWORK MANAGERS

In the past, each new network element of a wireless network had a corr esponding management system to provide management capabilities. Each o f these management systems had a different user interface, employed a different computing platform, and typically managed one type of networ k element. The total O&M system was the sum of these independent resou rces, consuming partial solutions that made network management tasks i nefficient, complex, time consuming, and expensive to administer. Larg e operations costs borne from these inefficiencies were once buffered by large cellular operator profits. With the introduction of PCS, oper ators became extremely cost conscious and sought to eradicate these la rge costs. Additionally, wireless service providers moved into a mixed vendor environment, where network elements manufactured by several ve ndors are used, so they could no longer afford different management sy stems for each network element. In today's environment, a wireless ser vice provider who can provide better service quality at the lowest pri ce will be the ultimate winner. The key to providing better service qu ality at the lowest price is to have efficient network management. As the wireless industry strives to push wireless prices on par with wire line, the necessity for reduced network operation and management costs takes on increasing importance.