Operations Tools for Managing Cellular Networks

First Generation Operation Support tools for Cellular were developed quickly by many different organizations to fill a void. While they fulfilled a need they were usually stand alone tools, cumbersome, expensive to install and maintain, and very crude user interfaces. They required a skilled operator and produced results that were difficult to interpret. This paper describes the search for second generation tools that provide increased flexibility, easier data interpretation, reduced operations cost, and a simple, consistent, well-defined user interfaces.