Ericsson has launched two new artificial intelligence (AI)-powered offerings in its Network Services portfolio, enabling communications service providers to secure always-on networks and deliver optimal user experiences.

The two new portfolio additions — Network Intelligence and Omni Network Channel – are part of  Ericsson’s Network Services offering. They employ AI, automation and predictive analytics to address the complex reality faced by communications service providers: exponential data growth and the continuous introduction of new technologies such as 5G, digital transformation, and scattered information sources and insights.

Network Intelligence is an AI-driven preemptive support service that allows issues to be identified and resolved before they impact network performance. The service prevents critical outages and delivers the network stability needed for service continuity and optimal end-to-end performance.  Ericsson research shows that Network Intelligence reduces critical incidents by up to 35 percent by carrying out selective data collection, and automatically resolves issues within an average of five minutes from data collection.

Omni Network Channel is a unified digital workspace for interaction between the communications service provider and Ericsson, providing easy navigation, self-help and smooth collaboration. The workspace enhances network performance and consumer satisfaction through faster resolution of both the communications service provider and Ericsson operations’ issues. It also facilitates the adoption of new technologies such as 5G and supports communications service providers with the competence development of their personnel.

Roger O’ Hargan, Head of Service Area Networks, Ericsson, says: “Our core value is ‘Technology enhanced by people’ where people, framework and technology are our main assets. These new offerings are all about putting the service provider in the center by enabling self-help as well as smooth collaboration, co-creation, and easy access to data – all of which will help secure an always-on network experience.”

Justin van der Lande, Principal Analyst at Analysys Mason, says: “There is a demand among service providers for a more transparent interaction with their vendors when dealing with network issues. Ericsson’s intelligent workplace technology, boosted by the expertise of their people, addresses this well. This approach leverages the scale of Ericsson’s operations, its well-established frameworks and its wealth of industry knowledge to bring significant benefits to the service provider. Ericsson’s AI-powered Network Services are now readily accessible with shared data insights that put the customer experience front and center.”

Network Intelligence is built for product-near use as a natural extension of the Network Services portfolio. It is complementary to the Ericsson Operations Engine, Ericsson’s offering for managed operations, design and optimization launched in January 2019.

In the Big Discussion we bring together a panel of industry experts and focus on one key topic within the field service sector. In the third of a four part series on AI our panellists, FieldAware's Mark Tatarsky and ServiceMax's Amit Jain, discuss the benefits the technology can bring to a business.

In the Big Discussion we bring together a panel of industry experts and focus on one key topic within the field service sector. In the second of a four part series on AI our panellists, FieldAware's Mark Tatarsky and ServiceMax's Amit Jain, define the difference between Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning.

In the Big Discussion we bring together a panel of industry experts and focus on one key topic within the field service sector. In the first of a four part series, we turn our attention to AI where our panel includes FieldAware's Mark Tatarsky and ServiceMax's Amit Jain.

Just how important is ArtificIal intelligence going to be in the future of field service?

Mark Tatarsky, SVP Marketing, FieldAware

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is already working its way into many different aspects of field service delivery today.

However, its prevalence and impact will be more influential for some field service organizations than others. It really depends on the industry served; the type of service provided as well as the complexity of the equipment serviced. AI can impact all field service delivery to varying levels.

In many instances, AI can be applied behind the scenes to improve efficiency without the end-user, even knowing it is at work.

An example of behind the scenes activity is when AI improves the optimization engine results for scheduling and routing. Even basic consumer-oriented routing systems like WAZE or GoogleMaps use varying levels of AI to help select the most efficient route.

When field service organizations are servicing sophisticated equipment monitored via IoT connectivity, AI will be applied to the monitoring and deployment process to enable predictive maintenance and automated dispatch based on AI processes and equipment tolerance thresholds.

Amit Jain, Senior VP of Product, ServiceMax. 

Artificial Intelligence is going to play a significant role in many areas that are crucial to field service delivery today and moving forward—it is early stages now.  Much of the conversation in field service now is centred on two key aspects - how we drive efficiency and how we establish the 360-degree view of the customer. In each of these areas, data is an essential factor in terms of driving improvements - and having a view into asset service data is equally important.

Connected asset and service data as maintained in the field hold insights far beyond the service department, providing a better business lens for almost every other line of business. Within field service operations, a major component of any day-to-day business is the data that is used in the variety of operational processes. Field service engineers, dispatchers and managers rely on and collect valuable data direct from source and ensure its accuracy, whether that’s product status and performance, contracts, location or account details.

With the advent of predictive analytics and condition-based maintenance, this data, which can be curated and fed into an organization’s data system has the potential to provide accurate intelligence across the organization. As it gravitates towards the data lake, it can touch and enhance other data sources such as CRM, ERP, parts, logistics and supply chain, HR, compliance and even data sources such as traffic and weather forecasting. Essentially, field service and asset data gives all other data relevance and accuracy.

However, the sheer unprecedented volumes of data being generated today, which is set to continue to increase almost exponentially moving forwards, is simply too vast to be useful unless we implement Artificial Intelligence within FSM systems. This is also the case with interpreting IoT data, which is largely predicted to be the backbone of field service operations of the future, and is empowering field service organizations to move away from the traditional break/fix approach to much more effective and profitable advanced service models.

The second part of this Big Discussion will be published next week, when the pair are asked the difference between Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning.

AI to support automation, support labour shortage and drive upskilling as Industry 4.0 accelerates, study shows.

Smart Field Force Management Aimed at Communications Service Providers...

In this the second and concluding feature in a two-part series of extracts from a white paper published by IFS exploring the effect of Artificial Intelligence on field service operations we explore the challenges of implementing AI in a field service operational workflow...

In this the first of a two-part series of extracts from a white paper published by IFS exploring the effect of Artificial Intelligence on field service operations we ask is AI set to be a help or a threat in the not too distant future? 

IFS study shows 99% plan to invest, with productivity cited as core objective Industrial automation key focus area as Industry 4.0 accelerates.