Wilab
Data-Driven and Automated 5G Network Operations

5G networks have numerous promises, including ultra-high bandwidth for remote surgery, ultra-low latency for virtual reality headsets, and ultra-low power to connect IoT devices on a large scale.

After years of hearing about 5G, these promises have yet to be realized.

The main hurdle to making this come true is that 5G networks are more challenging to operate than legacy networks. Automation is needed.

But network automation is incredibly challenging because today, each kind of device of each vendor has a different element management system (EMS). This generates numerous information silos operated by a multitude of engineers.

The Global 5G standard (3GPP) addresses this problem by standardizing a new network function called Network Data Analytics Function (NWDAF). This component provides the predictive analytics and automation needed to deliver 5G smart ecosystem services.

California-based Wilab aims to unlock the real power of 5G by being the first to market with an NWDAF on steroids. This solution enables automation by consuming data from every network element, analyzing this information in real-time, providing predictions and triggering automation events close the loop.

Wilab’s differentiator is that:

1) It collects standard metrics and hundreds of different KPIs and Logs.

2) It has an easy-to-use interface that empowers anyone within an operator to build custom AI analytics use cases with all the data.

3) It enables customer experience analytics and network behavior analytics—these trigger automation events.
This radically different approach unleashes the potential of hundreds of engineers within each telecom company to build their use cases and improve their network. Once deployed, Wilab’s plug-and-play solution is operational within a couple of weeks.

Some interesting use cases are:

1) Automatically select network slices depending on customer experience and network capabilities. Doing this makes it possible to automatically detect and give ultra-low latency to customers when they need it.

2) Automatically Scale the network in and out, enabling “smart capex”. That is useful, for example, to give good service in a stadium when it is full but not waste resources the rest of the week when it is empty.

3) Automatic Root causes detection when there is degradation.

Wilab caters to some of the world’s largest operators, such as AT&T, Cisco, and America Movil. Backed by Alchemist Accelerator, the firm has become a significant player in the 5G space. Wilab has shown tremendous growth in revenue and support from major industry players.

The company’s solution has become mission-critical software for its clients as they transitioned from multiple traditional element management systems (EMS) and improved their day-to-day operation. It has helped them reduce outage duration by up to 90% and offer low latency plans to gamer clients.

Wilab’s, led by Tomas Achaval, Javier Roberts, Martin Ferreyra and Emeric Ureel has already embarked on its global expansion in Asia, North America, and Europe, offering its Network Data Analytics Function and helping telecom companies become data-driven.