This diagram sets out the uses for 5G assurance data – split by the types of analytics/ML needed (going down the rows) and those requiring the data (going across the columns):
The blue boxes show activities which increase in importance in a 5G network:
The pink boxes highlight functionality which is not often included in the products of the 20 or so vendors tracked for this research. VNF assurance and application monitoring are two non-traditional products which gain importance in 5G. Although it is debatable whether traditional telco assurance vendors should prioritise their development.
The provision of assurance to enterprise customers is gaining traction with the vendors interviewed for this research. Seven out of the 12 had, at least, basic reporting products available.