Why SMO is not just a new OSS

After years working with SON platforms, one thing becomes clear:

We have always been trying to make networks more autonomous… just with limited tools. Now with O-RAN, SMO is often presented as the “next OSS”. But that definition is not only incomplete… it is misleading. Because SMO is not just an evolution of OSS. It is a shift in how we think about network control. Traditional OSS was designed to monitor, configure, and react. It provided visibility, alarms, and workflows. SMO, on the other hand, is designed to coordinate intelligence across the network. And that is a fundamental difference. Here are some common misconceptions I still see:

• * Many assume SMO is just a centralized platform for management, when in reality it is an orchestration layer for automation and intelligence. • * It is often treated as a replacement of OSS tools, instead of a transformation of how decisions are made. • * There is a belief that deploying SMO automatically enables AI-driven optimization, without considering data readiness and integration complexity. • * Some expect immediate results, without realizing that SMO value depends on the ecosystem around it: rApps, data pipelines, and policies. In practice, SMO introduces a new level of complexity: • * It requires coordination between multiple domains, vendors, and layers of the network. • * It depends heavily on data consistency, normalization, and real-time availability. • * It shifts the challenge from “configuring parameters” to “designing decision logic”. • * It exposes gaps in existing processes that were previously hidden in siloed OSS environments.

This is where the real transformation happens: SMO is not about managing the network… It is about defining how the network makes decisions. From my perspective, the real value of SMO appears when:

• * There is a clear strategy for automation, not just isolated use cases. • * Data is treated as a critical asset, not just a byproduct of operations. • * rApps are aligned with business objectives, not only technical KPIs. • * Engineering knowledge is embedded into policies, not lost in manual processes.

As we move forward, SMO will become the backbone of AI-driven RAN. But we should be careful with expectations. Because deploying SMO does not make a network intelligent… It only gives us the framework to build that intelligence. And like any framework, its value depends entirely on how well we use it.

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