Method and system for facilitating telecommunications service provisioning and service assurance

• US 6,961,415 B2
• Filed: 04/08/2004
• Issued: 11/01/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Bell Canada (BCE Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Bell Canada (BCE Incorporated)
• Inventors: Doherty, Alan G., Shannon, Terry J., Rieck, Neil S., Kennel, Stephen M., Yip, Robert H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong, Harry S.
• Application Number:
  US10/820,670
• Publication Number:
  US 20040190699A1
• Time in Patent Office: 572 Days
• Field of Search: 379/1.01, 379/9, 379/9.03, 379/15.01, 379/27.01, 379/201.01, 379/207.02, 379/399.01, 379/413.02, 379/413.03, 379/15.03, 379/201.12, 700/99, 705/7, 705/8, 705/9, 705/11
• US Class Current: 379/201.12
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5054 Automatic deployment of services triggered by the service manager, e.g. service implementation by automatic configuration of network components
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5064 Customer relationship management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5074 Handling of user complaints or trouble tickets
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/22 Arrangements for supervision, monitoring or testing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/2245 Management of the local loop plant

Abstract

An automated system coordinates, controls and polices installation of customer premise equipment (CPE) for telecommunications services and provides continuing service assurance. The system verifies equipment availability on service request, schedules a qualified technician to install the CPE, and assigns distribution equipment resources to the CPE. The system notifies the technician of the installation date. The equipment resources are auto-assigned to the CPE to facilitate installation procedures. The system also auto-detects installation of the CPE and auto-enables service when the CPE is installed. Customer record creation and maintenance is automatic, and installation or operation of unauthorized equipment is inhibited. Post-installation monitoring and automatic scheduling of repair for system or equipment faults ensures continuing service assurance. The advantage is reduced service delivery time, reduced operations costs and increased customer satisfaction.

Claims

1. A method of provisioning converged telecommunication services, the method comprising:

accepting a first code supplied by a customer requesting at least one telecommunication service available through the converged telecommunication services;

selecting from a list of at least one telecommunication service-ready dwelling unit associated with the first code in which the customer resides;

selecting service distribution equipment to serve the customer;

building a customer record comprising customer information and an indication of the selected service distribution equipment; and

automatically dispatching a work order to a technician selected to install customer premise equipment (CPE) in the dwelling unit.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of selecting from a list of at least one telecommunication service-ready dwelling unit further comprises:

verifying that there is equipment capacity to serve the customer at the dwelling unit selected; and

returning an error message if the equipment capacity does not exist.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein if the customer subscribes to an Internet service as a part of the converged service offering, the step of building a customer record further comprises:

using at least a part of the customer information to retrieve from Internet Service Provider (ISP) equipment maintained by an ISP providing the Internet service, a customer User Identification and User Password assigned to the customer, and

inserting the Customer User Identification and User Password into the customer record.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the selecting service distribution equipment comprises selecting a service distribution equipment terminal address to serve the customer and an available card and port of the service distribution terminal.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising:

accepting a CPE installation date in response to a request from the customer;

consulting a technician work schedule to confirm that a technician is available to perform a CPE installation on the CPE installation date; and

if a technician is not available on the requested CPE installation date, checking the technician work schedule for a date when a technician is available to perform the CPE installation, and displaying the date.

7. The method as claimed in claim 6 further comprising consulting a technician skill set database in addition to consulting the technician work schedule, to ensure that an available technician possesses a skill set required to perform the CPE installation.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of automatically dispatching a work order comprises:

formulating an alphanumeric message respecting the CPE installation; and

sending the alphanumeric message to a communications device associated with the technician.

9. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the step of sending the alphanumeric message comprises a step of sending an alphanumeric message to an alphanumeric pager of the technician.

10. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the step of formulating the alphanumeric message comprises a step of formulating a message containing a service order number;

customer information; and

a date on which the technician is to perform the installation.

11. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the step of formulating the message further comprises including in the message a location of a service distribution terminal selected to provide service to the customer, and further inserting a terminal identifier that identifies the service distribution terminal selected to provide service to the customer.

12. The method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising:

receiving a media access control identification (MAC ID) and serial number of the CPE, as well as a service distribution terminal address card and port number to which the CPE is connected, after the technician installs and activates the CPE;

matching the service distribution terminal address card and port number with a service distribution terminal address card and port number stored in the customer record; and

recording the MAC ID and serial number of the CPE in the customer record.

13. A method as claimed in claim 12 further comprising:

checking the MAC ID and serial number of the CPE against a list of MAC ID and serial number pairs associated with registered CPEs available for service use; and

if a match is not found in the list, formulating an alarm message and sending the alarm message to system administration.

14. A method as claimed in claim 13 wherein, if a match is found, the method further comprises formulating a service enable message and forwarding the service enable message to a broadcast management system, which on receipt of the service enable message sends a barker channel signal to the CPE to verify to the technician that the CPE is correctly configured and connected to receive content from a video content provider.

15. A method as claimed in claim 14 further comprising:

receiving confirmation from the technician that all requested telecommunications services have been enabled;

generating service completion reports to each service provider from which service was requested; and

forwarding the service completion reports to the respective service providers.

2. The method as claimed in 1, wherein the step of accepting the first code further comprises:

verifying that the first code is associated with at least one telecommunications service-ready dwelling unit;

verifying that there is equipment capacity to serve the customer at the at least one telecommunications service-ready dwelling unit; and

returning an error message if either of the first and second steps of verifying fails.

16. A system for control of converged telecommunication services comprising:

a server having a communication connection with service provision control systems operated by respective service providers that provide the converged telecommunication services, the server receiving and verifying information related to a customer request for at least one telecommunication service available through the converged telecommunication services, selecting service distribution equipment to serve the customer, and automatically scheduling customer premise equipment (CPE) installation by a technician if the information is verified and service distribution equipment is available to be used to service the customer request.

17. The system as claimed in claim 16, wherein the server is further adapted to insert an address of the service distribution terminal into a customer record, and to automatically select a card and port number of the service distribution terminal and insert each into the customer record.

18. The system as claimed in claim 16 further comprising a computing apparatus for accepting input of the information related to a customer request for the telecommunication service, wherein the computing apparatus displays a data input template to facilitate the input of the information.

19. The system as claimed in claim 16, wherein the server as adapted to query a database containing a list of technicians available to perform service provisioning, the database including an indication of a skill level of each of the technicians.

20. The system as claimed in claim 19, wherein the server is further adapted to query a technician scheduling application program to determine a work schedule of each technician to permit the server to automatically schedule a CPE installation date using technician skill levels retrieved from the database and technician availability retrieved from the technician scheduling application program.

21. The system as claimed in claim 20, wherein the server is further adapted to return the CPE installation date to confirm that the installation date is acceptable to the customer and to accept a response indicating whether the installation date is acceptable to the customer.

22. The system as claimed in claim 16, wherein the server is further adapted to automatically advise the technician of a CPE installation date.

23. The system as claimed in claim 22, wherein the server is adapted to advise the technician using an alphanumeric message sent to the technician via an alphanumeric paging system.

24. The system as claimed in claim 22, wherein the server is adapted to advise the technician using an electronic mail message sent to the technician via an electronic mail system.

25. The system as claimed in claim 16, wherein the server is further adapted to receive job status inputs from the technician, and to generate successful completion reports for completed jobs, and to reschedule uncompleted jobs.

26. The system as claimed in claim 16, wherein the server is further adapted to receive an auto-discovery message from a CPE that is powered on, and to use information in the auto-discovery message to determine whether the CPE is a registered unit approved for use in the system.

27. The system as claimed in claim 26, wherein the server is further adapted to update an inventory list when the CPE is determined to be a registered unit approved for use in the system.

28. The system as claimed in claim 27, wherein the server is further adapted to place an order for at least one more CPE when the updated inventory list indicates that a number of CPEs in inventory is less than a predetermined threshold.

29. The system as claimed in claim 16, wherein the server is further adapted to receive alarm messages from an element manager that monitors equipment used to deliver the telecommunications service, and farther adapted to screen the alarm messages for alarm messages that warrant action by the server.

30. The system as claimed in claim 26, wherein the server is further adapted to use remote control functionality to correct element faults reported in the alarm messages that warrant action by the server.

31. The system as claimed in claim 27, wherein the server is further adapted to schedule a technician to correct element faults reported in the alarm messages if the alarm message indicates that remote control functionality cannot be used to correct the element fault, or remote control functionality fails to correct the element fault.

32. A system for control of converged telecommunications services comprising:

a server having a communications connection with service provision control systems operated by respective service providers that provide the converged telecommunications services, the server receiving and verifying information related to a customer request for the converged telecommunications services, selecting and assigning service distribution equipment to serve the customer, and automatically authorizing customer premise equipment (CPE) installation if the information is verified and service distribution equipment is available to be used to service the customer request.

33. The system as claimed in claim 32, wherein the server is further adapted to receive an auto-discovery message from a CPE that is powered on, and to use information in the auto-discovery message to determine whether the CPE is a registered unit approved for use in the system.

34. The system a claimed in claim 33, wherein the server is further adapted to update an inventory list when the CPE is determined to be a registered unit approved for use in the system.

35. The system as claimed in claim 34, wherein the server is further adapted to place an order for at least one more CPE when the updated inventory list indicates that a number of CPEs in inventory is less than a predetermined threshold.

36. The system as claimed in claim 32, wherein the server is further adapted to receive alarm messages from an element manager that monitors equipment used to deliver the telecommunications services, and further adapted to screen the alarm messages for alarm messages that warrant action by the server.

37. The system as claimed in claim 36, wherein the server is further adapted to use remote control functionality to correct element faults reported in the alarm messages that warrant action by the server.

38. The system as claimed in claim 37, wherein the server is further adapted to schedule a technician to correct element faults reported in the alarm messages if the alarm message indicates that remote control functionality cannot be used to correct the element fault, or remote control functionality fails to correct the element fault.

39. A method of control of converged telecommunication services by a computing apparatus having a communication connection with service provision control systems operated by respective service providers that provide the converged telecommunication services, the method comprising:

receiving and verifying information related to a customer request for at least one telecommunication service available through the converged telecommunication services;

selecting service distribution equipment to serve the customer; and

automatically authorizing customer premise equipment (CPE) installation if the information is verified and service distribution equipment is available to be used to service the customer request.

40. The method as claimed in claim 39 further comprising receiving an auto-discovery message from a CPE that is powered on and using information in the auto-discovery message to determine whether the CPE is a registered unit approved for use in the system.

41. The method as claimed in claim 40 further comprising updating an inventory list when the CPE is determined to be a registered unit approved for use in the system.

42. The method as claimed in claim 41 further comprising placing an order for at least one more CPE when the updated inventory list indicates that a number of CPEs in inventory is less than a predetermined threshold.

43. The method as claimed in claim 39, further comprising receiving alarm messages from an element manager that monitors equipment used to deliver the telecommunications services and screening the alarm messages for alarm messages that warrant action.

44. The method as claimed in claim 43 further comprising using remote control functionality to correct element faults reported in the alarm messages that warrant action.

45. The method as claimed in claim 44 further comprising scheduling a technician to correct element faults reported in the alarm messages if the alarm message indicates that remote control functionality cannot be used to correct the element fault, or remote control functionality fails to correct the element fault.