Telecom Visibility

  • Release version: Australia
  • Updated March 12, 2026
  • 3 minutes to read
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    Summary of Telecom Visibility

    Telecom Visibility extends ServiceNow ITOM Visibility to address the specific needs of telecom service providers by enabling accurate, telecom-aware network inventory management. It discovers real-time physical and logical network components, reconciles discrepancies between discovered and inventoried data, and maintains a telecom-specific configuration management database (CMDB) and Telecommunications Network Inventory (TNI). This solution supports advanced automation, service fulfillment, assurance workflows, and Autonomous Network Operations (ANO) by delivering a consistent and comprehensive telecom network model.

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    Key Features

    • Telecom Discovery with Patterns: Uses SNMP and CLI protocols with predefined telecom discovery patterns to identify standalone network functions like routers and switches, including vendor-specific devices from Cisco and Juniper.
    • Service Graph Connector (SGC) Integration: Imports inventory and configuration data from external EMS/NMS/controllers via APIs, supporting scheduled or on-demand discovery and multi-instance configurations (e.g., Nokia Altiplano for GPON networks).
    • Discrepancy Identification & Reconciliation: Detects and resolves mismatches such as missing configuration items (CIs), model conflicts, and stale inventory entries, ensuring data accuracy.
    • Telecom-Centric Data Modeling: Maintains hierarchical telecom data structures including interface cards, slots, subslots, VLANs, and ports to support detailed network representation.
    • CMDB Integration: Utilizes Discovery Admin Workspace and CMDB 360 for monitoring discovery sources, tracking attribute changes, reconciliation outcomes, and audit readiness.

    Architecture

    Telecom Visibility combines direct discovery methods (SNMP/CLI for standalone devices) with indirect API-driven discovery from EMS/NMS/controllers. These inputs feed into the CMDB and TNI to provide a unified, telecom-specific network inventory that supports automation, operational decision-making, and service assurance.

    Use Cases

    • Autonomous Network Operations: Enables AI/ML-driven automation through reliable and current network inventory.
    • Service Fulfillment: Ensures order accuracy and accelerates provisioning with an accurate CMDB and TNI.
    • Service Assurance: Reduces troubleshooting time and improves uptime by reconciling inventory discrepancies.
    • Audit & Compliance: Supports audit readiness and traceability using Discovery Admin Workspace and CMDB 360.

    Key Personas

    • Network and Infrastructure Teams: Manage real-time network resource discovery across multiple vendors and technologies.
    • Inventory and Fulfillment Teams: Maintain accurate CMDB/TNI data to support service fulfillment and provisioning.
    • Platform Administrators: Configure plugins, manage discovery sources, validate reconciliation, and monitor discovery performance.

    Monitoring Tools

    • Discovery Admin Workspace: Central console for monitoring discovery tasks, validating reconciliation, tuning schedules, and reviewing diagnostics.
    • CMDB 360: Visualizes attribute-level update history, source attribution, and reconciliation rule execution.

    Benefits

    • Expanded Network Coverage: CLI/SNMP discovery broadens device visibility beyond API-accessible systems.
    • GPON Network Support: Integration with Nokia Altiplano enables discovery across multiple controller instances.
    • Inventory Accuracy: Discrepancy reconciliation keeps network inventory consistent, actionable, and aligned with the actual network state.

    Telecom Visibility extends the discovery and reconciliation capabilities of ITOM Visibility to meet the specific needs of telecom service providers. It enables accurate, telecom-aware network inventory by discovering real-time network data, reconciling mismatches, and maintaining a consistent telecom model in your CMDB and TNI (Telecommunications Network Inventory).

    Discover physical and logical network components across telecom domains and reconcile discrepancies between discovery and inventory data. Maintain a telecom-specific CMDB structure to support advanced automation and assurance use cases.

    Telecom Visibility overview

    Telecom Visibility is a unified solution for discovering and managing telecom network resources. It leverages proven discovery technologies such as Horizontal Discovery, Telecommunications Discovery Patterns, and Service Graph Connectors (SGC). These technologies bring network data from various systems (for example, CLI/SNMP-based standalone devices or API-driven EMS/NMS/controllers) into your CMDB.

    Telecom Visibility helps communication service providers (CSPs) and telecom operators:

    • Discover and maintain telecom-specific network inventory
    • Reconcile mismatches between planned/design inventory and actual network state
    • Support Autonomous Network Operations (ANO), service fulfillment, and assurance workflows

    Key Capabilities

    Table 1. Key capabilities of TSOM
    Capability Description
    Telecom Discovery with Patterns Discover standalone network functions (xNFs) such as routers and switches using SNMP and CLI protocols via predefined Telecom Discovery Patterns.
    Service Graph Connector Integration Bring inventory and configuration data from external EMS/NMS/controllers into CMDB using northbound APIs.
    Discrepancy Identification & Reconciliation Detect and resolve mismatches between inventoried and discovered data (for example, missing CIs, model mismatches, stale entries).
    Telecom-Centric Data Modeling Maintain structured and hierarchical telecom data including interface cards, slots, subslots, VLANs, and ports.
    CMDB Integration Use CMDB 360 and Discovery Admin Workspace to monitor discovery sources, attribute changes, and reconciliation outcomes.

    Applications and Plugins

    1. Telecommunications Horizontal Discovery Patterns: Discovers telecom devices (xNFs) such as routers and switches using SNMP/CLI. Enables accurate inventory updates by scanning live network infrastructure. Supports vendor-specific patterns including:
      • Cisco (ASR1K, 7613, Nexus 9000, Nexus 3548)
      • Juniper (MX80, MX104, MX240, MX460)
    2. Service Graph Connectors (SGC s) for TSOM: Prebuilt integrations with EMS/NMS/controllers to import inventory data via APIs. Supports:
      • Scheduled or on-demand discovery
      • Multi-instance configurations
      • Integration with systems like Nokia Altiplano (GPON networks)
    3. Telecom Visibility Plugin: Provides shared logic and foundational components for both discovery and discrepancy reconciliation. Ensures:
      • Consistent behavior across TSOM workflows
      • Reusable components for reconciliation and remediation
    4. CMDB CI Class Models for Telecom (Required version: 1.82 or later): Extends the CMDB to include telecom-specific classes and relationships, including:
      • Interface cards
      • Slots and subslots
      • Network interfaces

    Telecom Visibility architecture

    Telecom Visibility combines direct and indirect discovery methods:

    • Direct Discovery using SNMP/CLI (for example, standalone routers/switches)
    • Indirect Discovery using APIs from EMS/NMS/controllers (for example, Nokia Altiplano)

    These feed into the CMDB and TNI, which then support decision-making, automation, and network operations. The following infographic demonstrates the architecture of Telecom Visibility.

    Use Cases

    Table 2. Telecom Visibility use cases
    Use Case Outcome
    Autonomous Network Operations Reliable network inventory supports AI/ML-driven automation.
    Service Fulfillment Accurate CMDB/TNI ensures order accuracy and rapid provisioning.
    Service Assurance Reconciled inventory reduces troubleshooting time and increases uptime.
    Audit & Compliance Discovery Admin Workspace and CMDB 360 support audit readiness and traceability.

    Key personas

    Telecom Visibility is used by:
    • Network and infrastructure teams: Discover and manage real-time network resource data across vendors and technologies.
    • Inventory and fulfillment teams: Maintain an accurate and complete CMDB/TNI to support service fulfillment, order management, and provisioning.
    • Platform administrators: Configure plugins, manage discovery sources, validate reconciliation rules, and monitor discovery performance.

    Monitoring tools

    Discovery Admin Workspace - Central console to:

    • Monitor discovery tasks
    • Validate reconciliation processes
    • Tune schedules and view diagnostics
    CMDB 360 - Visualize:
    • Attribute-level update history
    • Source attribution
    • Reconciliation rules in action

    Key benefits

    Table 3. Key benefits of Telecom Visibility
    Feature Benefit
    CLI/SNMP Discovery Expands network coverage without relying on external APIs.
    Nokia Altiplano Integration Supports GPON network discovery across multiple controller instances.
    Discrepancy Reconciliation Keeps inventory clean, actionable, and aligned with real network state.