Automating Telecommunications Infrastructure Monitoring: A DevOps Approach to MSISDN Stock Management

Introduction

In the rapidly evolving telecommunications industry, maintaining visibility into critical resources like MSISDN (Mobile Station International Subscriber Directory Number) stock levels is crucial for uninterrupted service delivery. This blog post explores how modern DevOps practices can be applied to automate telecommunications infrastructure monitoring, specifically focusing on MSISDN stock management.

The Challenge

Telecommunications providers face constant pressure to ensure adequate inventory of essential resources. MSISDN numbers, which uniquely identify mobile subscribers globally, represent a finite resource that requires careful monitoring. Traditional manual monitoring approaches suffer from:

• Human Error: Manual checks are prone to oversight and inconsistency
• Reactive Response: Issues are often discovered too late, after stock depletion
• Resource Intensive: Manual monitoring consumes valuable engineering time
• Lack of Historical Data: No systematic way to track usage patterns

The Solution: Automated MSISDN Stock Monitoring

Architecture Overview

Our solution leverages GitHub Actions to create a robust, automated monitoring system that:

1. Scheduled Execution: Runs daily checks using cron-based scheduling
2. Automated Stock Counting: Integrates with existing MSISDN calculation tools
3. Metrics Collection: Pushes data to Prometheus for long-term storage and analysis
4. Alert Integration: Provides foundation for intelligent alerting systems

Implementation Details

1. GitHub Actions Workflow Design

name: MSISDN Stock Monitoring on:
 schedule:
 # Run daily at 8:00 AM UTC
 - cron: '0 8 * * *'
 workflow_dispatch: # Allow manual trigger

The workflow is designed with both automated and manual trigger capabilities, ensuring flexibility in operations while maintaining consistent daily monitoring.

2. Stock Calculation Integration

MSISDN_COUNT=$(./msisdn-calculator-linux-amd64 -remaining | grep "Remaining MSISDNs" | awk '{print $3}')

This approach leverages existing infrastructure tools, demonstrating the importance of building upon established systems rather than reinventing solutions.

3. Prometheus Metrics Integration

METRIC_DATA="msisdn_stock_available{job=\"$JOB_NAME\",instance=\"$INSTANCE_NAME\"} $MSISDN_COUNT" curl -X POST \
 -H "Content-Type: text/plain" \
 --data-binary "$METRIC_DATA" \
 "$PUSHGATEWAY_URL/metrics/job/$JOB_NAME/instance/$INSTANCE_NAME"

The integration with Prometheus Pushgateway enables: - Time-series Data Storage: Historical trend analysis - Grafana Integration: Visual dashboards and reporting - Alert Manager Integration: Automated alerting based on thresholds

Technical Benefits

1. Operational Excellence

• Proactive Monitoring: Issues are identified before they impact customers
• Reduced MTTR: Faster response times due to early detection
• Consistency: Standardized monitoring approach across infrastructure

2. Cost Optimization

• Resource Efficiency: Automated processes reduce manual intervention
• Preventing Outages: Early warning prevents costly service interruptions
• Capacity Planning: Historical data enables better resource planning

3. Scalability

• Foundation for Growth: System can be extended to monitor additional resources
• Integration Ready: Works with existing monitoring and alerting infrastructure
• Cloud Native: Leverages modern CI/CD practices and cloud infrastructure

Best Practices Implemented

Security

• Version Pinning: Used specific action versions to prevent supply chain attacks
• Minimal Permissions: Workflow operates with least privilege access
• Secure Integration: HTTPS endpoints and validated certificates

Reliability

• Error Handling: Comprehensive error detection and reporting
• Idempotency: Workflow can be safely re-run without side effects
• Monitoring the Monitor: Built-in health checks and status reporting

Maintainability

• Clear Documentation: Inline comments and structured output
• Standardized Naming: Consistent metric and job naming conventions
• Version Control: All configuration managed through Git

Metrics and Observability

The solution generates structured metrics that enable:

Operational Dashboards

• Real-time stock levels across different MSISDN pools
• Consumption rate analysis and trend identification
• Threshold-based color coding for quick status assessment

Alerting Strategies

• Critical Alerts: Stock levels below emergency thresholds
• Warning Alerts: Declining stock with projected depletion dates
• Information Alerts: Regular status updates and trend notifications

Capacity Planning

• Historical consumption patterns for seasonal adjustments
• Growth trend analysis for procurement planning
• Resource utilization optimization strategies

Integration with Existing Systems

Infrastructure Integration

• Production Runners: Utilizes -small runners for cost efficiency
• Monitoring Stack: Seamlessly integrates with existing Prometheus infrastructure
• Tool Ecosystem: Builds upon existing MSISDN management tools

Future Enhancement Opportunities

• Multi-region Monitoring: Extend to monitor stock across different geographic regions
• Predictive Analytics: Implement ML-based consumption forecasting
• Automated Procurement: Trigger procurement workflows based on predictive models

Lessons Learned

1. Integration Over Innovation

Building upon existing tools and infrastructure proves more effective than creating entirely new solutions. The MSISDN calculator integration demonstrates this principle.

2. Observability First

Implementing comprehensive metrics from day one enables better decision-making and faster problem resolution.

3. Security by Design

Incorporating security best practices from the beginning, including version pinning and minimal permissions, prevents future vulnerabilities.

Conclusion

Automating telecommunications infrastructure monitoring represents a critical step toward operational excellence in the telecom industry. By combining modern DevOps practices with domain-specific knowledge, we can create robust, scalable monitoring solutions that provide proactive visibility into critical resources.

The MSISDN stock monitoring system demonstrates how thoughtful automation can transform reactive operations into proactive management, ultimately improving service reliability and reducing operational overhead.

As telecommunications infrastructure continues to evolve, the principles demonstrated here—automated monitoring, metrics-driven decision making, and integration-first approaches—will become increasingly important for maintaining competitive advantage and operational excellence.

Technical Specifications

• Platform: GitHub Actions with runners
• Monitoring: Prometheus with Pushgateway integration
• Scheduling: Cron-based daily execution (8:00 AM UTC)
• Languages: Bash scripting with curl for HTTP interactions
• Security: Pinned action versions and HTTPS endpoints
• Error Handling: Comprehensive error detection with exit code validation