Next-generation mobile communications networks will have to cope with an extraordinary amount and variety of network performance indicators, causing an increase in the storage needs of the network databases and the degradation of the management functions due to the high-dimensionality of every network observation. In this paper, different techniques for feature extraction are described and proposed as a means for reducing this high dimensionality, to be integrated as an intermediate stage between the monitoring of the network performance indicators and their usage in mobile networks' management functions. Results using a dataset gathered from a live cellular network show the benefits of this approach, in terms both of storage savings and subsequent management function improvements.
Keywords: dimensionality reduction; feature extraction; mobile networks.