RESEARCH OF CIRCULAR LOGISTICS PROCESS OF
TELECOMMUNICATIONS OPERATORS
Yingkui Wang, Yihong Ru
School of Economics ＆ Management, Beijing Jiaotong University, 100044, Beijing, China
Linrong Pang
School of Economics ＆ Management, Beijing Jiaotong University, 100044, Beijing, China
Keywords: Telecommunications Operators, Circular Logistics, Logistics Process.
Abstract: This paper first defines the logistics of the telecommunications operators and the circular logistics system of
telecommunications operators. It points out that there exists important differences among logistics of
telecommunications operators, manufacturing enterprises and materials distribution enterprises, and lacks
the relevant research results. From the aspects of supply logistics, maintenance logistics and waste material
logistics, it gives a detailed analysis of process of circular logistics of telecommunications operators.
Finally, it points out that the research of circular logistics of telecommunications operators has important
theoretical and practical value.
1 INTRODUCTION
Logistics of telecommunications operators is the
internal 1ogistics of the telecommunications
operators. Telecommunications operators specialize
in providing information and communication
services, which belongs to the network service
enterprises. Due to the particularity of the industry,
and the enterprise logistics theory based on
manufacturing enterprises or materials circulating
enterprises is not suitable for telecommunications
operators, logistics of telecommunications operators
(and other service enterprise) and manufacturing
enterprises or material circulating enterprise exist
important differences. Although logistics plays an
important role in telecommunications operators (and
other service enterprise), people pay little concern to
the research about logistics of telecommunications
operators (and other service enterprise), (Arthur D,
1991).
Circular logistics system is part of the logistics
system of connecting the social reproduction process.
Its main function is to support the resource
circulation, promote the realization of circular
society and ensure the operation of circular society.
Circular logistics system includes three types of
different levels-enterprise, industry chain and
society (Ru Yi-hong, 2009). The circular logistics
system of telecommunications operators is a
subsystem of the social circular logistics system.
The subsystem is a organic whole composed of key
elements, such as reserve organizations, employees,
establishments, equipments and planning, executing,
control of the flow of material substance while
material substance flow among the
telecommunications operators, manufacturing
enterprises, repair enterprises, disassembly
enterprises and inside telecommunications operators.
From the aspect of logistics process, the circular
logistics of telecommunications operators can be
divided into the process of supply logistics,
maintenance logistics and waste material logistics.
(Wang Ying-kui, 2010), as shown in Fig. 1.
2 THE SUPPLY LOGISTICS
PROCESS OF
TELECOMMUNICATIONS
OPERATORS
Supply logistics process is responsible for providing
logistics services for new purchased telecommuni-
cations
facilities in the circular logistics system of
308
Wang Y., Ru Y. and Pang L..
RESEARCH OF CIRCULAR LOGISTICS PROCESS OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS OPERATORS.
DOI: 10.5220/0003551003080313
In Proceedings of the 13th International Conference on Enterprise Information Systems (ICEIS-2011), pages 308-313
ISBN: 978-989-8425-53-9
Copyright
c
 2011 SCITEPRESS (Science and Technology Publications, Lda.)

Figure 1: Structure of circular logistics system of
telecommunications operators.
telecommunications operators. It mainly involves
with four kinds of logistics nodes - manufacturing
plants of telecommunication facilities, the supply
center of telecommunication facilities,
telecommunications base stations and reserve center
of telecommunications facilities. Generally, a
manufacturing plant of telecommunication facilities
needs to provide telecommunication facilities
simultaneously to multiple telecommunications base
stations (reserve centers of telecommunications
facilities), and a telecommunications base station
(reserve center of telecommunications facilities)
needs to equip (reserve) telecommunication facilities
simultaneously from different manufacturing plants
of telecommunication facilities. Therefore it presents
a complex network topology structure of supply
logistics subsystem of telecommunications operators
(as shown in Fig.2).
There are two different kinds of flow directions -
telecommunications base stations and reserve center
of telecommunications facilities, of telecommunica-
tions facilities in the supply logistics process of
telecommunications operators, which form two
different supply logistics branching processes (as
shown in Fig3).
2.1 Telecommunications Base Stations
Supply Logistics Branching Process
Telecommunications base stations supply logistics
branching process is the flowing process of
telecommunications facilities in the circular logistics
system of telecommunications operators in the
process of providing telecommunication equipments
to telecommunications base stations. Telecommu-
nications
base stations supply logistics branching
Figure 2: Topology structure of supply logistics of
telecommunications operators.
manufacturing
enterprises
new purchased
telecommunications
facilities
supply center
new purchased
telecommunications
facilities
telecommunications base station
new purchased
telecommunications
facilities
in-use
telecommunications
facilities
reserve center of telecommunications facilities
new purchased
telecommunications
facilities
spare
telecommunications
facilities
①
②
③
⑤
④
Figure 3: Supply logistics process of telecommunications
operators.
process involves with three logistics nodes -
manufacturing plants of telecommunication facilities,
the supply center of telecommunication facilities,
and telecommunications base stations , two logistics
fluids – new purchased telecommunications facilities
and in-use telecommunications facilities. The manu-
facturing plants of telecommunication facilities are
places of producing new purchased telecommu-
nications facilities, also the beginning of
telecommunications base stations supply logistics
branching process. The telecommunications base
stations are places of installing new purchased
telecommunications facilities, also the ending of
telecommunications base stations supply logistics
branching process. The supply center of
telecommunication facilities is a hub of branching
process of new purchased telecommunications
facilities from manufacturing plants of telecommu-
nication facilities to telecommunications base
stations. The specific telecommunications base
RESEARCH OF CIRCULAR LOGISTICS PROCESS OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS OPERATORS
309

stations supply logistics branching process works as
follow. The new purchased telecommunications
facilities are transported in batches from
manufacturing plants of telecommunication facilities
to corresponding supply center of telecommu-
nication facilities( ① ). Then The new purchased
telecommunications facilities are exchanged in
supply center of telecommunication facilities, reset
according to the places to use, and transported to
different telecommunications base stations(②). The
new purchased telecommunications facilities will
finally become in-use telecommunications facilities
after installation and lineup in telecommunications
base stations(③).
2.2 Supplies Logistics Branching
Process of Reserve Centre of
Telecommunications Facilities
Supplies logistics branching process of reserve
centre of telecommunications facilities is the process
of telecommunications facilities in the circular
logistics system of telecommunications operators
when offering telecommunications facilities to
reserve centre of telecommunications facilities.
Supplies logistics branching process of reserve
centre of telecommunications facilities involves with
three logistics nodes - manufacturing enterprises of
telecommunications facilities, supply centre of
telecommunications facilities and reserve centre of
telecommunications facilities, two logistics fluids -
new purchased telecommunications facilities and
spare telecommunications facilities. The
manufacturing plants of telecommunication facilities
are places of producing new purchased telecommu-
nications facilities, also the beginning of supply
logistics branching process of reserve centre of
telecommunications facilities. The reserve centre of
telecommunications facilities are places of
reserving the spare telecommunications facility, also
the ending of supplies logistics branching process of
reserve centre of telecommunications facilities. The
supply center of telecommunication facilities is a
hub of branching process of new purchased telecom-
munications facilities from manufacturing plants of
telecommunication facilities to the reserve centre of
telecommunications. The specific supplies logistics
branching process of reserve centre of telecom-
munications facilities works as follow. The new
purchased telecommunications facility transport to
the supply centre of telecommunications facilities in
batches from manufacturing enterprises of telecom-
munications facilities(①). The new purchased facil-
ity is exchanged and restructured according to the
disassembly place. Then it will be sent to reserve
centers of telecommunications facilities(④). Subse-
quently the new purchased facil- ity become the
spare telecommunications facility after being store
keeping in the reserve centre of telecommunications
facilities(⑤).
3 MAINTENANCE LOGISTICS
PROCESS OF
TELECOMMUNICATIONS
OPERATORS
Maintenance logistics process is responsible for
providing logistics services for telecommunications
facilities in the circular logistics system of
telecommunications operators. It mainly involves
with three kinds of logistics nodes - reserve centre of
telecommunications facilities, telecommunications
base stations and repair plants of telecommuni-
cations facilities. Reserve centre of telecommuni-
cations facilities is the core node of the maintenance
logistics process and is responsible for the storage of
spare and faulty telecommunications facilities,
providing spare telecommunications facilities and
reclaiming faulty telecommunications facilities
among telecommunications base stations, consigning
corresponding repair plants of telecommunications
facilities to fix faulty telecommunications facilities
and to reclaim the repaired telecommunications
facilities (shown in Fig 4).
Figure 4: Topology structure of maintenance logistics of
telecommunications operators.
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There are two different kinds of flow directions -
telecommunications base stations and repair plants
of telecommunications facilities, of
telecommunications facilities in the maintenance
logistics process of telecommunications operators,
which form two different maintenance logistics
branching processes (shown in Fig 5).
Figure 5: Maintenance logistics process of telecommuni-
cations operators.
3.1 Equipment Fault Process Logistics
Branching Process
Equipment fault process logistics branching process
is the flowing process of telecommunications
facilities in the circular logistics system of
telecommunications operators in processing faulty
telecommunication equipment process. Equipment
fault process logistics branching process involves
with two logistics nodes - reserve centre of
telecommunications facilities and
telecommunications base stations , three logistics
fluids - spare telecommunications facilities, in-use
telecommunications facilities and faulty
telecommunications facilities. Both of the beginning
and the ending of equipment fault process logistics
branching process is in the reserve centre of
telecommunications facilities, passing through
telecommunications base stations in the middle. The
specific equipment fault process logistics branching
process works as follow. The in-use
telecommunications facility break down and change
into faulty telecommunications facility(①). Then the
spare telecommunications facility is sent from
reserve centre of telecommunications facilities to the
telecommunications base station corresponding to
the faulty facility. The spare telecommunications
facility will replace the faulty telecommunications
facility in the telecommunications base station and
become the in-use telecommunications facility(②).
The faulty telecommunications facility that being
replaced will be sent to the reserve centre of
telecommunications facilities and being stored from
the telecommunications base station(③).
3.2 Faulty Equipments Maintenance
Logistics Branching Process
Faulty equipments maintenance logistics branching
process is the flowing process of
telecommunications facilities in the circular logistics
system of telecommunications operators in
maintaining faulty telecommunication equipments
process. Faulty equipments maintenance logistics
branching process involves with two logistics nodes
- reserve centre of telecommunications facilities and
repair plants of telecommunications facilities, three
logistics fluids - faulty telecommunications facilities,
repaired telecommunications facilities and spare
telecommunications facilities. Both of the beginning
and the ending of faulty equipments maintenance
logistics branching process is in the reserve centre of
telecommunications facilities, passing through repair
plants of telecommunications facilities in the middle.
The specific faulty equipments maintenance logistics
branching process works as follow. The faulty
telecommunications facility is sent from reserve
centre of telecommunications facilities to repair
plants of telecommunications facilities( ④ ). The
faulty telecommunications facility will be repaired
in the repair plants of telecommunications facilities
and change into the repaired telecommunications
facility( ⑤ ). The repaired telecommunications
facility then be sent back to the reserve centre of
telecommunications facilities as a spare
telecommunications facility from the repair plants of
telecommunications facilities(⑥).
4 WASTE LOGISTICS PROCESS
OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS
OPERATORS
Waste logistics process is responsible for providing
logistics services for waste telecommunications
facilities in the circular logistics system of
telecommunications operators. It mainly involves
with four kinds of logistics nodes - disassembly
plant of telecommunications facilities, recycle centre
RESEARCH OF CIRCULAR LOGISTICS PROCESS OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS OPERATORS
311

of telecommunications facilities, telecommunica-
tions base station and reserve centre of
telecommunications facilities. Generally, a recycle
centre of telecommunications facilities can reclaim
waste telecommunications facilities (of reserve
centers of telecommunications facilities) of several
telecommunications base stations. Plus it may offer
waste telecommunications facilities to several
disassembly plants of telecommunications facilities
at the same time. Several recycle centers of
telecommunications facilities may provide waste
telecommunications facilities to a disassembly plant
of telecommunications facilities at the same time as
well(shown in Fig 6).
telecommunications
base stations
reserve centre of
telecommunications
facilities
recycle centre of
telecommunications
facilities
recycle centre of
telecommunications
facilities
disassembly plant of
telecommunications
facilities
disassembly plant of
telecommunications
facilities
recycle centre of
telecommunications
facilities
disassembly plant of
telecommunications
facilities
telecommunications
base stations
telecommunications
base stations
telecommunications
base stations
reserve centre of
telecommunications
facilities
reserve centre of
telecommunications
facilities
Figure 6: Topology structure of waste material logistics of
telecommunications operators.
There are two different kinds of resources -
telecommunications base station and reserve centre
of telecommunications facilities, of waste
telecommunications facilities in the waste logistics
process of telecommunications operators, which
form two different waste logistics branching
processes (shown in Fig 7).
recycle centre of
telecommunications facilities
new purchased
telecommunications
facilities
disassembly plant of
telecommunications facilities
new purchased
telecommunications
facilities
telecommunications base station
in-use
telecommunications
facilities
waste
telecommunications
facilities
reserve center of telecommunications facilities
spare
telecommunications
facilities
③
②
⑤
①
④
waste
telecommunications
facilities
Figure 7: Waste material logistics process of
telecommunications operators.
4.1 Waste Logistics Branching Process
of Telecommunications Base station
Waste logistics branching process of
telecommunications base station is the flowing
process of in-use telecommunications facilities in
the circular logistics system of telecommunications
operators after in-use telecommunications facilities
are broken down. Waste logistics branching process
of telecommunications base station involves with
three logistics nodes - telecommunications base
station, recycle centre of telecommunications
facilities and disassembly plant of
telecommunications facilities, two logistics fluids -
in-use telecommunications facilities and waste
telecommunications facilities. The
telecommunications base station is the origin of
waste telecommunications facilities and the
beginning of the waste logistics branching process of
telecommunications base stations. The disassembly
plant of telecommunications facilities is the place of
extinction of waste telecommunications facilities
and the end of the waste logistics branching process
of telecommunications base station as well. Recycle
centre of telecommunications facilities is the core of
the flowing process that waste telecommunications
facilities are sent from telecommunications base
station to disassembly plant of telecommunications
facilities. The specific Waste logistics branching
process of telecommunications base station works as
follow. The in-use telecommunications facility break
down in the telecommunications base station and
change into waste telecommunications facility(①).
It is sent to the corresponding recycle centre of
telecommunications facilities( ② ). In the recycle
centre of telecommunications facilities, the waste
telecommunications facility is exchanged and
restructured according to the disassembly place.
Then it will be sent to the corresponding
disassembly plant of telecommunications facilities in
batch(③).
4.2 Waste Logistics Branching Process
of Reserve Centre of
Telecommunications Facilities
Waste logistics branching process of reserve centre
of telecommunications facilities is the flowing
process of spare telecommunications facilities in the
circular logistics system of telecommunications
operators after spare telecommunications facilities
are broken down. Waste logistics branching process
of reserve centre of telecommunications facilities
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involves with three logistics nodes - reserve centre
of telecommunications facilities, recycle centre of
telecommunications facilities and disassembly plant
of telecommunications facilities, two logistics fluids
- spare telecommunications facilities and waste
telecommunications facilities. The reserve centre of
telecommunications facilities is the origin of waste
telecommunications facilities and the beginning of
the waste logistics branching process of reserve
centre of telecommunications facilities. The
disassembly plant of telecommunications facilities is
the place of extinction of waste telecommunications
facilities and the end of the waste logistics branching
process of reserve centre of telecommunications
facilities as well. Recycle centre of
telecommunications facilities is the core of the
flowing process that waste telecommunications
facilities are sent from reserve centre of
telecommunications facilities to disassembly plant of
telecommunications facilities. The specific waste
logistics branching process reserve centre of
telecommunications facilities works as follow. The
spare telecommunications facility break down in the
reserve centre of telecommunications facilities and
change into waste telecommunications facility(④).
First of all, it is sent to the corresponding recycle
centre of telecommunications facilities(⑤). In the
recycle centre of telecommunications facilities, the
waste telecommunications facility is exchanged and
restructured according to the disassembly place.
Then it will be sent to the corresponding
disassembly plant of telecommunications facilities in
batches(③).
5 CONCLUSIONS
This paper is in deep analysis of circular logistics of
topological and process structure of
telecommunications operators. According to our
study, we find that there are fundamental differences
among telecom operators’ logistics, manufacturing
enterprises logistics and materials distribution
enterprises logistics. The experience of
manufacturing enterprises logistics and materials
distribution enterprises logistics cannot be simply
copy and apply to telecommunications operators.
Telecommunications operators(and other service
firm business) must draw the conclusion of
industrial experience and innovate in logistics theory.
Consequently they can come out with theory that
based on industrial characters and direct the
management and running of circular logistics of
telecommunications operators(and other service firm
business). Study on circular logistics of
telecommunications operators is significant to
promoting study on logistics of service firm business
and improving the theoretical system of the logistics.
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Arthur D., Little and The Pennsylvania State University，
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Logistics Management，1991．
Ru Yi-hong, 2009. Circulation logistics system, Railway
Publishing House of China.
Wang Ying-kui, 2010. Study on Development of Circular
Logistics of Telecommunications Operators, Logistics
technology.
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