Cellular communication system featuring advanced son functionality

System comprising:

• at least one measuring entity for measuring values of at least one performance indicator of a cellular network (CCN) over a plurality of time intervals, the plurality of time intervals comprising a current time interval associated with a current network configuration of the cellular network and with current measured values of the at least one performance indicator and, before the current time interval, a plurality of historical time intervals each one associated with a respective historical network configuration of the cellular network and with respective measured historical values of the at least one performance indicator;
• a determining unit for determining, for each one of at least one selected historical time interval of said plurality of historical time intervals, a plurality of alternative network configurations that could have been implemented by the cellular network during the corresponding historical time interval in alternative to the respective historical network configuration;
• a network simulator unit for determining, for each alternative network configuration, respective simulated values of the at least one performance indicator;
• a computation unit for determining, based on the measured historical and simulated values of the at least one performance indicator, and for each selected historical time interval, a respective best network configuration among the respective historical network configuration and the respective plurality of alternative network configurations;
• a forecast unit for determining, based on the current and measured historical values of the at least one performance indicator, forecast values of the at least one performance indicator for a following time interval following the current time interval;
• a predicting unit for predicting, based on the forecast values of the at least one performance indicator, on the measured historical values of the at least one performance indicator and the best network configurations determined for each selected historical time interval, an optimal network configuration for the following time interval, and
• a configuration unit for configuring, at the following time interval, the cellular network according to the predicted optimal network configuration.