|
|
|
06 April, 2018
Self organising networks (SON) have, in recent years, gained limited attention as communications service providers (CSPs) focus on virtualisation via software defined networks (SDN) and network functions virtualisation (NFV). However, as CSPs recognise the value of SON for their future operations, large deals for the technology are being done, writes George Malim.
27 February, 2018
NEC Corporation and Netcracker Technology report that Vodafone Group has selected NEC/Netcracker’s Hybrid Operations Management (HOM) solution to support its transition into a telecommunications cloud provider. (more…)
05 February, 2018
When looking at the virtualisation landscape in its broader sense I can’t help seeing that the real problem is agility or, rather, the lack of it, writes Pravin Mirchandani, the chief marketing officer of OneAccess Networks.
05 February, 2018
As Mobile World Congress in Barcelona draws near again, you know that 5G will be on people’s lips. So Jeremy Cowan of VanillaPlus.com asked Chris Pearson, president of 5G Americas to shed some light on what the advent of 5G will mean to all of us. (more…)
31 January, 2018
InterDigital, Inc., a mobile technology research and development company, announced the successful trial and evaluation of the company’s millimeter wave (mmW) EdgeLink™ 60GHz solution and Fast-Forward 70GHz solution that meets new 5G transport requirements as defined by the various 5G standardisation groups (more…)
18 January, 2018
We may not yet know what will be the most lucrative 5G services, but it’s clear that to succeed with the next generation of mobile and become digital service providers (DSPs), network operators must invest heavily in mobile edge computing (MEC), writes Scott Sumner, the director of business analytics at Accedian. Bringing cloud computing and IT environments to the edge of the cellular network is a key component of any 5G strategy.
27 December, 2017
ZTE Corporation, a major international provider of telecommunications, enterprise and consumer technology solutions for the Mobile Internet, announced that it has been selected by China Telecom in the provincial cloud resource pool pre-commercial trial (more…)
12 December, 2017
It might be a bit premature to make that claim, but it’s certainly the way things are going. Elements of these once disparate support systems are increasingly reaching across from one domain to the other as processes from one side of the line depend on data from the other. Indeed, with the increasing digitisation of telecoms infrastructure, it can surely only be a matter of time before OSS and BSS become one and the same thing and we think of everything in terms of Telco IT.
Signs of convergence are already appearing. As an increasing number of operators adopt SDN and NFV architectures, they are transforming traditional networks into software programmable platforms running on basic, low-cost cost hardware and are, in the process, driving the convergence of IT and Telecoms. The result will be revamped network operations which in turn will enable new services and business models, and of course impact OSS and BSS.
Telekom Austria’s Alexander Jenbar, director A1 Operation says, “I think OSS and BSS continue to be merged from technical point of view: They both rely more and more on standardised software-stacks with commonly used software technologies. Functionality, availability and performance will be ensured with the same methods and measures. Agile software development methods will succeed in both areas in order to fulfil business requirements. “
Tom Homer, Telstra’s managing director for EMEA agrees. He says that the distinction between OSS and BSS is disappearing in the industry with the acceleration of software defined elements. He adds, “From an operations perspective, we are seeing network, platforms, software and products converge, which is changing the way we – and our customers – activate, monitor and manage incidents across the business and operational systems.”
Of course, operators aren’t just going digital for its own sake, they are looking for more ways of making their business operations more efficient as well as enabling new services and addressing new markets. Pure-play digital services rely on a wide range of third party players who encompass everything from content to technology, and with many industries transforming their own business processes, the need for tightly integrated OSS and BSS will only increase as telcos seek to expand their customer base.
Charging is the most obvious process to benefit from a converged telco infrastructure. There has always been the need to pull data from the network in order to accurately bill a customer, but with integrated digitalised support systems in place new possibilities present themselves. One example already in service is experience-based charging whereby the customer is charged according to the performance or otherwise, of the network. Similarly, it could be argued that network assurance and service assurance are becoming one and the same thing because they are increasingly becoming interdependent.
All the telcos that we spoke to for this column agreed that OSS and BSS were converging fast and were keen to grasp the opportunities offered by the move to Telco IT. They are looking outward to new markets and services and inward for greater efficiencies.
Typical is Australia’s Telstra. Tom Homer says that Telstra is capitalising on this convergence by executing its digitisation program along with its Network 2020 programme to deliver a differentiated experience and products that give its customers greater control and choice on service acquisition and interaction. He adds, “The shift to the ‘Telco IT’ paradigm further expedites real time interaction for customers and greater flexibility in consumption of services. Internally it drives greater levels of automation, improving the foundation to leverage Artificial Intelligence to drive productivity.”
So, it’s ‘Game On’ for the convergence of OSS and BSS, but it’s not just operators that will feel the impact. Telco IT will have ramifications for vendors too, particularly those who have single-play offerings such as a billing engine or network management software. For them it could soon be time to think about partnerships, mergers or even selling up. As Telco IT comes of age, the market will surely consolidate.
By Peter Dykes, freelance telecoms writer
05 December, 2017
As the demands facing network operators and communication service providers (CSPs) have increased, network virtualisation has garnered plenty of interest and excitement as the future for the communications sector, writes Steve Upton, the senior vice president of Networks and Operations Consulting at Cartesian.
05 December, 2017
Huawei announced that it has been selected by Vodafone Group as an approved vendor to supply its FusionSphere OpenStack platform, to support the operator’s global roll out of Network Functions Virtualisation (NFV) and Software Defined Networks (SDN). (more…)
Please try a search?
