18.01.09Prof. N. P. Pathak - Dept. of I.T.1 3SS OSS Operating support system BSS Business support system MSS Marketing support system

18.01.09 Prof. N. P. Pathak - Dept. of I.T. 1

3SS

OSS Operating support system BSS Business support system MSS Marketing support system


Contents

Classification of Service Providers

Industry issues of Support systems

Market Drivers for Support Systems

The Service Delivery Cycle



Due to the opportunities given by deregulation in many countries, there are number of new entrants in the telecommunications services industry.

Product and service portfolios need some fine tuning in most cases because customers are facing overlapping offers from various service providers.

Service creation and provisioning are becoming more dynamic.

SP-customer interconnections are getting simpler by using Internet technology.


Classification of Service Providers ASP (applications service provider)

Emerging service provider who must combine:

Application Systems Network management

Service level expectations are extremely high; the whole business of a customer may rely on this provider.


Classification of Service ProvidersCLEC (competitive local-exchange

carrier) Smaller, flexible provider who owns little or no

telecommunications facilities (facilityless). By offering excellent customer care and new

services, they try to build the support structure step-by-step.

Their support systems are state-of-the-art, lightweight, and less expensive to operate.

In certain cases, they use service bureaus for billing and provisioning.


Classification of Service ProvidersCSP (cable service provider)

Emerging service providers with offers for access networks.

They still face technological challenges, which can be overcome.

Support systems are practically nonexistent. In terms of support systems, they buy instead of build;

occasionally, they use service bureaus for billing and provisioning.



CSP (content service provider)

Emerging service providers who concentrate on the value, Quality, and timeliness of content in e-Commerce environments.

They strongly co-operate with ISPs and ASPs.


Classification of Service Provider

ESP (enterprise service provider)

Emerging service provider from the enterprise environment.

They offer services for a limited user community with similar attributes of various providers.

They use and customize their existing support systems that may not scale well.


Classification of Service ProvidersICP (integrated communications

provider) Emerging provider with integrated services offer,

concentrating on next generation, high-speed data and wireless services, in particular for profitable business users.

Their acceptance in the market space is expected to be high.

In terms of support systems, they buy instead of build; occasionally, they use service bureaus for billing and provisioning.

They take advantage of the fact that intranet, extranet, virtual private networks, eCommerce, and multimedia applications require more bandwidth than is available over traditional circuit-switched voice networks


Classification of Service ProvidersIEX (inter-exchange carrier)

Primarily responsible for long-distance services with stepwise penetration of the local-exchange area.

They can be both incumbent and competitive providers with the result of the need for very heterogeneous support systems.


Classification of Service ProvidersILEC (incumbent local-exchange carrier)

Strong provider who owns a considerable amount of telecommunications facilities and doesn't want to give away this position easily.

Most likely, has a number of legacy support systems with little interoperability and integration in use.

The result is high operating costs.


Classification of Service ProvidersCAP (competitive access provider)

Facilities-based or non-facilities-based; Similar to the ILEC, but as carefully selected

local loops for high-profit commercial customers


Classification of Service ProvidersISP (Internet service provider)

Wide variety of sizes of these providers. Their main goal is to provide Internet access to

business and private customers. Major challenges include managing quality and

offering acceptable performance.


Classification of Service ProvidersNSP (network service provider)

They are responsible for providing a highly reliable networking infrastructure, consisting of equipment and facilities.

Their responsibilities are usually limited to the physical network, but element management systems are usually included in their offers.


Classification of Service ProvidersPTT (Post, Telegraph, and Telephone)

strong provider who owns a considerable amount of telecommunications facilities and doesn't want to give away this position easily.

Most likely, has a number of legacy support systems with little interoperability and integration in use.

The result is high operating costs. It represents service providers prior to liberalization of

telecommunications services.


Classification of Service ProvidersWSP (wireless service provider)

Carrier who provides:– cellular, – personal, and– mobile communications services.


Industry issues of support systemsConvergence and telecom consolidation

It accelerates the use of advanced support systems. Creates advantage for support systems targeting multiple

end markets. It increases the complexity of telecom networks and the

demand for the integration of support systems.


Industry issues of Support systemsDeveloping support systems markets

Growth is dominated by new carrier adoptions and incumbent upgrades.

Developing markets, such as data solutions, and carrier interconnections, are likely to justify the next wave of support systems spendings.


Industry issues of Support systemsEmergence of complex, multiplatform

environments

Reliability and scalability of large centralized systems remain excellent.

Service providers incorporate a multiplatform strategy augmenting existing investments in legacy solutions with newer technologies targeted at profitable customer market sectors.


Industry issues of Support systems

Emphasis on telecom systems integration Complex multiplatform, multivendor telecom networks

require substantial systems integration for interoperability.

With multiple client server and legacy support systems in place, integration capabilities of vendors are in high demand.


Industry issues of Support systemsOutsourcing.

In order to concentrate on customer management, some back-office functions may be outsourced to service bureaus.

These service bureaus might use support systems from the same vendors, but they use them in a shared fashion among multiple service providers.


Industry issues of Support systemsProduct-based vendor-driven solutions

Carriers increasingly demand solutions rather than raw technology and development kits for custom-developed support systems solutions.

The advent of technology standards encourages the use of best-of-breed vendor solutions.


Industry issues of Support systemsUpgrade cycles in support systems

As a result of global deregulation, carrier competition is driving the demand for new, more efficient back-office solutions.

In addition to reducing operating expenses, advanced support systems improve time-to-market and often facilitate the introduction of new, revenue-producing solutions.


Market Drivers for Support Systems

The market is changing very rapidly. Support systems should be positioned well and should

meet providers' expectations in a timely fashion. Principal market drivers are addressed in this segment.


Market Drivers for Support SystemsGrowth of the Global

Telecommunications Market Number of subscribers grows for existing services; new

services are provisioned on existing infrastructures; and completely new services on new infrastructures are deployed or acquired.

Several support system vendors have striven to capitalize on

this opportunity with solutions that reduce complexity

These vendors do not usually replace existing systems, but add functionality to accommodate new services, such as...


Market Drivers for Support SystemsGrowth of the Global

Telecommunications Market - Internet, intranets, and extranet - Special data services on top of voice networks - Wireless services - Cable and video services - Voice and fax services on top of IP - Storage area networks - Web hosting - Content management - Support of ASPs - eCommerce services


Market Drivers for Support SystemsIncreasing Network Complexity

New telecommunication service providers do not have the time to build a new, but instead combine existing and new infrastructures, such as copper, fibre, and wireless.

They are deploying new services on the basis of a mixture of infrastructures.


Market Drivers for Support SystemsIncreasing Network Complexity

- Emerged technologies – Voice networks, Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN),

circuit switching, packet switching, message switching, frame relay, Fast Ethernet, Fast Token Ring, and Fibre Distributed Data Interface/Copper Distributed Data Interface (FDDI/ CDDI)]

- Emerging technologies– (Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), mobile and wireless,

SMDS, SONET /SDH, cable, xDSL, and Broadband ISDN (B-ISDN)].

- Support systems must adapt to this new situation


Market Drivers for Support SystemsEmerging standards

for Telecommunications Providers When services are offered in combination,

support systems should be modified and connected to each other.

This opens new business opportunities for support systems vendors

The introduction of standards for support systems is accelerating the business demand.


Market Drivers for Support SystemsEmerging standards

for Telecommunications Providers The introduction of technology standards,

– Telecommunication Management Network (TMN)– Distributed Common Object Model (DCOM– Common Object Request Broker Architecture

(CORBA)– Telecommunication Information Network

Architecture (TINA)– Web-Based Enterprise Management (WBEM)

All these have begun to gain critical support by new support systems vendors.


Market Drivers for Support SystemsDeregulation and Privatization

It has been realised by United states and European countries that

deregulation and privatization trend can help to increase the healthy

competition in customer services. Deregulation meant to encourage

competition through the proliferation of new entrants.

The key issues are

1. Local number portability (help customers to change Service Provider

2. Extranet connecting support system for ordering, provisioning,

repairing and maintenance

3. Directory services (help customers using authentication to use many

services like choosing umbrella pattern of services, billing details etc..)


Market Drivers for Support SystemsDeregulation and Privatization

This innovation and reengineering in deregulation and privatization showed trend towards billing

1. Better customer care2. Convergent billing3. Offering new services4. Rapid provisioning of new services

In each of these cases, either the deployment of new support systems or customization of existing 3SSs is required.


Market Drivers for Support SystemsCommunication Convergence

Advanced technology, coupled with deregulation, is driving communications convergence.

Customers prefer to get all types of services, such as long-distance and local voice, data/Internet cable/video, and wireless access from the same service provider.


Market Drivers for Support SystemsCustomer Orientation

SPs are likely to focus on improving the total value of their services – quality, support and price

Support system vendors are expected to offer1. Performance2. Customization 3. Security

CNM (Customer Network Management of this class of OSS keeps a track of it.

The services should be such that customers may not be aware where the 3SS services come from.


Market Drivers for Support SystemsASP Model

There is an industry trend that shows a number of companies teaming up in an attempt to meet the market demand for streamline OSS applications.

OSS APSs pull the customized applications rather than creating their own. More and more companies are entering into this space.

Their success depends on their value to the network service providers and on how their solutions integrate across each OSS application.


Organizational structure__________________________________

– It is very difficult to create an organizational model that fits all providers. But there are certain attributes that can be defined with each provider.

– With few exceptions, the organizational units can be discovered with telecommunication providers as shown here.



– Finance : Enterprise resourse management, revenue assurance, credit analysis, fraud management etc.

– Marketing :Customer care, customer relationship management, products/service portfolio management, sales, order processing, billing etc.

– Human resources : Salary accounting, recruiting, administration, training, career management etc.



– Operations, administration and maintenance : Provisioning, deployment, change management, service configuration and maintenance, tests, monitoring, quality and service assurance, documentation and management systems etc.

– Information technology : Application management, vendor management, software selection, purchase and maintain. groupware, knowledge management, Email, Internet, intranet access



– Strategic planning : New technology design, development, infrastructure, optimisation etc.

– Logistics and facility management : Physical inventory, asst management, logistics, transport, energy management, security management, investment, purchases etc.


Strategic benefits of advanced support system

– Improved operating efficiencies in data, inventory and network management : It is expected that the management of various objects such as equipment, applications, databases and so on is more integrated, and requires less human resources to manage.

– Reduced support and maintenance costs associated with legacy systems : Due to more automation and interconnection, the support and maintenance expenses are decreasing.

– Shorter product deployment cycle : Products and services can be created, tested and deployed faster due to advanced technology used in support system.



– Strategic deployment of new services and pricing scheme : Processes are interconnected to each other. Rapid service provisioning in combination with pricing guarantees rapid deployment.

– Facility to modifying pricing and marketing scheme : Due to interconnected processes, changes can be deployed very quickly. Each modelling and simulating resource utilization scenarios are easy to implement.

– Superior customer management to establish customer loyalty : The significant improvement of customer care will help to avoid customer churn and to sell value added services to loyal customers.



– Strategic marketing to target and acquire profitable business customer : Due to rich information on customers and their traffic generation patterns, marketing strategies can be customized.

– New synergistic products and convergent services : BSS applications’ bonding is very helpful to support convergent services. This bonding integrates OSSs, BSSs, MSSs, documentation and management systems.



The telecommunications industry today is experiencing a number of changes and challenges. Deregulation, new services, new technologies. reengineering business processes and acquisitions are just a few that demand attention.

Also, multiple concepts such as service differentiation, quality of service, time-to-market, customer care. return on investment, and total cost of ownership request attention.



Quality of processes, automation of processes, and integration of support and management tools may mean the difference between business success and failure.

Business processes may be organized in several ways, such as– Customer care, service development, order processing,

provisioning, network and systems management,and billing

– Fulfillment, service assurance, and billing.


Service Delivery Cycle



Service delivery cycle diagram shows a never ending cycle of business processes and their functions from various providers

Below these business processes, there are many support, documentation and management systems, most of them are legacy applications, some are open in nature while remaining are best of the breed. However, majority of the time all of them well integrated with each other.

18.01.09 Ganesh Pathak - Dept. of I.T. 47

Technology Trends Service portfolios will concentrate on IP by implementing IP on

various underlying network infrastructure ( eg. ATM,frame relay or directly on fibre) -> the effectiveness and efficiency of IP is critical to service providers

Service portfolios are going to be structured into wireline wireless and IP—embedding in voice,data and video (IP based services : on-line real-time process and self-care)

Using improved and automated workflow and workforce management technologies->provisioning efficiency will increase significantly

Various middle-ware solution and management protocols help to optimize and standardize the information exchange between various processes functions and support tools

The billable next-generation service: the evolution will involve building profitability and focus on market and customer services

– Purpose : Gaining market share


Technology trends Digital communication especially over shared IP

networks is growing, so service providers will have to become more financially accountable in response to this trends

Packets and headers will have to be translated into monetary units

Service providers will also need to link traffic/billing data to policies associated with service-level agreements

In the future, service providers need a further simplification in billing due to integrated services


Trends with Support Systems In general, next generation support support system

must include following attributes :– Maximal scalability: Support system are expected to support

sudden unpredictable change of volumes – Ultra-reliability: High-availability + high-reliability services

which gives support operation on 24x7x365 basis– Rapid integration into value chains– Excellent price/performance– Off-the-shelf technology:using integration capabilities of

middleware and management frameworks and EAI– Use of software engineers available on the market– Ability to cope with uncertainty and constant changes


Trends with Support systems New types support system :

– Support system for mobile device:• Support systems will be tackled in the mobile device• As enterprise and service providers build more Web-based

access mechanisms and perform the back-office integration to support them, mobile access becomes simpler

• Use of content transformation technology and integrated microbrowsers (Multiprotocol-enabled, and can read XML, WML)

• eOSS for eCommerce


Conclusion Service providers should position themselves and

choose service portfolio Settlements are needed between peering service

providers In addition to accounting, innovative technologies

for service creation and service activation are needed

Powerful and properly equipped call centers with Web access support for customers with operational solutions in real time for IP based services


Thank you ! ! !

Documents

18.01.09Prof. N. P. Pathak - Dept. of I.T.1 3SS OSS Operating support system BSS Business support system MSS Marketing support system