Comarch Technology Review magazine (Telecom Edition)

8/14/2019 Comarch Technology Review magazine (Telecom Edition)

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Comarch Technology Review is a publication creaby Comarch experts and specialists. It aims at ass

ing our customers and partners in obtaining in-deinormation about market trends and developmenand the technological possibilities o addressing most important issues.

www.comarch.eu

C T B U

0 1/2009 (0

in ocus

next generationservice management

>> NGSM I S M

>> Nx G S D P

>> A SLA T S SLA M?


2/44

... with Comarch Next Generation Service Assurance you can simplybe sure that all the services in your network are working.

T gg umb svcs mpc ps bussss ms OSS sysms v v b s mp s y ys. Ty, ps c v k bu pvg svcs u p m suppg sysms. I s cuc k vg cmpsv Op Supp Sysm bs uygu mgm sysm c m svcs, umcy g vs m pssb sucs s pu g ps ms v m.

Our proposal is the Comarch Next Generation Service Assurance solution, based on threemodules o the Comarch OSS Suite: Service Management, Fault Management and OSS ProcessManagement. Thanks to a highly ecient event correlation engine, the solution providesthe ability to monitor complex services, track problems root causes in an automated way,

ms mpy, sv cs ug sucu pcsss. Mv, smssg Cmc su cmps py s s z ugOSS/J cs. As su, g OSS sysm g us vgs svcssuc sg cvg ppc.

Learn mor

s.corc.co

Just sit backand relax...


3/44

TNDS & STATGIS

18. W ?Accu, css, sm

Pcss-Dv Ivy

At present, it is understood that an accurate

Inventory database should be at the core othe entire OSS. Only an accurate Network Inven-

tory can be the oundation o Service Inventory

and urther automated Service Provisioning

and Service Level Management. The only way

to ensure such accuracy and automation, and

to introduce accurate Inventories into existing

scattered environments, is through Process-

Dv Ivy Mgm.

23. A x

ITIL TOMTOM s -k ccp cm-

munications industry. This article discusses the

possibility o combining eTOM with ITIL, the de

acto standard or IT Service Management. It

ss mpc OSS BSS v-

ment o telecom operators, considering also the

business benets that the ITIL best practices will

bring, when implemented in parallel with eTOM

busss pcsss.

27. T C B2B GM c cmmuc

b busss ps

The traditional business-to-consumer market

in the telecommunications sector has been the

main ocus or most telecom operators. Due to

the increasing amount o players on the tele-

communication market, new business oppor-

tunities have risen between companies. Typi-

cal ways o cooperation on the telecom market

can be e.g. MVNE-MVNO cooperation or coop-

eration between a Mobile Network Operator

(MNO) and a content provider. These kind o

business-to-business (BB) partnerships bring

additional challenges, because the technical

advances and highly competitive markets have

increased the importance or BB platorms as a

middle-ground solution that enables the inor-

mation exchange and interaction between oper-

busss p ppcs.

31. T I I W B DA W-W Su Ws

Ops Ps

The transormation o legacy networks tow

IP-based networks will be an important c

lenge in the near uture, as it will have an im

on the telecom operators business models, to the growing infuence o third party op

s. Ops cmp

svc p uss, cug

wide services or voice interconnect, data in

connect and roaming. For routing internati

trac, wholesale operators play a big role in

svc gs ps.

35. H S WMAXB CLg B Ey

WMAX Svc Mk

With a wider range o available consumer

vcs I, b

services has become greater than ever be

Home and business users are looking or ast,

able, customizable and sel-manageable serv

This opens brand new opportunities or b

xsg sup svc pvs;

it also brings about the challenge o deploy

the right network and IT inrastructure to pro

bs pssb cusm xpc.

CAS STUDIS

40.T NGOMOST Pjc

O cgs c by NGOSS sysis the increasing need or consistent mana

ment o physical network equipment. In la

companies the time consumed by maintai

thousands o devices and nding solution

possible problems is constantly on the rise. St

-- cgs b v

dent equipment type identication and acces

bus cmp yps. Fu

more, current solutions oten provide the

with convenient graphical modeling o the ph

c ms sucus, bu usuy u

s quss vv spsc

cgu css.

IN OCUS

4. Nx G SMTough competition orces CSPs to tackle interac-

tive and content-based services to avoid being

pushed into the role o mere bit carrier. The win-

ner is the one who can introduce (at the quickest

speed) new exciting customer services in collabo-

ration with partners at the lowest costs. Next Gen-

eration Service Management is a solution which

c p CSPs cp sucs v-

u uc p css. NGSM cm-

bines various TMF standards including SID, eTOM,

SDF and OSS/J into the complete solution which

bs bsg svc v.

8. Nx G SD PIg Svc Fum

T cmmuc usy s ug

g s m vc cc svcs s

muc m ymc, cvg svcs bs

on IP protocol. The driving orce in this revolution

has been the introduction o mobile services and

a prevalence o the Internet, thus resulting in a

change in customer needs. Nowadays, customers

expect great fexibility and a complete solution

which can deliver end-user services over dier-

cgs. Ts ms b

protable, telecommunication operators need to

transorm rom simple network access providers

to services aggregators, where network access is a

vc vg c cc svcs.

14.A SLAThe missing part o complete Service

SLA Mgm?

I am a Customer, my service is not working. Sim-

ple complaint, probably a simple solution, but

I pbm I k my

network is working correctly. The problem is that

the service models do not include inormation

about used applications, and the applications are

increasingly becoming the heart o the service,

while the network is simply reused. How can oper-

s su pp quy s my

cmpx svcs s v? Hs s

or network and service monitoring enough unc-

y pv g m?

C:D Bcz

L:Mcj Ubk

DTP&G:Am Dbsk

P:Sc Rys, M Js

P:Cmc SA, A. J P II 39, 31-864 Kk

T. +48 12 64 61 000, x: +48 12 64 61 100, : [email protected]

.cmc.u

P:Skz Pg Hus, u. J. L 118, 31-033 KkC: 1500

Tcgy Rv s pubc vb by subscp.

T cs pubs c b cp puc y

kg cs s. T ms pucs

cmps m mks ms

pucs.

T C


4/44

Nx GS M

Tug cmp cs CSPs ck cv c-bs svcs v bg pus

m b c. T s c uc ( qucks sp)

xcg cusm svcs cb ps s css. Nx G Sv

Management is a solution which can help CSPs to intercept new sources o revenue and to reduce ope

tion costs. NGSM combines various TMF standards including SID, eTOM, SDF and OSS/J into the comple

su c bs bsg svc v.

technology review [.cmc.u]

4 > I


5/44

THE INTERNETand mobile revolution has changed the commu-

nication service market. From the consumer de-

m pspcv, s g cg. F my

end-users, no mobile phone or online presence

means that you dont exist. In other words, com-

munication based services are perceived as ne-

cessities to live similar to ood and air. This seems

like an ideal situation or Communication Service

Pvs (CSP). T pbm s -uss

y ugy bu s vy mg. E-

users can no longer be satised by simple services

bs k ccss. Ag g cmp-

tition in mature markets where the revenue can no

g b cs by smp subscb c-

qus, ms vu g mus b

pursued around new types o services: interactive

c bs svcs.

A s CSP mv s m

complex services leveraging technology conver-

gence combined with content based services is

pssu I pys. Accg TMF

Business Benchmarking, industry update report

[], even mobile operators, because o the logic

o mobile internet, might be cast into the role o

mere bit carriers by Internet players like Google or

handset vendors such as Apple. This is even urther

true or xed operators i they stop their transition

rom voice service providers at the place where

y sv y umb pps I.

For all these reasons, the recommendation pro-

vided in the report [] Revenue Growth Strate-

gs: Gg Bc Rg s CSPs mus

intercept revenue growth around interactive and

content based services. This is perceived as a long

term strategy which is expected to allow CSP to

attain a considerable share in the business around

I.

To implement this strategy, CSP must learn to

play a new role that o a service aggregator. This

ms CSP mus g bu s b

bu m. Is, CSP mus

cooperate with partners and deliver services in the

value chain model. The key to success is the abil-

ity to augment native CSP services with partner

svcs, y c bs bu s

vices provided by other CSPs. The winner is the

who can astest adapt its oer to customer ne

by embracing the most exciting content and ap

cs pv by ps.

The problem with the idea o providing n

xcg svcs c cmb

work access based services leveraging technol

cvgc c bs svcs, s

s xcg svcs my uc c

plexity which can eat up prot. This challeng

indicated in the already mentioned report [] W

g Skg W: Ps Cs.

T s s pbm s mpyg

generation service management OSS systems. H

su cu b vgg yp sv

delivery platorm systems. However, this kind

sysm my sss svc vy

cess, and to complete the picture one must att

the missing part service assurance. In a hig

competitive environment with increased porta

ity o end users between service providers, serv

delivery that does not assure comprehensive c

1. C

CustomerFocus

NetworkFocus

Customer Facing Services

Resource Facing Services

Resources

Capture customer

needs

Identiy what

technical services

are required

Allocate

resources

CRM

Calculate Customer

service impact

Identiy impacted

technical services

Identiy aulty

resources

CRM

Service delivery Service assurance

/

I


6/44

The central aspect o the solution is serv

inventory with the service catalog construc

according to the SID model augmented with m

agement meta-data used by service ulllment a

service assurance processes. Service ulllmen

realized by the Next Generation Service Deliv

Platorm and service assurance by Next Generat

Service Assurance. From the Service Inventory

spcv, vy pcss s puc

vice data which includes details about custom

service decomposition down to allocated resour

The service assurance process is a consumer wh

exploits service detailed data to boost service as

ance process automation. The presented solut

perectly demonstrates how SID and eTOM ra

works support each other and enable the provis

o an end-to-end solution without scariying

s mu ppc.

Deeper insight into the NG Service Delivery P

orm and NG Service Assurance concepts can

gained rom the white papers listed in the Furt

g cp.

N In the history o IT there have been a lot o o

hyped revolutionary ideas which promised to so

virtually all the problems o the world. Even w

some o these ideas contained promising s

s, my m bcus s

pcc y bgg s s . M

o them simply assumed the big bang scena

which means replacing all existing systems w

sysm s. Suc pp

is impractical and presents a barrier to the in

uc v.

The Next Generation Service Management s

tion does not require replacing all existing syste

to reap the benets o the solution. On the cont

su ssums sc c

ing legacy systems can be incorporated into

service layer as service actories. In other wo

this scenario can be perceived as a test case

the integration capabilities o the solution. T

means that CSP can quickly introduce the n

su. Is pcg sysms, C

can concentrate all eorts on adding new serv

components and combining them with the exist

service portolio to bring really new exciting tomer services to market. This is a great advant

over the scenario where much time is consumed

transorming an IT environment with no infue

on business until the whole transition is compl

Ts s ms uc m

mk b c NGSM bgs.

mental impact on the positive eects o ast ser-

vice adoption. To avoid this situation, brining new

services to lie must mean providing complete lie-

time support comprising the ulllment and assur-

ance areas o service management identied by the

eTOM ramework. The idea o complete service lie-

m supp s pc bv (Fgu ).

The concept is based on the synergy between

um ssuc pcsss c us

same service inventory. Figure 1 demonstrates that

the service delivery process during execution lls the

svc vy c su

be available to the service assurance process. The

xmp mss umc svc

impact calculation or the network related aults.

This process requires data completed by the service

delivery process. It demonstrates how practically the

eTOM process decomposition into ulllment andassurance processes can be implemented so that the

decomposed processes collaborate during the ser-

vice lietime. The presented concept o service ulll-

ment and assurance synergy is a reason or the Next

Generation Service Management solution to be com-

posed o three main components: Service & Network

Inventory, Next Generation Service Delivery Platorm

Nx G Svc Assuc.

2. Nx G S M

NGS

er

viceAssura

nc

e

NGServ

ice

Deli

verry

Platfo

rm

Service Inventory

Fulfllment Assurance

sumer experience may quickly turn into ailure. This

is the reason or employing next generation service

management systems which address both service

ulllment and service assurance. Fast introduction

svcs mus m y by

deliver the exciting services but also the ability to

assure the quality which guarantees customer sat-

sc. A s b cvb

css. Ts bs su ccz

x g svc mgm su.

C The current and uture communication service

mk s ccz by g cmp. T

battleeld is around ast service innovation. The

winner o the game is the one who can quickly envi-

sion new exciting services and then promptly bring

these new services to lie. The service introductionrequires not only the ability to deliver new services

to customers but also to assure comprehensive cus-

m xpc. T cpby s quy

important. In times o strong competition and

increasing ease with which customers can migrate

b CSPs, gcg svc ssuc my

seriously damage CSP business and have a detri-


6 > I


7/44

z M

Cmc SAP: OSS Puc Mg

D: Tcmmucs

Busss U

I: Cuy spsb Nx

G Svc Mgm

su, spczs svc

um

[1] Next Generation Service Deliver

Pm. T g um

Comarch white paper, Technology R

v 1/2009.

[2] How to move Service Assurance t

the Next Level, Comarch white pape

Tcgy Rv 2/2008.

[3] Application SLA the missing part o

complete Service SLA Management?

Comarch white paper, Technology R

v 1/2009.

4] .gsm.cmc.cm

1] Rvu G Sgs: G

the Balance Right, TMF Busines

Bcmkg.

[2] Winning in a Shrinking World: Poin

to Consider, TMF Business Benc

mkg, usy up p.

C Nx G SMComarch Next Generation Service Management is

a pre-integrated solution constructed according

to the idea depicted in Figure . NGSM includes:

Comarch Service Inventory, Comarch Next Genera-

Svc Dvy Pm Cmc Nx

Generation Service Assurance. The solution is a

perect example o how TMF standards and best

practices can be combined and implemented to

provide the complete solution yet maintaining

modularity. The main TFM standards and best prac-

tices exploited by Comarch NGSA are: SID, eTOM,

Svc Dvy Fmk (SDF) OSS/J.

S IComarch Service Inventory plays the role o a hub

or service ulllment and service assurance imple-

ms pv spcvy by NGSDP

NGSA. The primary role o service inventory is to

provide the service catalog understood as a central

location or dening existing and new customer

services. Service Inventory exploits the SID concept

or service modeling according to the mapping

between Customer Facing Services (CFS), Resource

Fcg Svcs (RFS) Rsucs (R). Ag

CFS-RFS-R model, service specications are aug-

mented with service management data which serve

both service ulllment and assurance process

mpm.

F svc um mpm NGSDP,

svc cg CFS RFS mppg s u-

dation or service order decomposition during

the service delivery process. For service assurance

implemented in NGSA, the R-RFS-CFS mapping is

used as a oundation or automatic ault service

mpc ccu.

Apart rom maintaining the service specication,

Service Inventory is responsible or storing service

instances to support the service ulllment and ser-

vc ssuc pcss s pc Fgu .

Svc Ivy s pys -

gration hub which enables incorporating third

party service oers into the CSP service catalog.

Third party service oers are managed as Resource

Facing Services which can be used to build new

Customer Facing Services. The basic RFS specica-

tion is augmented with management inormationc cu s bg csg

g svc cy.

Nx G S DPThe Comarch Next Generation Service Delivery

platorm implements service ulllment according

to the component based service creation concept.

The service catalog which stores service speci-

cations augmented with management meta-data

svs s cp svc vy pcss.

The management meta-data includes inormation

regarding which service actory is responsible or

managing service components. Simpliying, the

svc vy pcss s g

scenario. A customer order or a new service is

captured as a new Customer Facing Service with

attributes set to values which express customer

preerences. Next, the service delivery process

decomposes the customer order into the orders

or Resource Facing Services according to the CFS-

RFS mapping. The meta-data augmenting RFS speci-

cation enables the service delivery to orchestrate

svc cs u s. I y,

the service delivery is slightly more complicated,

as the service delivery process should take into

account services which a customer may already

v v. T s gg NGSDP c

b u pp s Fu

g cp.

Nx G SAComarch Next Generation Service Assurance is

responsible or service assurance implementation.

The service catalog model CFS-RFS-R is used to

um k u svc mpc ccu-

svc ssuc pcss mp-

ms.

The CFS-RFS-R enables NGSA to reocus rom

resource centric ault management to real cus-

tomer services assurance. The basic SID CFS-RFS-

R model is augmented with management meta-

data which include the service impact propagating

rules starting rom Resources through Resource

Facing Services to the impacted Customer Fac-

g Svcs.

Comarch NGSA also contains a ready to use

ITIL based library o service incident and problem

management processes which leverage the CFS-

RFS-Model or increasing the automation rate. Thedetails can be ound in the white paper listed in

Fu g cp. >>>

/

I


8/44

Nx G

S DPIntegrated Service ulillment


8 > I


9/44

1. S . z

Thetelecommunication industry has un-

dergone a great shit rom voice cen-

c svcs s muc m ymc, cv-

gent services based on IP protocol. The driving orce

in this revolution has been the introduction o mo-

b svcs pvc I, us

resulting in a change in customer needs. Customer

needs can no longer be satised by simple services

bu spcc cgy. O cy,

cusms xpc g fxby cmp

solution which can deliver end-user services over

cgs. Ts ms

be protable, telecommunication operators need to

transorm rom simple network access providers to

services aggregators, where network access is a ve-

c vg c cc svcs.

This trend resulted in the emergence o new types

o services, such as IPTV, Video on Demand and VoIP,

which can be implemented ether via Mobile or xed

(cug FFTx) bb ccss. M-

over, clients demand highly customizable service

packages with appropriate QoS. On the one hand, a

high customer demand or new types o services can

be a great source o revenue, but on the other hand,

pss bg cg cmmuc

ps svc um.

As the services to be delivered to end users are no

longer simple services bound to a single technology,old methods or service ulllment cease to work.

Traditional OSS systems were organized in silos built

vertically over technology-centric services. This archi-

tecture is considerably challenged by the demand or

cvg svcs. O sysms sg

maximize eciency through leveraging tight cou-

pling between technology and services delivered

by this technology. This resulted in these systems

being developed as isolated silos without assuming

any o the horizontal integration required by conver-

gent services delivered in the value chain model. First

attempts to build service delivery systems or conver-

gent services were realized by very costly integration

o existing silos oriented OSS systems. Following this,

eorts were ocused on mitigating the integration

pbm by vgg g pms bs

on the ESB concept. But still, the results measured

regarding cost and time to market or delivering new

svcs sscy. Ts s u c

vpg ps ESB s s csy sk,

ppg vc ss c y pv -

z svc y m.

The answer to the integration problems associ-

vg cvg svcs s v-

aging Nxt Gnration Srvic Dlivry Platform

(NGSDP) a new generation o OSS systems in the

Svc Fum. T m g s

type o system is cost eectiveness and reduced

time to market or delivering highly customizable

bus cvg svcs. Sysm cc-

ture is tuned or delivering services which are

aggregations o convergent services rather than

monolithic services. The support or multiple play

scenarios and delivering services in a value chain is

v ucy s yp sysm.

The picture below illustrates how horizontal inte-gration is a native characteristic o the NGOSS, while

or silo-based architecture it is a high cost task which

mus bk ug ccu bus.

S D SA PT m pms NGSDP s svc s

not a monolithic service but a bundle o convergent

services. This assumption orces a shit rom vert

silos to the horizontal architecture, with the serv

layer acting as the basis or the service delivery p

css. T svc y s cmps -g

service components which act as reusable bu

ing blocks. Any customer service is dened as c

psg svc cmps. D cusm

services may reuse service components in dier

constellations, providing great fexibility in creat

new and dierentiated client services. The essen

element o NGSDP is the notion o the service de

ery process as an assembly process. This means t

once a new type o customer service is dened,

ready to be delivered via a generic service assem

process, which uses ne-grained reusable serv

components available on the service layer as bu

ing blocks. This idea is depicted below (Figure ).

architecture ensures reduced time to market an

sgc uc g css.

T MT uc IP bs cvg sv

caused a revolution in customer needs. They

no longer satised with monolithic services bou

to a single technology. On the contrary, custom

demand highly customized service bundles wh

are content rather than technology centric. Mo

v, cusms xpc svc gs idly adapt to the changing demands. It is now c

mpc cusm ups m

as quickly as a new concept appears on the m

ket. Because o strong competition, a customer

susy sc Svc Pv

more cheaply and quickly delivers new servi

without bothering with underlying network te

nology. This means that having an OSS system t

NGOSS

Network

IP Access Voice Data TV Content

Horizontal Layered Arch

Voice

OSS

Network

Data

OSS

Network

IP

OSS

Network

Vertical Silos based Arch

/

I


10/44

NGOSS

IP Access Voice Data TV Content

Service Layer

Content

Third PartyComponent

can signicantly reduce new service time to mar-

k s ss cmpv vg.

NGSDP is all about reducing time to market and

costs o introducing new services. The NGSDP archi-

cu s u sc c Puc

Manager can quickly prepare new service oerings

by assembling the existing ne-grained servicecomponents. This is achieved using architecture

based on a service layer and a notion o service

delivery as an assembly process. The introduction

o a new service is as simple as combining existing

building blocks and preparing a bundle. Once a new

service is prepared, it is ready to be delivered by the

generic service assembly process. This means that

svc g c b pp z

2. C

3. T

code writing, which not only drastically reduces

m mk, bu s css.

T b uc m mk s m-

ited to introduction o new service bundle variations.

The key premise o NGSDP is extendibility o the ser-

vc y. Ts ms mgg c-

gies, delivering novel convergent services, can beplugged into the service layer without the need to

rebuild the OSS system. Once new service compo-

nents have been added to the service layer, they

sy bcm vb Puc Mg

or building a new service oering. New customer ser-

vcs y vy by svc ssmby

process. In other words, integration o new service

components is reduced to the problem o plugging-in

IP Access Voice TV TV ChannelVideo OnDemand

IPVoice TV

TV Channel

VideoO

nDeman

d

User

Assembly process

Service Layer

ne grained components into the service layer, wh

sgcy ucs cs g.

I CHscy, g s ys b u

task in the OSS eld. The need or a time and mon

eective integration solution has become e

more critical or telecommunication operators

lowing the emergence o convergent services. C

tomers demand new services which are not mo

c sus, bu bus svcs,

mpm qus g

technologies, delivered in a value chain. This me

the participation o many partners, including c

tent providers. This makes having a platorm wh

acilities integration a necessity to survive wit

s vy cmpv vm.

For many years, integration has meant writ

ppy c c s s c

eective. A step orward was employing syste

bs ESB ccp, ucg css bu s

sucy cv. Ts s msy u

act that the ESB concept required writing ad

ers or monolithic systems. This method resemb

ghting with symptoms rather than eliminatingcause o a disease. The eective method requir

new approach, where old OSS systems construc

according to the vertical silos concept are repla

NGSDP.

The NGSDP is designed according to the h

zontal architecture, with an essential role or

service layer, which is composed o ne-grai

reusable components. This is the main dieren


10 > I


11/44

ager prepares a customer service by picking the

most suitable service components available on the

svc y, cs c ps svc

oerings are bundled into the customer service.

Once a service bundle is dened by the Product

Manager it is ready to be delivered to the customer.

The service delivery is implemented by the NGSDP

assembly process, which orchestrates creation o

individual service components that constitute a

customer service. This means that NGSDP provides

central control over individual partners oerings

throughout the service delivery process. This is an

essential eature or smooth implementation o

value chain-based customer oerings, as service

aggregators need to control the delivery o third

py cmps. Ts s pc b:

All the characteristics depicted highlight how

NGSDP has native inbuilt support or multiple ser-

vc s, sgcy ucg m- mk

g css.

C Nx G SD P

Cmc NGSDP s spc Cmc OSS

Suite, which is built according to the TM Forum NGOSS

ccp. T m ms Cmc NGSDP

.

C S LIn Comarch NGSDP, the service layer is built upon

the Comarch Service Inventory. The Comarch Ser-

vice Inventory exploits the service modeling concept

based on the SID model promoted by the TM Forum.

Ts ms svc y, c s u-

tion o NGSDP platorm, is based on an industry stan-

dard. Service components available on the serv

layer are managed according to the SID Model, wh

organizes service components into Customer Fac

Services (CFS) and Resource Facing Services (R

T cusm svc c

a Product Manager is modeled as a new CFS and

specication, as dened in SID. The new CFS-RFS sp

cation augmented by metadata and policy speci

tions becomes a novel recipe or the service assem

process, and, thus, the new customer service is re

or service delivery. In other words, the Comarch

vc y pvs svc cg c c

cps cusm gs.

Fug svc y usy s

, SID m mks g p

ners services much easier and the idea o integra

via plug-able service components a reality. Whe

partners oerings are described as appropriate

CFS spccs ugm by m

policy specications, they can be smoothly inco

rated into the service layer. This is achieved beca

RFS and CFS specications play a role o an indu

bs m scbg ps pugg

service oering. The basic CFS, RFS specicati

are augmented by additional meta-model and po

specications which describe the management in

ace o a service component and provide additioinormation required by the assembly process. O

RFS and/or CFS specications with the metadata

pcy spccs svc

the partners oerings become building blocks

customer oerings. This mechanism provides

integration hub which is compliant with the s

dard model (SID). In other words, the Comarch serv

y c py svc v

4. V NGSDP

Set-top bo

Third PartComponen

Content

Aggr


Content


NGSDP

ContentContent

Aggr

Broadband

ServiceSet-top box

Service Layer

Content

Creator

Content

Aggregator

Broadband

Provider

Set-top box

/TV/PC

m sysms, c cu xps y

coarse-grained services, thus, were dicult to reuse.

Moreover, old systems tightly coupled service man-

agement with services which were tied to a network

technology. In contrast, NGSDP exploits ne-grained

cmps c xps s API, g

the placement o the service management unc-

y bv svc cmps y. T

materialization o this concept is the generic ser-

vice assembly process, which is an essential part o

NGSDP svc vy mpm.

This reduces the integration problem to plugging-

in ne-grain components into the service layer. This

idea is depicted in the Figure . Once the integrated

service components are available on the service

layer, they are ready to be used by Product Managers

csucg c svc gs.

T sk puggg svc cmps s

much easier to that o integrating old systems based

on the vertical silos architecture. This is mostly due

to the NGSDP architecture, which assumes ne-

granularity o components with industry based

standard API. Even in the case that the components

to be integrated are not compliant with industry

s API sk g ps s muc

smaller to that o writing adapters or coarse-grain

monolithic systems. When the components to be

integrated are already based on industry standard

API (pm by TM Fum NGOSS v)

g pbm s v u uc.

V C S DThe emergence o convergent services and a

s m mc svcs c cc

svcs bus ms cmmuc

operators need to alter the orientation o their

business more towards service aggregation rather

my pb k ccss pvs-

ing. Having a platorm which has native support

or delivering services in multiple scenarios can

c s g cmpv vg.

NGSDP, with its new generation architecture

conceived to change service delivery into a service

assembly process, is a perect t or an OSS system

which needs to eectively support multiple play

business scenarios. Each partners oering is man-

aged as a service component within the service

layer which is available or service oering bun-dling. As the service layer o NGSDP is designed to

be extendable, each new partners oering can be

quickly plugged into the service layer. This means

that integration with new partners systems is a

standard process built into the concept o the ser-

vice layer. Once a new service partners oering is

incorporated into the service layer it is instantly

available or service oer bundling. A Product Man-

/

I


12/44


13/44

6. C : &

z M

Cmc SAP: OSS Puc Mg

D: Tcmmucs

Busss U

I: Cuy spsb Nx

G Svc Mgm

su, spczs svc

um

cations describe technical alternative implemen-

s CFS Spccs.

The described intelligence o the service assem-

bly process guarantees ecient service delivery by

reusing existing service building blocks and avoid-

ing deallocating and then reallocating service com-

ps. Mv, s sgy ssus mm

mpc xsg cusm svcs c

us ss .

CNGSDP is a new class o OSS system that has the

pmy ucg m mk -

gration costs associated with the introduction o

new service oerings. This is achieved through com-

pletely dierent system architecture. Unlike old

OSS systems, which exploited architecture using

the vertical silos concept, the new ormat employshorizontal architecture with an essential role or

the service layer. The premise is that a customer

service is a bundle o reusable ne-grained service

components. This assumption is a perect t or the

new generation, which is no longer monolithic ser-

vices bound to a single technology, but on the con-

trary, are bundles o content-centric convergent ser-

vices, including IPTV, Video on Demand and VoIP. The

concept o the service layer is accompanied by the

service assembly process notion, which is a generic

service delivery process. According to this concept,

service delivery is implemented by assembling reus-

able service building blocks available on the service

layer. This approach guarantees reduced time to

market or new services, oering both using a new

variation o service bundles and a new type o build-

ing block. The latter is possible because the service

layer is conceived as an extendable layer. The inte-

g pbm s uc ssu g

new, ne-grained service components, saving cost

and eort. Once a new service component is avail-

b svc y, s y b us s

bug bck csucg svc -

ings. This concept is augmented by exploiting indus-

try standards. Comarch NGSDP leverages the TM

Forum SID model with the core model o CustomerFacing Services and Resource Facing Services or

managing service building blocks available on the

pm. Empyg s API bs OSS/J

makes third party delivered service components

really pluginable modules, which can smoothly

extend the service layer, and, thus, a customer ser-

vice oering. This makes the NGSDP the perect plat-

m vg mup py svcs.

CustomerFocus

NetworkFocus

Customer Facing Services

Capture customer

needs

Identiy what

technical services

are required

Allocate

resources

CRM

Calculate Customer

service impact

Identiy impacted

technical services

Identiy aulty

resources

CRM

Service delivery Service assurance

Resource Facing Services

Resources

All these NGSDP eatures provide such bene

as reduced time to market and costs, which

xmy mp vy cmp

environment that telecommunication operat

mus p. >

/

I


14/44

A SLAThe missing part o complete Service SLA Management?

I C, . S , , I I . T vic modls do not includ information about usd applications, and th applications ar incrasing , .

Nx G Svc Mgm Ts c y k bu s ppcs mpc svc


14 > I


15/44

picture. Additionally, where possible, the propa-

gation rules are set to describe how the events

aect its direct services (Resource Facing Services).

The integration o applications is not an easy task.

With this, one may receive two events or the same

problem: one originating rom the device and one

rom the application. There are two solutions pos-

sb:

> Proper service model, allowing or correlation o

these two events and propagating the alarm only

cs b cmps svc

> Correlation rules, which can narrow down the

number o events and can enrich and qualiy

jus v.

Both solutions allow the service provider to enrich

mg svcs, c s c

mpc quy s SLA mgm.

S M W Svc Ms cu ppc

inormation it is important to ensure, that this

model is up-to-date. Oten, the service providers

put a lot o eort in creation o those models, either

through migration to newer service catalogue solu-

tions or through inquiries made in the current net-

work to locate all required applications. This is

not enough. The network environment and the

ppcs us v svcs vv, s

s vy mp mmum kp -

mation that some changes occurred. The ideal solu-

cus sg g b Sv

Inventory, Network Inventory and the monitor

solution. The best solutions include the proces

built using ITIL Change Management, which tr

all changes made in resources used by the serv

Those processes should automatically update

service model and also trigger the reresh o

m Svc Assuc .

A The applications could be monitored in almost

same way as any network element, either throu

the integration layer with dedicated interace

through IT Application Management. Both o th

approaches can deliver not only the state o a gi

application but also a number o dierent statis

such as perormance, disk usage, etc. Those det

can then be included in various KPI paramet

and crossing o the assigned thresholds will t

g ms, c c c svc.

SQM SLA When service models are documented there

gs mssg: Svc Quy M

ment and SLA Management. The rst is used to

c k & ppc mcs ccu

the KPI and KQI. These can then be propaga

through the service models to the top level C

tomer Services. Such an approach creates the c

p pcu svc:

1. S M SID

How c ps su proper quality o so many com-plex services is delivered? Has the sotware or net-

work and service monitoring enough unctionality

to provide the right inormation? Fortunately, OSS

systems have evolved, and they currently contain

unctionalities allowing the operator to build com-

prehensive service management platorms. Today,

operators cannot even think about delivering mod-

svcs g quy u pvg

SLA. Ts ms svc ssuc SLAs

bcms ms cc spc m OSS

solutions. Additionally, since most modern services

are built based on a number o applications, deliver-

ing the services over network, the applications are

bcmg c svc ms.

Bu s s m bgg.

S A Modern Service Assurance solutions allow or moni-

g svc by pvg g ky

ucs:

> Service state propagation based on network layer

monitoring and service models with detailed

m bu svc-suc s.

> Service Quality Management with statistics gath-

m umb sucs, cu-

g k, pbg sysms, ppcs,

and supporting systems. It also generates the

service aecting events based on thresholds

spssg.

These solutions are capable o joining the data

in order to provide comprehensive inormation

bu s svc. Ts s mus-v

solution when the service provider wants to imple-

ment the SLA and start including the applications

.

H ?W ?When comprehensive Service Assurance is in place,

the key issue is to identiy the applications which

are required to provide such a service. The service

m su b vs pp-

cs su b suc m. Ev

the given application cannot be ully monitored, it

is still valuable to have it as a part o the service.

There are dierent ways or modeling the services.In Comarchs opinion, the best option is to build

the model using SID, extending it to handle all nec-

ssy m.

The ideal Service Model provides inorma-

tion about used network resources and applica-

s ug g m sp

mcs/cuss. Suc m s us cu-

ment an end-to-end service and present the big

/

I Service model as documentation o used com-

ponents, resources, congurations, and most

mpy cu cmpx svcs us

ppcs

> Service impact events providing almost real-time

sus svc

> Service KPI and KQI providing the measurements

svc quy.

By including the applications in the model, the

overall service inormation is dependent on the

state and perormance o the used applications.

I all this data is exported to the SLA Management

solution, it can be used by a number o dierent

SLA attributes such as availability, bandwidth or

quality, to name just a ew. With this approach

mg v m svcs, c puybased on applications, and manage the applica-

quy ppc SLAs.

L C z

The possibility o propagating the application

vs cg svc m s vy mp-

b s ppc. Bu s v

more important potential benet rom the integra-

. Evy Svc Pv cks sg SLA,

maintains inormation about the priority o each

svc y, s p

c ss svc u. A s c

be used to prioritize services and the existing event

propagation rules can then be used to push the pri-

ority rom the service level down to the network

and application events. This means that the oper-

s c us s m sv s

events which are most critical rom the business

perspective. I the applications are part o the model,

their impact can also be prioritized, so that events

caused by them are resolved in a reasonable order.

Appc pzg c s b us by

users in other activities like enhancement planning,upgs mc cvs.

W Service providers might question the necessity o

including the applications, measuring them and

monitoring them more closely with SLAs. But at

the end-o-the-day, an increasing number o the

services depend heavily on applications like con-

tent servers, LDAP servers or even the OS instal

on their equipment. These applications oten g

m s us

network. The customers do not see the diere

rom their perspective the service is either work

, y g cg sv

provider i somebody will be able to guarantee

quality and availability o the service. Increas

amounts o service providers use this as the

erentiator o their oer, especially with reg

g busss cusms.

O The Comarch vision or realization o such soluti

is based upon the Comarch OSS Suite. It provides

ability through the fexible service modeling tool,

c Fu Mgm v c tem, the Service Impact Monitoring tool, Service Q

ity Management and nally SLA Management. A

these modules have been included in Comarch N

Generation Service Assurance, which also inclu

modules o Comarch IT Management the sourc

knowledge and best practices or application m

agement. The modularity o the platorm and

seamless integration o all the components with th

2. A S SLA

MelodyService

Radio Access Core NetworkMelody

Platorm

ContentProvider

HWPlatorm

Application

Service Priority

AlarmPriority = 100

Melody ServerContentMenager

UTRAN GERAN

SMSC DNS GSN

SLA Contract

ContentProvider

CFS RFS 3rd partyprovidedservice

Priority=100

Priority=100

Priority

=

100


16 > I


17/44

3. S C

J ZK

Cmc SAP: OSS Puc Mg

D: Tcmmucs

Busss U

I: Cuy spsb ss

supp Cmc OSS sysms.

party sotware, through OSS/J interaces, delivers an

OSS system which we believe takes service and appli-cation management to the next level. Since every new

y bgs svc qums ms,

only tools allowing or fexible service modeling and

including applications in management can deal with

cmpxy svc . >>>

/

I T & S


19/44

1. , S P PD I

Atpresent, it is understood that an accu-rate Inventory database should be at thec OSS. Oy ccu Nk

Ivy c b u Svc Iv-

tory and urther automated Service Provision-

g Svc Lv Mgm. T y y

su suc ccucy um,

uc ccu Ivs xsg sc-

tered environments, is through Process-Driven In-

vy Mgm.

I I ?Operators in the highly-competitive telecommu-

cs vm csy kg

every possible way to maximise their revenue and

margins. There are dierent tools and methods

that can help achieve this goal, and the truth is

that there is no single solution. Innovative ser-

vc s, SLA Mgm, S C, CRM, Ly-

alty Management, Fraud Management (and many

others) are all necessary to succeed in todays tele-

communications industry. However, there are also

much older areas awaiting improvement. One o

s s Ivy Mgm.

The initial situation prior to the implementa-

tion o Process-Driven Inventory Management usu-

ally looks similar regardless o the scale o the

p:

> Inventory inormation is scattered among the

dierent proprietary management systems that

v by vs qupm;

> Additionally, there are several commercial or in-

house built umbrella systems, covering dierent

cgy s;

> In order to maintain the connectivity across the

technologies, Excel les or in-house built data-

bss usuy us;

> Very oten, Visio diagrams represent crucial

s k ( my b us

m);

> The processes are manual and inormation

exchange among dierent actors is conducted

using e-mails, telephones and paper docu-

ms.

Ev s sysms py ( bs

cs, cmpy) g, -- v-point is absent, some inormation is stored redun-

dantly, various conguration items have dierent

ms s, pcss

v mc s cmpc. Ev

sm yp kf mgm sysm s

place, it usually covers only certain parts o the real

pcss, s ub ckg,

nancial issues etc. Moreover, usually the inventory

and workfow systems are urther integrated with

one another and with external tools e.g. Fault Man-

agement or SLA Management. This means there are

py cs m.

Another challenge in this scattered environ-

ment is the lack o a consistent and accurate view

k, c s spsb

resource usage optimization. Operators cannot

allow resources to sit unused in their warehouses

and on their networks. Yet, without an accurate

inventory database it is impossible to remain

inormed o these resources. With a separate inven-

y c cgy pm (

s, y s ppg, p mpy!) s

dicult to imagine the complexity o resource

usg pmz.In addition, the majority o operators and provid-

ers either charge or are charged or their resources

(or both). Operators cannot be certain that they can

rely on the inventory database accuracy o their

supps s m py vcs. O

the other hand, they also cannot be sure that they

uy cg sucs y pv.

H I I ?The introduction o an accurate inventory da

base is a challenge, due to the numerous mig

tion, integration and discovery tasks that m

b pm. A g cg s s m

c vy bs ccucy. T

son Inventory databases lose their consiste

and accuracy is the lack o repeatable proces

c kp up y py cg

reality. There is no time to update an invent

later. The goal is to enable the inventory da

bs m k vc vs

is the case in the traditional approach to invent

management. This traditional approach result

s csscs.

Through the introduction o automated pcesses, the inventory ceases to be just a da

base, and instead becomes a dynamically-adj

ing system that presents the current, past a

uture states o a network and services. As a res

vy bcms OS

Process-Driven Inventory provides the layer

Resources, Services and Processes (please ree

Resources

Services

No

ChangeRequest

No

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

VeriyAectedServices

ChangeApproved

Orderaquipment

Schedule

change

Veriy

spares

Change

to beexecuted

No YesIs approved

Equipment

available

Equipment

available

Equipment

available ondate

Change approval

Veriy SLA

Processes

/

T & S


20/44

2. M

Figure ). All user tasks related to inventory data

are carried out within the context o a process

instance. It is also impossible to change the state o

a network (e.g. by provisioning a new service) with-

out an update o the inormation in the inventory.

Ts cs usuy suc su

-m ccucy vy bs.

It is also important to underline that central

Inventory Management integrated with the net-

work via reconciliation mechanisms (that also guar-

antee accuracy) does not provide the same benets

as Process-Driven Inventory, and so should not be

treated as its alternative. Reconciliation mecha-

nisms do not cover all areas o the network, and

v my b cv c-

ciliation varies upon technology and the business

model. For example, in the case o outsourced net-

work operations, it may be dicult to attain the

reconciliation data, but it is always possible to

dene common processes that will ensure inor-

mation exchange between the service provider

p k gu-

tee consistency o Inventory. Thus, Process-Driven

Inventory and Network Reconciliation should be s cmpmy ys su Iv-

y ccucy.

An accurate inventory database driven by auto-

mated processes is only the rst step towards other

service and customer-related applications (Trouble

Ticketing, Problem Management, Order Manage-

m s). I TOM, Pcss-Dv Iv-

tory Management is situated on the Resource and

Service Management layers and supports (together

with other dedicated applications) processes start-

ing rom Inrastructure and Product Liecycle Man-

agement, via Operations Support and Readiness to

Fullment and Assurance. It also infuences Bill-

g Pcsss, spcy -c-bs

busss ms.

W I ?When looking at Process-Driven Inventory Man-

gm, s v ss k,

s s cyc: um pcsss su

ccu vy bs,

hand, the reliable accuracy o an inventory data-

base enables the automation o processes. This

most notably concerns Network Provisioning pro-

csss, ccucy s cuc um.

Well-designed processes may curb the need to

create a central inventory database that contains

(s qus muc ),

it may be sucient to integrate dierent systems

u umb Pcss-Dv Ivy

Management solution. Such a solution also reduces

css ucg ppc.Another reason to have process-orchestrated,

internally consistent and accurate Inventory is

guy gss pu bgs

upon operators to provide reports on e.g. radio

qucy uz. Accu Ivy s ky

actor or external auditors in their rating proce-

dures, and consistent nancial reports are vital

ss.

Process-Driven Inventory Management enab

the determining o not only WHO, WHAT and WH

because or this Inventory Management wit

ull history tracking and auditing unctiona

s suc. I bs m WHY,

in the context o which customer order, chan

or maintenance process a given modicatio

the system was introduced. Process-Driven Inv

tory Management also allows or denition a

monitoring o quality and perormance metrics

Inventory Management and related processe

bs mpm pcss-bs cc

c cs qupm (ps

to Figure ), because eld teams can access Proc

Driven Inventory e.g. on their PDAs or via SMS. F

teams are no longer deprived o system access

v up u

cmpy.

I s c svcs c y b pv

resources are available. However, new and in

vative services can be provided with the sp

required to meet the needs o todays market, o

ccu kg sucs c

ms umc sv ssgm

pc. T mus cu m

ment o multiple reservations o the same resou

at dierent moments in time. The service invent

can be part o the inventory management datab

(in this case, the inventory equals the Netw

Inventory plus the Service Inventory), or it can a

be a separate application, integrated via comm

pcsss Rsuc Ivy.

Streamlining resource, service and custom

pcsss ps pssbs

uc m vv svcs

no longer limited by the resource-related iss

xs pvus, sc vm

Ops pvs g m

regions, domains, technologies or department

the provision o new services and service bund

It is even possible to introduce these, using exist

sucu, s c uus

cpcy s k. Ts s suc R

I PjThe process o implementing Process-Driven Inv

y Mgm gus vment requires in-depth analysis and proper des

T g sps usuy b qu:

1 Identication o dierent sources o Invent

m.

2 Analysis o data scope and processes: this s

should include the analysis o overlapping am

dierent tools which exist permanently. Usua

Service O&M

answerrequest

answerrequest

activate

Grant Accepted

Grant Declined

Resource O&M

Customer notifcation

Create (i accepted)



Grant ForWork

Grant ForWork

Ask orGrant

Work isActive

Waiting ForActivation

Work isClosed

UpdateWork

GrantWork

(Project)

Planned ServiceIncident Active

CreatePlannedIncident

ServiceIncidentClosed


20 > S & P20 >T & S



21/44

3. C PD I

some inconsistencies will also be identied at

s sg (.g. mg csscs)

3 Decision regarding whether a given source is

gg b g su

mg (pc): usuy, sucs

not mature enough to provide on-line interaces

(Excel les, Visio diagrams) will be replaced. Addi-

tionally, databases created in-house should also

be replaced. On the other hand, NEMS and radio

pg s b g.

4 Decision regarding the interaces: here it is impor-tant to reduce the number o interaces by imple-

menting standard solutions (such as OSS/J API)

or bus solutions. However, it is not always pos-

sb.

5 Decision regarding the master system or each

: s fuc us

modication in the Inventory and also rules or

the reconciliation interaces logic. Process-Driven

Inventory Management can be the master o data

sm s (.g. vg sys-

ms bg pc) bu s.

6 Design o the common data model or the Pro-

css-Dv Ivy.

7 Modications o the processes resulting rom

the above mentioned points and process design

usg PDL (Pcss D Lgug).

8 Dsg cs.

In order to attain quick benets, the project willusually be realized in phases. The above mentioned

steps will be executed repetitively or dierent

cgy pcg sysms.

Other scenarios o implementation are also pos-

sible, or example, as already mentioned beore,

integration o dierent systems under the umbrella

o Process-Driven Inventory instead o creation o

c Ivy Mgm.

H PDI There are several important eatures o the P

cess-Driven Inventory solution that ensure t

the above mentioned benets can be easily a

qucky cv:

> Pcss-Dv Ivy pvs y

Resources, Services and Processes (please ree

Figure 1). These layers should be independent

inter-related. Independency o the layers gua

tees that there is enough fexibility in denit svcs pcsss, c

all the complicated cases and business model

todays telecommunication world. Relationsh

between layers ensure that the resource and

vice context can be easily retrieved (e.g. serv

c by cg pcss suc)

> There are numerous BPM systems on the m

k. N m su m

Enhanced Communication Bus

Enhanced Communication Bus

Trouble Ticketing SLA Manag ement Service Manag ement Fault Management

Other Systems

3rd partysystem

NMS/EMS Physicaldevices

Network Environment

Comarch OSS

Mediation PlatormMEDIATION

DEVICE

MEDIATION

DEVICE

MEDIATION

DEVICE

AuthenticationService

ReportingService

Comarch OSSConsole

Comarch OSSWEB Console

Comarch OSS Framework

Notifcation& Escalation

Service

SystemRepository

& ConfgurationComarch

NetworkInventory

Management

Comarch OSS

ProcessManagement

Comarch

ServiceInventory

Management

/

T & S


22/44

seamlessly integrated into the environment pro-

vided by Comarch OSS Framework, which provides

common mechanisms like user authentication and

us, pg gpc us -

c. Ps Fgu gc c-

cu su.

Comarch OSS Process Management is provided

with a combined eTOM and ITIL process environ-

ment, based on GB9V and TR43 by TMForum.

I s m pg ps xcu mg-

ment processes rom the readiness, ullment and

assurance areas on the services and resources lay-

ers described in eTOM standard. Comarch OSS Pro-

cess Management is a BPM class system. However,

as opposed to generic BPM systems, Comarchs

su s b spcy sg mg

the processes o telecommunications operators.

Libraries o pre-dened processes are supplied

with the system, reducing implementation time.

P pcsss cu:

> Cg Mgm

> Cgu Mgm

> Fum

> Appv

> Tsk-bs ccss c

In more demanding telecom environments, ready-

to-use processes can be customised and enhanced

in order to ull specic requirements. Process

denitions can be created and modied in jPDL

(by JBss). T su s qupp scpg

language, which can be used to dene the logic o a

processs automatic tasks. It enables manipulation

pcss f Ivy , s s

us y OSS Fmk ucs.

Comarch Network & Service Inventory enables e

to-end modelling and visibility o multi-vendor a

multi-technology networks. Network Invent

inormation is presented upon layers that rep

sent given technology. Service Inventory urt

xs Nk Ivy ucy

enables the advanced modelling o services. S

vcs s sysm g

muu pcs (c/sv svcs)

their dependencies upon resources in the Netw

Ivy (vcs, ccs, s).

vice templates are created and modied rom

system GUI, enabling new services to be introdu

to the system on-the-fy, in a very fexible w

Service Inventory enables service impact analy

and automated interaction between Service a

Rsuc Lys.

Thanks to the integration o Inventory M

agement with OSS Process Management in

Process-Driven Inventory solution, the ollow

us vb:

> R suc m

> Ac sucs m

> Ac svcs m

> Excu ps

> Rcc

> Updates o inventory objects e.g. network

m pms

Comarch Process-Driven Inventory can integr

with Service Management, SLA Management, T

ble Ticketing, Fault Management and other syste

pv by Cmc py.

Mz

KKCmc SAP: OSS Su Mg

D: Tcmmucs

Busss U

I: Cuy spsb bug

up sus Cmc cusms,

s ks p mj mpms

Cmc OSS sysms. M

spcz: Ivy Mgm.

m Pcss-Dv Ivy. Pcss

g su b gy g Iv-

y Mgm c css-

tent graphical environment or the end user and

also enable easy context data retrieval. Service

and Resource Inventory data should be easily

ccssb vy sp pcss.

> The system should allow or integration with

the existing environment, both at the level o

Inventory (network and services data retrieval)

Pcsss (g BPM sys-

tems, e.g. trouble ticketing, nancial systems).

This integration should be enabled by standard-

based interaces, e.g. OSS/J Trouble Ticketing API,

which speeds up implementation time and low-

s mc css.

> The solution should be fexible in terms o pro-

cess modelling, enabling implementation o spe-

cc qums. O , v,

ready-to-use processes enable the attainment

gg us qucky my b su-

cient or the majority o cases. Even better, is i

the pre-congured processes are based on indus-

y bs pccs, k ITIL.

C Comarchs oer within the area o Process-Driven

Inventory is based upon our OSS Suite products:

Comarch Network & Service Inventory and Comarch

OSS Process Management. These products are

>


22 >T & S


23/44

eTOM is a well-known concept in the telecommunications industry. This article discusses the possibil

cmbg TOM ITIL, c s IT Svc Mgm. I ss mpc

OSS BSS vm cm ps, csg s busss bs IT

bs pccs bg, mpm p TOM busss pcsss.

/

T & ST & S

1. ITIL S L

Servi

c

eOp

era

tion

ServiceDesign

Servi

ceTra

nsiti

on

ServiceStrat

egy

ITIL

Cont

inual

ProcessImprovement

ServiceReportingandServiceMeasur

ement

ServiceL

evel

Supp

lier

Manage

ment

Mana

gement Ma

nagement

ServiceCatalogManagementAva

ilability

Inciden

t

Even

t

Management

Manageme

nt

Managem

ent

Problem

Managem

entChang

e

Manag

em

ent

Releas

e

Se

rv

ic

e

Con

guration

Managenet

System

Testi

ng

&

Va

lid

at

io

n

Deplo

ym

ent

Mana

gement

Knowled

ge


25/44

2. P M TOM

gerous to rest on your laurels and tell yoursel

that business processes and best practices have

already been optimized and there is nothing more

to improve. The introduction o ITIL best practices

into the existing processes might be considered too

expensive and not actually protable enough to

pm ps s s ITIL.

To support the operators on the ITIL transorma-

tion, various types o ITIL tools already exist on the

market. Purchasing a ully equipped set o ITIL tools

can lead to the situation where some aspects o the

tools are not used at all. This can be especially true

in the cases where the operator has already imple-

mented eTOM-based business processes and wants

uc spcc bs pccs m ITIL

the existing business environment. Another impor-

tant issue that is not always considered enough is

that the appropriate tool is not enough or the suc-

cssu s pcsss su

transition will be as good as the experience o the

person(s) who are perorming the actual transition.

T s b pcsss, bu subsu g pcsss.

C AThe introduction o ITIL best practices brings addi-

tional value or the operators that are already using

eTOM-based business processes by enabling the

ull usage o dierent layers described in eTOM.

Failure events can be propagated between all hori-

zontal layers. For example, depending on whether

a reported malunction is associated to customer,

service, resource or supplier layer, an appropri-

ate ITIL activity can be launched and the ailure

resolved. Thus, in the case that the root cause is

on a dierent layer in relation to where the inci-

dent originated, the combination o eTOM and ITIL

provides an ecient method or solving ailures

between multiple layers. In accordance to ITIL a

p muc s c Ic. Sm-

Ics c b gup s Pbms s

root cause can be resolved to avoid more Incidents

k.

On the other hand, i an enterprise that also

oers telecommunications services is using ITIL

but has not adopted eTOM yet, eTOM can tailor

ITIL bs pccs busss c

operator using the customer/service/resource/

supp ys by TOM.

Comarchs solution oerings or OSS and BSS

include a built-in, integrated business process man-

agement engine that supports telecommunicationsoperators in their everyday business processes. The

g c b ymcy cgu su

changing principles o inormation circulation, and

ucs sysm ps k.

Comarchs eTOM-based products and solu-

tions can also support telecoms operators with

implementing ITIL-related best practices. Based

on Comarchs vast experience in the telecommu-

cs usy pcp s

ization activities, the implementation o best p

cs spcc busss pcsss mp

the operators business in the orm o redu

OPEX, increased customer satisaction, sho

svc ug m s m--mk

svcs.

Lets assume that the operator (who already

the business processes related to eTOM recomm

dations) wants to transorm their incident mana

m sc s s ITIL-bs. T bgg

challenge or the operator is how to keep the ex

ing business processes in shape while attain

the advantages rom the new implemented b

practices. The advantage o eTOM is realized as

enterprise can separate its business into dier

process groupings (related to customer, serv

resource and supplier) and thus reduce the co

pxy vu busss pcsss.

For the telecoms operator, a combination

the Conguration Management Database (CM

S Im/D M (SID) b mp ssu mppg TOM b

ness processes and ITIL best practices toget

The usage o CMDB enables the operator to t

advantage o the ITIL best practices, i the inor

tion on the operators repository is SID complia

Despite SID not being ully applicable or ITIL-ba

service management, many o the SID concepts

pb us CMDB m.

S, I & P O

S &C

Supply Chain Development & Management

Resource Development & Management(Application, Computing and Network)

Supplier/Partner Relationship Management

Service Development & Management

Marketing & Oer Management

BAOS &

PL

M

IL

M

M

Knowledge & Research

Management

Human Resources

Management

Strategic & Enterprise

Planning

Enterprise Risk

Management

EnterpriseEectivenessManagement

Financial & Asset

Management

Stakeholder & External

Relations Management

Customer Relationship Management

Resource Management & Operations(Application, Computing and Network)

Service Management & Operations

/

T & S


26/44

advantage o this approach is that the operator

can actually apply the selected ITIL best practices

without the need to modiy the internal data struc-

tures, thus the transormation towards ITIL can be

done aster and cheaper. Because Comarch Central

Product Catalog and Comarch 3arts (a compact

BSS/OSS/CRM su) SID gus,

operator who is using the Comarch solution can

3. I P M ITIL TOM

P V

Cmc SAP: BSS Csu

D: Tcmmucs

Busss U

I: Cuy spsb bug

BSS sus cusms y-

sg s c mk.

reap the benets o ITIL processes without expen-

sv vsm sysm pm.

When introducing ITIL best practices, it is impor-

tant that the scope o the transition project is

divided into several phases this makes the actual

benets o the ITIL more quickly visible and is easier

to manage. Operator transition towards ITIL should

still be considered as a long-term project, but inclu-

sion o multiple phases is benecial also or

operator employees, who can get used to the n

IT pccs (s vyg bg c

c) s b m cpv

transormation when there are already concr

results available showing the benets o the tra

ormation. An additionally important reason a

why several phases should be included in the p

ect is the act that the business environment m

change over time and this can have the e

that the solution may actually become suboptim

This means that iterative, continuous evaluat

o the business processes and practices is nee

to keep the processes up-to-date and optimal. A

msug cs busss pcs

can be conducted more easily when the projec

mpm sv pss.

CDsp c ITIL s bcmg m m

popular among companies, its implementat

s cv gps cmpy. S

larly, ITIL may also cause overlapping with ot

standards that are in use within the company. C

panies should consider ITIL as a set o best p

tices that have to be tailored according to indi

u cmpy s.

The rameworks o eTOM and ITIL provide

basis or telecoms operators to analyse and mo

their business structure, enabling the operator

provide the best possible services and support

cusms. T bs pccs m

and business process fows rom eTOM cont

ute towards a subset o ITIL-based eTOM busin

pcss fs. Tus, us m, T

and ITIL complement each other, and contrib

towards increased customer satisaction, be

quality o oered services and reduced operat

costs. Operators should not only consider ITIL r

the cost savings perspective ITIL brings be

svc quy cusms ( b

x), us s csg vu

g m.

Cmc, s OSS/BSS s v, s

ps ps sm

ITIL best practices, based on the vast experie

that Comarch has gained rom the telecommun

s IT usy. Cmc pvs and essential knowledge that is needed during

transormation based on the individual need

c p. >

C

Custome

C I

C P Cq

C

C C C

S

S I

S

Unknown

error

P Sq

C

S S

I

P q C

Sevice

resouce

K

K

S

K


T W

Cmc S AGP: BSS/OSS Csu

D: Tcmmucs

Busss U

I: Rspsb bug up BSS

OSS sus Cmc cusms.

26 >T & S


27/44

/

THETRADITIONALbusiness-to-consumer market in the telecommu-

nications sector has been the main ocus or most

cm ps. Du csg mu

o players on the telecommunication market, new

business opportunities have risen between com-

panies. Typical ways o cooperation on the tele-

cm mk c b .g. MVNE-MVNO cp

cp b Mb Nk Op-

tor (MNO) and a content provider. These kind o

business-to-business (BB) partnerships bring addi-

tional challenges, because the technical advances

and highly competitive markets have increased the

mpc BB pms s m-gu

solution that enables the inormation exchange

and interaction between operator and busin

p ppcs.

A xmp ms busss pp

nities can be seen rom the amount o MVNEs t

have recently increased. The MVNEs have emerg

rom MVNOs need to reduce upront and on

g vsms p bussss. S

y, mk gus v

T C

B2B GMore eicient communication between business partners

T & S


28/44

MVNE bs css sus c sm-

py MVNO busss pcsss.

As seen rom the gure, the MVNE has the role o

mm b MNO MVNOs. Tus

the MVNE is responsible or negotiating the agree-

m MNO sg c

MVNOs it is hosting on its platorm. In this scenario,

the MVNOs are responsible only or the ront-oce

operations o their mobile businesses. The advan-

tage or the MVNOs is urther reduction o up-ront

vsms cssy s up ps.

B CAs the available services on the telecommunica-

s mk vv csy, sm pps

also to the services on the operators OSS/BSS plat-

orm. This brings about the need or open, fexible

OSS/BSS solutions that support the addition o new

services to the existing platorm, with minimal

impact on the services that are already operating.

When the telecommunications operator has a large

mu yps svcs ug the platorm at the same time, the drawback rom

the platorm restart can be too severe and may

aect revenues and customer experience due to

ups vb svcs.

Another contributing actor to the minimiza-

tion o the impact on existing ser vices is the rapid

implementation time or new services. In a case

where the operators platorm is extended to allow

or automated operations rom the business p

ners side, the existing workfows may be able to

reused and thus reduce the implementation ti

In addition, the reuse o the existing workfows

s uc mu pssb s u

mpm p.

I ys busss vm, pss

a wide variety o heterogeneous systems that

needed to run business processes. It is necessary

have these systems integrated properly to red

business process complexity. Nevertheless, the

erogeneity o the systems can cause problems

ing integration. When these systems need to c

municate with each other the amount o dier

interace types results in additional complexity

g. T su u b

sysms us sm c us

integration eorts would be minimal. Uno

nately, this kind o situation is rare, as enterpr

buy busss s m vus vs.

ure presents an example case, based on MVMVNO cooperation, where numerous systems t

communicate with each other (and have dier

types o interaces) can cause time-consuming i

gration related work, higher maintenance co

p scby.

In the telecommunications environment, the t

cal external systems that are integrated with

1. D MVN/MVNO MNOs p k MVNOs, vbrought more MVNOs to the market, increasing

y g cmp.

This article discusses the inormation exchange

g- busss cgs,

how to solve these challenges. MVNE-MVNO coop-

s us s xmp busss cs.

BDuring dicult economic times, operators are

cusg cg busss ps

and reducing costs at the same time. When the

revenue growth rom traditional voice services

has started to decline, the main way to increase

pg ps s by cs uc. O y

reducing operating costs is realized by increasing

ccy busss pcsss.

To stay competitive on the market, operators

must be able to adapt themselves quickly to the

cgg su mk. Ts cgs

on the market include the changing economic situ-

, gu, uc svcs,

csg cmp cgg s (.g.

reducing voice revenues). The operators should

have the appropriate tools to perorm the needed

changes i the underlying sotware platorm can-

not be adjusted rapidly to the needed changes, the

operators will have problems staying competitive

on the market. Common problems when adapt-

ing to market changes can be a lack o standard-

z cs, g mu gus

applications, the lack o modularized sotware and

m uyg pm

cms bgg svcs mk.

x B C: MVNMVNO CA typical MVNO does not necessarily originate rom

the telecom industry. Non-telecommunication

bs MVNOs b g pb mk

niches and attract more customers by taking advan-

tage o their recognizable brands and well tailored

mobile oerings. Along with the evolution o MVNOs

and their growing needs, a market o MVNEs has

emerged. These MVNEs provide MVNOs with all nec-

essary back-oce operations and IT platorms allow-

ing them to concentrate on the core o their mobile

business developing new taris and services andkg c cusm cqus .

This aspect becomes even more relevant in the light

o how many new MVNO market entrants originate

rom sectors other than telecommunications (e.g.

retail) and lack the sucient expertise to cooperate

closely with mobile operators and develop or main-

cssy IT pms. T ppc

M

Single MVNOmodel

MVNO aggregatormodel

Multiple MVNOmodel

M M

MVNO

MVN operated and hosted byplatform vendor solely

for the MVNO(e.g. Auchan)

T

MVNO 1

MVNO 2

MVNO 3

MVN operated and hostedby platform vendorfor the aggregator

(e.g. vistream)

MVN operated and hostedby platform vendor

or by the mobileoperator itself

MVNO 1

MVNO 2

MVNO 3


28 >T & S


29/44

2. I x

3. O B2B G , MVN

uyg BSS pm c b .g. umb p-

tability database and external SMS gateways. These

entities may have dierent types o interaces,

thus increasing the complexity o the integration.

The complexity o the integration eorts urther

increases, when there can be various amounts o

independent entities that need to communicate

with each other. Eective communication o sot-

s su b c by pvg cm-

mon interaces, abstracting the called unctions

and services and decoupling them rom the trans-

p mum.

T c s ucs

business partners should be service-oriented. Thus

the unctionalities oered by the operators BSS

platorm should be wrapped into a service that

could be used by business partners. By using the

service-oriented architecture, the operators BSS

pm bs g v pby

and loose coupling, allowing or easier integration

pm.

x B C: AP MVNO MVN PTo provide services or the end subscribers, the

MVNO s v ccss uyg p-

orm o the MVNE. The MVNE that manages the lim-

ited back-end operations on behal o the MVNO

can oer various unctionalities via interaces, such

as service provisioning, billing data delivery and

resource management. The unctionalities that the

MVNO needs to use rom the underlying MVNE plat-

orm should be able to be automated, meaning that

the MVNO should be able to use its own applica-

tions to perorm the selected operations. This brings

about the requirement that the MVNE platorm

should have the appropriate interaces that oer

s svcs s MVNOs.

W MVNE ss mup MVNOs p-

vides access to the BSS platorm or the MVNOs,

security is a crucial issue, because the hosted

MVNOs should not be able to have access to any

other MVNOs data. For this reason, it is important to

provide security on both the network level and the

logical level. The incoming service requests rom the

MVNOs should be validated to prevent, or example,

situations where the MVNO applies changes to a sub-scb bgs sm MVNO.

Customization is one additional thing to consider

the MVNE platorm may host multiple MVNOs that

have dierent services available. Thereore, they

v qum yps (.g.

billing data). The dierent needs o MVNOs typi-

cally occur or things such as le ormats or bill-

g qucy bg ups.

B D MVNO

B SN

P DB

CH

M

SMSG

Wf

MVNO

B CM

S C

MNO N

x S

Bg

WkfRsuc

Mgm

MVN

MVNO

B CM

S C

Web ServiceAccess

Services

B2B G

I L

Web ServiceAccess

Services

Integrations

Integrations

/

T & S


30/44


31/44

Traditionalbillingsolutions that have been designed or intercon-

nect billing purposes are not well suited or whole-

sale billing. The reason is that interconnect billing

systems have not been designed to group huge

mus usg mss

to sum up the appropriate charging scenarios.

This problem may occur especially or the b

g sus v b sg my

vc c smp gms, bu

tion, operators now require an appropriate bil

/

T I I

W B DA Win-Win Situation or Wholesale Operators and their Partners

T & S


32/44

sysm c s y g g, bu s

s vc us scug, cc-

, ccug g vs um.

In addition, a wholesale billing solution must also

support routing optimization, dial plan manage-

m g.

W B CThe usual interconnect agreements between telco

operators consist o the traic that traverses

between multiple telco operators. The operators

are exchanging the settlements with each other,

based on the exchanged network trac. As the

operators are introducing new services into the

market or end customers, the contents o the

interconnect agreements are widening rom voice

svcs svcs s css

agreement complexity, as new mechanisms may

b pcg c.

When compared to interconnect billing sce-

narios, wholesale billing scenarios can be more

complex. The agreements between a wholesale

operator and partner can include agreement types

such as volume discounts, penalties, volume com-

mitments, swap deals, volume or amount commit-

ments or transit ees, origin-based pricing and

cost, transit and termination ee splits etc. The

charging types that should be supported can be

e.g. usage-based charging and non-usage-based

charging, support or voice and non-voice services

(e.g. SMS, MMS, GRX, IPX), trunk-based billing and

calculation o both revenue and costs or the same

s c svcs.

Also, it is important that the underlying whole-

sale billing system supports both bilateral and mul-

tilateral agreements between operators. Thus the

required support or both agreements also means

that the system must be able to support direct and

csc bg. Ts ms su-

tion, the partner should have only one agreement

thus the wholesale operator should be able to

provide interconnect services or worldwide desti-

nations. And the partner should be able to settle or

usg s svcs py.

Wholesale operators spend vast amounts o

time and eort on dening and setting up the

agreements or interconnect calls, data and other

services. Many channels o communication cancause complex interaction between partners dur-

ing the agreement setup phase and also when the

trac is already established. The increased amount

o manual work during agreement negotiations,

conguration changes, and billing and settlement

pcssg s cs p css.

A cs mu k

may unnecessarily increase is because o incorrect

and out-o-date inormation (e.g. when entering

inormation about wholesale partners rates) that

may then lead into urther problems at a later stage

o business. It should be possible to manage the

agreements proactively and measure the volume-

based commitments automatically. To enable this,

it is also required that all inormation regarding

agreements, route costs, margins and other data is

m vb sg psy.To maximize the revenue margins, operators

need to optimize their routing processes. Opti-

miz

Documents

Comarch Technology Review magazine (Telecom Edition)