The global OSS BSS market is forecast to grow at a CAGR of 16.39 percent between 2012 and 2016, according to ResearchandMarkets, which says this space is seeing a shift from multiple platforms to a common platform.
The new model for communications service provider operations is a platform approach equipped with off-the-shelf software and pre-integrated OSS and BSS functions, according to Stratecast/Frost & Sullivan.
“In this platform approach, the burden of traditional systems integration and testing, not easily addressed in the past, is mostly eliminated,” according to the firm. “Additionally, off-site hosted solutions address widening gaps in existing systems and processes due to new technology introductions, changing business models, and compelling, yet unanticipated, business opportunities.
“Today, most large OSS/BSS suppliers innovate around processes and platforms, while innovations from smaller suppliers tend to address specific functional or cross-domain inadequacies of previously installed systems,” Stratecast/Frost & Sullivan said in a report. “The challenge for CSPs … is that they need innovation in all areas. Compounding this challenge is that the number of large OSS/BSS suppliers is shrinking as the market consolidates to favor larger vendors that can deliver end-to-end OSS/BSS solutions.”
Here’s a rundown of some of the offerings in the BSS and OSS space, as submitted by the vendors in this arena.
Accenture offers a comprehensive BSS and OSS portfolio. Its BSS offerings are focused on customer experience (such as online interactions, shop of the future, real-time decisioning, call center optimization, and social and knowledge management); customer analytics (including digital consumer analytics, churn protection, and ARPU-boosting analytics); digital marketing, data monetization, and marketing managed services; sales force operations (including sales enablement and spend optimization), product/customer and order management; intelligent command center powered by analytics; BSS for partners (such as partner enablement and collaboration and ecosystem integration); and billing (including convergent billing and policy management). Accenture offers end-to-end OSS solutions and services, which enable communications service providers to transform and integrate capabilities in all their core processes: network planning, network deployment, inventory and data management, integrated real-time order management, provisioning and activation, device management, customer experience management, proactive and reactive assurance, and workforce management. In addition, Accenture is helping CSPs in exploiting the potential of network transformation, through a comprehensive approach for network cloud configuration and orchestration, network/OSS analytics, and OSS for digital.
ACSI-Automated Communications Services
ACSI is a communications management and electronic payment solutions service. Its cloud-based software service in combination with its automated document factory allows for the delivery of statements, invoices, and bills through multiple channels including print, e-mail, SMS, and web hosting. Through this platform documents can be viewed, tracked, sorted, cleansed, and searched by job or item. The software comes with several reporting options that can be easily integrated with any accounting software. This solution also includes a secure electronic payment portal that is fully branded to clients and allows their customers to pay bills via ACH, credit, and debit. ACSI solutions are sold as a service, making them affordable and customizable. ACSI also specializes in trans-promo marketing, document design, and process consulting. Trans-promo services allow clients to reduce their communications and billing costs through advertising revenue or up-sales. The ACSI document design team creates professional invoices and statements that are specifically designed to drive end users toward cost saving e-delivery and DSO reducing e-payment.
Chameleon SDS is a service delivery automation software solution that enables rapid roll out, provisioning, and operation of network services over existing carrier Ethernet, IP-MPLS and optical networks, and future SDN and NFV networks. Key benefits of the solution include dramatically accelerated time to market with the latest services and technologies, and full automation across the service delivery life cycle. Chameleon SDS is built on Amartus’ Chameleon OS dynamic, model-driven orchestration platform and implements standards-based service and resource layer abstraction that is technology-, service-, and vendor-agnostic. Chameleon SDS includes service orchestration that provides full service lifecycle management including design, inventory, provisioning, and assurance for any type of network service via a generic service layer abstraction. Network orchestration includes inventory, configuration, fault, performance, and usage for all types of network resources via a generic resource layer abstraction. Chameleon SDS offers an open, RESTful API that is dynamically rendered from the comprehensive service and resource models integrated into the software, and exposes all of the orchestration capabilities without the need for separate interface development cycles.
BillingPlatform.com offers a comprehensive, billing solution for enterprises of all sizes and industries – available in the cloud. Its customer base is spread across a variety of different markets, many of which are in diverse sectors of the telecommunications space, including VoIP, cellular, satellite, and network backbone, among others. Its suite of features cover the full spectrum of convergent billing needs and can be rapidly customized to fit any business model or process and quickly adapted to reflect new product and service offerings. The application allows companies to create complex, competitive service bundles easily and on demand to help reduce product development cycles and speed time to market. The platform can also rate and mediate high-volume usage in any format as well as support blended rate, flat fees, and subscriptions with overage tiers. Its customer-centric invoicing, rating, and dunning allows for client-specific invoicing cycles as well as custom invoice layouts, flat-file feeds, dunning, and payment options. Like Salesforce.com (News 
- Alert), BillingPlatform.com offers a completely configurable user interface and data model that can be leveraged to seamlessly integrate related business processes like provisioning and sales into invoicing and rating via built-in, dynamic web service APIs or application front-end extensions.
Device Cloud Networks’ Service Delivery Platform is a global end-to-end enablement all-inclusive platform for enterprise machine-to-machine solutions that includes wireless connectivity, service provisioning, device management, and application enablement. DCN simplifies the process of bringing wireless connectivity to devices of any type. With a unique global subscriber identity module from DCN, connectivity can be embedded into an M2M device at the point of manufacturing, to create a single product SKU (along with the required value-added services and web-based management for global deployment. The reduced complexity, simplified logistics, and highly flexible business processes, including back-end billing and OSS/BSS, make the DCN platform an ideal choice for enterprises, OEMs, and mobile operator partners. The platform contains a set of features that are built to deliver true application enablement, achieved through a storefront of web services APIs that are specifically designed for both the creation and support of M2M applications.
Ensim enables complete automation and orchestration of BSS/OSS functionalities, including marketplace, subscriptions, service catalog, provisioning, billing, and operations, for service providers and enterprises to commercialize offerings in cloud environments. There are four main modules of its core Ensim Automation Suite platform. Ensim Cloud Marketplace provides a turnkey sales, marketing, and ordering portal with customizable content management. Ensim Service Catalog Manager provides complete dashboard, storefront, ordering, approval workflows, subscription and contract management, service catalog, product modeling, pricing, rating, billing with invoicing/charge-back, payment and reconciliation, and more. Ensim Service Operations Manager provides automated provisioning, activation, and element-level operational management of users and organizations in business applications, cloud services, and infrastructure with self-service role-based delegated administration, provisioning templates, granular entitlement and access control, change management, physical and logical resource management, metering and monitoring, usage collection, and reporting. Ensim Service & Application Connectors enable all of the automation functionality of the above platforms to be fully leveraged for fine-grain provisioning and element-level management for any application, service, or infrastructure system connected through standard web service APIs whether multi-tenant or single tenant, on premises or in the cloud.
Ericsson (News - Alert) offers a comprehensive OSS/BSS product and services portfolio that helps operators achieve customer agility, service agility, and network agility. As a result, they are able to be fast, flexible, and in complete control. Ericsson’s full spectrum of OSS/BSS solutions, known as the Ericsson Agility Suite, is based on a modern convergent architecture that is open, modular, and cloud-based. Cross-domain, cross-technology solutions allow agility in all major process areas, including Plan-to-Provision, Lead-to-Cash, Trouble-to-Resolution, Converged Billing, and Partner Interaction. Ericsson service enablement solutions deliver customized subscriber offerings that create value for partners and monetize assets through agility, responsiveness, and unique user experiences. The company’s convergent billing and revenue management solutions solve billing and charging challenges to increase revenues and customers. Ericsson revenue assurance solutions provide a structured approach to detect and prevent revenue leakage. Ericsson’s fulfillment suite of products includes activation, configuration, and remote device management that speed time to market and enable accurate service fulfillment. Ericsson assurance solutions analyze and address customer experience, so operators can meet expectations and secure revenue. Ericsson domain management solutions enable successful service delivery through reliable network operation and control. The company’s M-commerce platform enables operators to offer secure access to mobile money and create new revenue sources.
Freeside Internet Services Inc.
The Freeside billing platform is the premier open source billing, trouble
Ticketing, and provisioning software for ISPs, VoIP providers, and other online
businesses. Like Linux or Android, the platform is available under a
royalty-free license and supported by a global community of developers from
multiple companies. Since 1996, thousands of companies have used the software
to bill millions of customers. The platform includes billing and converged
invoicing for Internet, VoIP and telco services, including anniversary/pro-rating, usage-based billing, CDR rating, free minutes, caps, toll-free billing, minute pools, 1/6/30/60 second billing, 30/6 and other split billing, as well as real-time credit card and electronic check processing. The CRM module includes prospecting, quotations, and customer conversions. An extensive trouble ticketing system assists in support operations, and the
customer portal allows customer self-care functionality such as signing up, changing plans, making payments, viewing usage, and more. The software supports retail and wholesale operation, and multiple companies or brands in a multi-tenant capacity. Freeside Internet Services offers turnkey billing appliances, implementation and training services, and customized billing solutions.
H2O Overgroup provides cloud-based BSS/OSS solutions to acquire, support, analyze, and grow customers. H2O helps service providers grow beyond their legacy billing systems by reducing revenue leakage, billing inaccuracies, and system inefficiencies. H2O can be accessed on any web-enabled device, on any browser, at anytime. Service providers can be first to market by drastically reducing the time required to build new products and packages, which are accurately tax and billed. Real-time data reports offer valuable insight into customers and operations and enable more informed and effective business decisions. Custom reports can be created on the fly in a matter of minutes, not days. Also, H2O integrates with the top carriers and vendors, and the robust API allows clients to connect H2O with existing systems or sites. Key features include billing, commissions, CRM, customer self-care, enterprise customer portal, inventory management, rating, reporting, systems integration, and taxation.
JDSU, a provider of network and service enablement solutions including testing, monitoring, assurance, and analytics, helps network operators overcome operational challenges associated with new technology and service introductions with broad B/OSS offerings. That includes xSIGHT Real-Time Intelligence and Analytics, a comprehensive portfolio for monitoring and assuring the performance of 2G, 3G, 4G/LTE networks and services including real-time data collection and mediation, customer experience assurance analytics, and open feeds to third-party applications for CEM and data monetization. PacketPortal is an intelligent platform using a new cloud approach to deliver intelligence collection and analysis. It is embedded deep into the network and provides visibility by empowering any monitoring, management, and business applications.
EtherAssure is a suite of service assurance products for commissioning, troubleshooting, and managing Ethernet backhaul and Ethernet business services, including pre-qualification, turn-up, acceptance, SLA/performance monitoring, and reporting.
Video Service Assurance, meanwhile, is an end-to-end video monitoring solution to ensure and troubleshoot the performance of digital video, IPTV (News - Alert), and VoD applications. The solution includes the Video Stream Analyzer, RSAM Video probes, and PathTrak Video Monitoring System. Fixed Service Assurance is JDSU’s product portfolio for assuring VoIP/IMS xDSL and TDM networks, including NetComplete xDSL, QT-200, and ONMSi. The company also offers a portfolio of Network Instruments products for monitoring and assuring application and network performance for enterprise business services.
LogiSense (News - Alert) is a global provider of usage rating and billing solutions to
the telecom, hosted communications, cloud, machine-to-machine, and unified communications industries. To win in the connected world, service providers rely on LogiSense's flagship solution, EngageIP, to go to market quickly with new services, unique rating, bundles, tiering, and accurate rating for any service, any medium, any provider. Boasting field-proven scale, features, functionality, and performance, EngageIP
addresses every aspect of network requirements – rating, mediation, billing, and customer self-care. For more than a decade, LogiSense has been providing solutions to solve some of the biggest challenges faced by today's service providers, empowering sales and marketing teams to win through advancing their usage billing models, react quickly to market demands, challenge the status quo, and position themselves to acquire new
next-generation revenue streams.
NetCracker 9 is the latest version of the NetCracker Telecom Operations and Management Solutions suite. To effectively consolidate and modernize the BSS/OSS environment, the NetCracker 9.x suite covers 11 critical areas of customer management, partner and channel management, product management, revenue management, end-user devices, service fulfillment and assurance, IT platforms, resource management, network management, network platforms, and enterprise management. The TOMS suite includes 42 products built on a single, common platform with real-time capabilities. NetCracker’s end-to-end product portfolio is complemented with a full set of professional services, including planning and consulting, turnkey delivery, full support and maintenance, managed services, and end-to-end outsourcing. NetCracker's end-to-end professional services offer is based on the company's multi-year, industry-proven product development and solution implementation expertise, as well as its deep domain knowledge.
Orga Systems is a software vendor for real-time products, with an international customer base in the telecommunications, utilities, and automotive markets. With Orga Systems’ unified order and revenue management solutions, service providers benefit from a catalog-driven BSS for charging and billing, embedded policy, and customer order management. The GOLD product portfolio is designed to enhance service providers’ capabilities to actively drive a new agenda for launching, selling, delivering and monetizing products faster and at lower TCO. GOLD Convergent Charging and Billing (GOLD CCB) is Orga Systems’ end-to-end convergent online/offline charging, billing, and financial management product with embedded policy control for full monetization of any kind of voice, data, and content services with maximum flexibility. With Orga Systems’ GOLD Catalog and Order Management (GOLD COM), new and innovative offerings can be launched and delivered faster and at lower total cost of ownership. Its central catalog drives multi-channel selling, order entry, customer order delivery, and billing. GOLD Smart Prepaid Utility Billing (GOLD Utility) is an end-to-end prepayment billing, energy vending, and customer communication with future-proof scalability and performance in smart grid infrastructures. Best-in-class consulting and implementation services guarantee immediate return on invest.
Established in 1999, Redknee is a provider of innovative software products, solutions, and services. Redknee's solutions enable service providers to monetize new services, business models, and content, and to deliver a connected customer experience - through SaaS or on-premise based solutions. Redknee's real-time monetization and subscriber management platform provides converged real-time, charging, billing, policy management, and customer care solutions for more than 200 communications service providers and is supporting service providers to monetize the growing ecosystem of the Internet of Things. Redknee's modular product portfolio includes Redknee Unified, a modular product that provides real-time billing, charging, policy, and customer care capabilities across various industries; Redknee Unified Charging, a highly scalable and flexible solution delivering real-time, unified charging and billing of content such as calls and broadband access, SMS and video downloads, independent of the payment method; Redknee Unified Billing, a comprehensive billing and customer care solution that manages the entire customer lifecycle, from the retail experience, to activation and provisioning, to delivering advanced customer care and self-care, and manages any service across any access technology and supports any payment type; Redknee PCS, a highly scalable policy and charging rules function solution that provides the agility and flexibility to better manage data speeds, volumes, service quality and introduce new services quickly and cost-effectively such as cloud, M2M and OTT content and applications; and Redknee InBill, a complete wholesale billing and settlement solution providing cost-effective interconnect, content and partner billing capabilities.
Telinta, a provider of white-label hosted solutions for telecom service providers, offers a cloud-based alternative to running your own BSS/OSS. TeliCore is Telinta’s hosted platform, which fully integrates switching, billing, and customer management into a seamless solution. It’s a single solution for flexible rating, billing, routing, reporting, self-care portals, and more. Customers can use it rather than having to piece together complex products from separate BSS/OSS vendors and hardware manufacturers. With TeliCore, telecom service providers can easily use multiple carriers and other third-arty providers for DIDs, E911, taxation and other services directly from Telinta’s hosted platform. VoIP service providers frequently rely on Telinta’s 24x7 Technical Support team to help them whenever they need it, and from whatever time zone they are in.
The NexOSS VoIP Routing, Operations, and Billing Support System from TransNexus provides VoIP operators with an easy to use web interface for provisioning routes, rates, number translation rules, and monitoring traffic analysis and billing reports. It is the only solution on the market that is fully integrated with dynamic least cost routing and telecom fraud control. NexOSS features credit controls that allow users to set customized e-mail and SNMP alarm triggers based on hourly or daily spend rates per customer. This feature allows a service provider to receive real-time alerts and block or divert calls when customers are experiencing unusual or fraudulent activity, preventing future billing disputes. NexOSS also includes detailed call traffic and quality of service reporting, as well as multi-currency settlement billing features. The NexOSS CDRAnalyzer feature includes a simple, high performance application for archiving and locating call detail records. NexOSS is interoperable with most popular VoIP equipment including Oracle Acme Packet (News - Alert), BroadSoft, Cisco, Metaswitch, Taqua, and Sansay.
Edited by Maurice Nagle
