With the ever-growing demand for data, operators are under pressure to expand next generation networks as also to introduce complex services to keep up with the demand. Business Support Systems and Operations Support Systems (BSS/OSS) solutions were therefore designed to enable network, service and customer agility during different phases of the customer lifecycle. While operating support systems deal with the many processes such as maintaining network inventory, provisioning services, managing faults, business support systems help in support processes such as processing bills, collecting payments and the like.
However, legacy OSS and BSS platforms come with challenges of their own as they aren’t equipped to support multiple programmes. They were designed to work either in a point-to-point or at best a point-to-multipoint fashion. Ensuring uniform service delivery across mobility devices through the OSS/BSS platforms remains an issue. Below are some of the major constraints being faced by OSS and BSS providers, in a hugely content driven environment:
- Service velocity: With users using multiple mobility devices, OSS and BSS providers struggle with the ability to seamlessly deploy services to customers over different networks and interfaces.
- Automated service fulfillment: Legacy OSS and BSS platforms are unable to provide user self-service features that go a long way in reducing both operating expenditure and capital expenditure costs. The inability of eliminating human intervention means that the scope of day-to-day errors remains a potent issue to contend with.
- Competitive differentiation: The above challenges imply that the platforms have hardly any competitive differentiation that makes the provider stand out in the eyes of the consumer. The differentiation can only occur if the provider can allow users to control the services that are of relevance to them.
The above challenges are a clear case for investing in and deploying new-gen OSS & BSS Platforms that can provide connectivity to the ever-growing consumer base as well as the growing line up of business devices. Not just this, OSS and BSS providers must allow for users to bundle services as per their own unique requirements. These requirements may include services such as voice, video, data, hosting, messaging and many other sand may need to be delivered in multiple locations spanning the consumer’s home, workplace or even while they are in transit.
