Category: OSS/BSS/CEM

Summary Bullets:

• The U.S. Patent Office granted Monolith Software patent number 8,756,301 for its “systems and methods for organic knowledge base runbook automation.” The patented technology targets streamlining operator service assurance processes.
• Monolith Software needs to address how its organic knowledge base automation technology and AssureNow portfolio support the emerging policy control and assurance priorities of operators for new apps such as VoLTE.

Monolith Software recently unveiled its receipt of a U.S. patent grant for organic knowledge base automation aimed at simplifying and unifying service assurance applications. The patent extends to Monolith’s AssureNow solution, designed to automate service assurance processes. The AssureNow product processes events and applies the policy purpose-designed for each event, such as remediation of a problem, discovery of more information or required correlation to other data sources. Should the event prove unknown, the operator can choose from a set of existing policies to apply to the unknown event or designate a new policy. AssureNow uses an embedded wiki knowledge base to enable operators to organically grow and collect intelligence around network resources, services and customers. Continue reading “Monolith Software: Can New Patent-Backed Organic Knowledge Base Automation Technology Gain Operator Adherents?” →

Summary Bullets:

• Comptel, with its new big data refinery approach and data mediation technology, Comptel EventLink 7.0, targets operator objectives to enrich and link their vast data stores to intelligent data streams with actionable, real-time capabilities.

• Comptel needs to address how open source big data standards, such as Apache Spark, relates to its data refinery proposition, as well as how it can enable operators to uphold in-country data regulations.

Comptel unveiled its data refinery concept to support the release of its big data mediation product, Comptel EventLink 7.0, designed to cultivate intelligent data streaming. The Compel data refinery approach advocates operators use updated data mediation technology to validate and refine raw, historical and real-time data into operational and business intelligence. Combined with reporting and machine-learning capabilities, data refinery aims to improve the efficiency and actionable range of operator back-office applications such as real-time network and service monitoring and proactive QoS maintenance.
Continue reading “Comptel: Can It Pump Data Refinery to Oil Operator Big Data Objectives?” →

Summary Bullets:

• Oracle and InfoVista teamed up to demo their Carrier Ethernet 2.0 NaaS Orchestration PoC at the MEF’s GEN14 event targeting operator expansion and investment in cloud-based services aimed at enterprises.

• Oracle and InfoVista gain a key starting point to sell operators and enterprises on adopting CE 2.0 NaaS applications but gain additional marketing credibility by firming up their NFV MANO proposition and recruiting CE equipment partners.

Oracle and InfoVista collaborated to demonstrate “Carrier Ethernet (CE) 2.0 Network-as-a-Service Orchestration (NaaS) Orchestrated and Assured” at the MEF GEN14 Proof of Concept (PoC) Showcase. The goal of the PoC sought to show the potential for self-serve ordering of NaaS across operator and wholesale partner networks, including its design for network technology abstraction. The PoC demo combined SDN/NFV, service orchestration, and automated provisioning elements to showcase its potential effectiveness in supporting operator NaaS service packages. Key elements of the PoC included: Continue reading “Oracle and InfoVista: How Far Can They Drive Network-as-a-Service?” →

Summary Bullets:

• Excelacom, with over 14 years of OSS/BSS experience, 25+ active customers, and 700+ headcount, plans to shed its stealth mode and embark on a proactive marketing campaign aimed at expanding its presence primarily in the operator space.

• Excelacom possesses the channels and portfolio resources to meet evolving operator OSS/BSS transformation needs and differentiate its OSS/BSS proposition, but needs a SDN/NFV strategy and new use cases to boost its cause.

Excelacom has steadily built its presence in the OSS/BSS market in stealth-like mode. Now the company is preparing to ramp up an outbound sales and marketing blitz to raise industry awareness about its Century Suite of Product Modules and drive an aggressive, long-term growth strategy. Continue reading “Excelacom: Ready for the OSS/BSS Sales and Marketing Prime Time?” →

Summary Bullets:

• At the Amdocs Analyst Day Amdocs identified potential disruptors to operator business objectives including AppleSIM technology. Amdocs and its operator customers face an ongoing challenge in determining the magnitude of the threat.
• Amdocs needs to form an alliance with Apple to assuage operator uncertainty about software SIM technology and further boost its mobile channel credentials.

The arrival of the AppleSIM has stirred debate on the implications it has on operator business plans. With software SIM capabilities mobile device users could ultimately select service plans on the fly from their device. The first iteration of AppleSIM support, among AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint, gives operators a great deal of control over the customer relation. AT&T has made it so that once a user chooses an AT&T plan, they have to buy another SIM if they want to switch to another carrier. Only T-Mobile and Sprint are supporting the ability to switch plans dynamically, but only outside of their own sales channels. Also Verizon is not supporting the AppleSIM and operators are selling iPads in their own sales channels with their own SIMs installed. Continue reading “Amdocs Analyst Day: Can Amdocs Assist Operators in Meeting a SIMmering Challenge to Their Business Models? – Part Two” →

Summary Bullets:

• At the Amdocs Analyst Day the advent of software SIM technology, such as AppleSIM, which allows users to select service plans from their mobile devices and avoid physical swap outs of SIM cards proved a major theme. The new technology creates competitive and business model uncertainties for operators.
• The Amdocs portfolio of products and solutions can prove well-suited for driving operator adaptability to the long-term competitive implications of software SIM technology.

Amdocs recently conducted its Analyst Day event, including its vision of key OSS/BSS-related market trends over the next few years. Amdocs addressed how potential disrupters could derail operators in capitalizing on emerging core trends such as adopting new modes of operator business and integrating catalog innovations. Amdocs identified software SIM and on-device innovations as a potential major disruptor to operators leveraging core trends to their competitive advantage. Continue reading “Amdocs Analyst Day: Can Amdocs Assist Operators in Meeting a SIMmering Challenge to Their Business Models? – Part One” →