OSS architecture - top of operators' evolution agenda

Across the vast spectrum of operators, from greenfield to decades-old industry giants there's one uniting factor, the need for an OSS architecture that meets the massive integration challenge. Here Mikko Salminen, Head of OSS Business Line at Nokia Siemens Networks, explains how understanding operator business processes is the first step in slaying the monster of complexity.

'With every operator running around tens of different fault management and performance management systems, complexity has become an unmanageable problem,' says Mikko, 'everyone's looking for an architecture that simplifies integration and supports standards-based, integrated solutions that can speed up the time-to-market for new service launches. But implementing such a solution is so fundamental to most operators' businesses that we've had to make sure our offering can flexibly fit in.'

'We realised early on that although the integration issue is mostly the same for the majority of operators, it's the way that operators have got to the situation they're now in that's important to understand. At one end of the industry we've got new market entrants, using off-the-shelf, best-of-breed solutions, trying to keep light on their feet. At the other end of the scale there are those operators that started as PTTs with big R&D departments and now have huge chunks of their network - and service management systems - so bespoke and so complicated that they're frankly just too scared to touch them. Both types will benefit from an architecture that will hide the complexity in their networks but how to do that without downtime or making massive changes to their business processes? This is where understanding how operator businesses are run, and fitting in flexibly with those processes, is key for any vendor solution.'

'In developing our OSS system architecture - and especially when looking to the larger and more mature operators - where organisational change is almost glacial - we knew that flexibility and modularity would be highly important. Our approach has always been to supply what's best for the customer and be agnostic. We already help many customers by managing other vendors' network elements. Our solution provides massive CAPEX savings because network element management no longer needs to be bought from every single network technology vendor. Our open interfaces help us move forward faster and present customers with best fit. The upshot is that we now command a third of the OSS market, with another third catered for by a hundred or so smaller scale solutions and the remaining third by operators doing it for themselves.'

'But although reducing complexity is our aim it is not an easy thing to solve. Customers need to be open to new ideas and look at network efficiency using common tools. Collaboration is vital - both with the customer and his incumbent suppliers - and requires trust on both sides for a successful outcome and ongoing evolution.'