The telecom industry is a complex and dynamic field, with numerous systems and software working together to deliver seamless communication services to customers. Have you ever come across the two distinct components of this ecosystem- Operations Support Systems (OSS) and Business Support Systems (BSS)? While both OSS and BSS are required for telecommunication businesses, they serve distinct purposes, and the focus areas differ.
In this article, we will delve into the world of OSS and BSS, exploring their definitions, functionalities, and differences. Also, we will go through the importance of both systems in the telecom industry, their advantages and limitations.
What is OSS?
Telecom companies have to keep tabs on the network every now and then. Further, they have to manage the network and monitor its behavior. In fact, OSS typically addresses the network planning and provisioning needs. OSS manages the following operational activities:
- Managing Network Resources
- Fixing Network Issues
- Delivering Services to Customers
- Network Settings Configuration
- Monitoring Quality of Service
What is OSS architecture?
There are several sections in OSS architecture, which include:
Network Engineering
It facilitates connections to the network and carries out tasks on devices. Further, it also monitors the network setup and the devices to simplify the tasks. Thus, it ensures better performance as well.
Planning
At all stages, planning is required. For example, to handle the increase in customer traffic, to fix service-oriented issues or it can be the adoption of a new technology that needs to be launched for improving the performance of tasks.
Data Analytics
Data is significant in OSS architecture, and collecting the data from networks, devices, and customers is a vital process in OSS.
Fault management
OSS helps in the detection of errors and enables troubleshooting, helping operators fix network issues immediately and mitigate any instance of disruption in service.
What is BSS?
BSS is an interface that facilitates interactions between the business and its customers. In other words, BSS helps the telecommunications business to manage and supervise customer-related operations such as:
- Order management
- Billing
- Marketing Products
- Customer relationship management (CRM)
- Service fulfilment
- Subscriptions
- Revenue management
What is BSS architecture?
The BSS architecture supports customer-facing activities such as order management, billing, and revenue monitoring, alongside customer relationship management. Here are a few basic components of BSS architecture.
Order Management
Under order management, the system processes service orders, for example, subscriptions, cancellations, and any changes. Also, these systems include workflows and databases to monitor the order status for proper fulfillment of orders.
Billing and Revenue Management
Billing systems create invoices, handle accounts, and other revenue-related aspects such as rating, invoicing, and so on. Further, billing systems coordinate with network components to gather usage data, apply rates, and create invoices.
Product Marketing
The product catalog systems handle the details related to the services, including pricing and product features. In fact, it collects and stores information related to the products and services available.
Rating
Rating and charging systems decide service charges as per the predefined tariffs. Also, these systems use complex algorithms to establish the rates for usage data.
Revenue Management
These systems fundamentally check any flaws in revenue management by identifying anomalies that arise out of fraud or mistakes. The use of analytics and pattern recognition helps in identifying and reducing loss.
Customer relationship management
A CRM system manages customer interactions. It includes both existing and potential customers. The system collects and stores customer information, handles enquiries and customer accounts as well. It uses databases to keep the customer data intact and integrates with other BSS components to get a complete, integrated view.
OSS and BSS Explained: What Sets Both Systems Apart?
Think of a complex network of applications and systems working in tandem to offer endless communication services for users. In the telecom landscape, the two vital components, operations support systems (OSS) and business support systems (BSS) keep everything simple! But how do OSS and BSS differ from each other?
OSS vs BSS
Both OSS and BSS serve differently in their own ways. OSS consists of the systems that handle and maintain network operations while BSS relates to the systems that maintain the business operations where it handles customer interactions and business processes. OSS handles network inventory management and operations. While BSS manages orders, billing and customer relationship management. In fact, OSS and BSS work together even though they both differ in many aspects.
What are the key functions of OSS and BSS?
Now, let’s see the most important functions of OSS and BSS. OSS helps customer onboarding on a network and ensures better connectivity for them. While BSS deals with proper billing, offering personalized promotions and product marketing aspects. In fact, both systems focus on providing a better customer experience. They offer many advantages to the business, particularly in revenue generation.
How do OSS and BSS function together?
As explained earlier, OSS and BSS are two distinct applications used by telecom businesses to manage network and customer relationships, respectively. Both systems work in tandem by offering an integrated view of the user base and assisting businesses to deliver what their customers want.
OSS systems facilitate network operators by providing complete visibility of the network so that they can proactively monitor the network. Further, it helps them to troubleshoot when issues occur and helps streamline performance. While BSS systems, gives complete information on the customer base and manages core aspects of billing, revenue and customer relationship management.
Why do telecommunications services use OSS and BSS together?
OSS and BSS deal with separate functions, though they both have been used together by businesses to enhance their services. When combined, they allow telecommunications services to tap the benefits of improved security, better customer engagement, and enhanced returns on investment.
When OSS and BSS gets integrated, it helps them address customer needs with robust technology solutions.
Further, there is a link between customer concerns and network issues. Therefore, OSS and BSS must work together. Using these systems, telecom businesses can offer solid network service, easily navigate through the challenges within the industry and what’s more, improve customer experiences to the next level.
What are the major problems in implementing OSS and BSS?
Let’s look at some of the common issues faced during the implementation of OSS and BSS.
Outdated architecture
Legacy OSS and BSS with outdated architectures and protocols pose a problem during integration. Due to its complexity and poor interoperability, features limit the scope of integration. Further, it impacts proper data management.
Absence of standard frameworks
OSS and BSS are complex, and their customization even makes them more complex and affects the integration efforts. Combining several types of data is difficult without a standard method. It again affects the smooth sharing of data.
Interoperability issues
Often, changes in standards, interfaces, and protocols thwart the communication. Further, it leads to scalability issues and poses severe challenges.
Security issues and risks
The security issues, downtime, compatibility, and data loss lead to morale damage and attract penalties. Therefore, these systems demand proper security practices and risk management strategies.
Solutions
Telecom organizations should follow the best practices, frameworks and protocols to keep these challenges away. A few solutions for addressing the challenges in OSS/BSS implementation include:
Using open APIs encourages the interoperability between OSS and BSS solutions. Further, it promotes collaboration between vendors and improves integration efforts.
Follow the guidelines from TM Forum, a global industry association that brings all telecom companies together for secure OSS/BSS integration. Further, it aims at ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements and reduces risks.
Collaboration and vendor management are facilitated through TM Forum to strengthen relationships and focus on ensuring continuous support for integration activities.
Leverage ThinkPalm’s Expert Solutions in Telecom
At ThinkPalm, we challenge ourselves to bring the best solutions to meet your specific requirements. We bridge the gap between legacy systems and modern frameworks to enable relentless communication and information exchange in the OSS and BSS ecosystem.
Our cloud-native technology helps in offering adaptable and scalable solutions customized for telecom businesses. We provide rapid deployment, scalability in both systems to keep up with the evolving needs of your business. If you want to navigate the challenges in integrating OSS and BSS solutions, never give a second thought to contacting the telecom experts in ThinkPalm. Get in touch with us today to elevate your network resources performance and business support system!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is the difference between OSS and BSS?
OSS includes the operations and network aspects of the telecommunications industry, and BSS deals with the customer-facing side.
What do you mean by OSS and BSS testing?
OSS testing deals with communication and network tests. On the contrary, BSS relates to business-critical application testing.
What are the advantages of OSS and BSS?
OSS helps reduce network downtime, automates network management, and enhances the quality of service, whereas BSS is all about customer relationship management and includes billing and support activities.
Author Bio
Silpa Sasidharan is a content writer and social media copywriting expert working at ThinkPalm Technologies, who aspires to create marketing texts for topics spanning from technology, automation and digital business solutions.
