Posted 03/15/2000
Tying it all Together
Integration Key in Intra-, Intercarrier OSS
By Paula Bernier
Ask virtually anybody who deals in operations support systems what the biggest issue is in the area of OSS and the answer is likely to be integration: integration of different OSS pieces within a particular carrier, and integration of various carriers' support systems.
The importance of integrating billing, customer care, provisioning, order management and other support systems within a carrier has been a common theme in OSS discussions for several years. More recently, however, the notion--and actual implementation--of systems that tie together, or bond, different service providers' OSSs has come to the forefront.
Flow-Through E-bonding
To date, many CLECs have had to order copper loops or other network elements from incumbent carriers over the phone, via fax or through unsophisticated electronic ordering procedures. The same was true for service providers wanting to purchase services or network elements from other carrier wholesalers.
Now, service providers are beginning to use new software and electronic connections to not only order and receive service and equipment requests from other carriers, but to do so through their own, familiar OSS interfaces--a concept known as flow-through provisioning.
Enabling a CLEC to order a copper loop from a Bell company or to allow an ISP to request DSL service from a data CLEC, as two examples, via their own OSSs is expected to result in faster provisioning times and lower human resources costs.
In January, CLEC AMC Communications (www.amccom.com) selected Albion International Inc.'s (www.albion-intl.com) OSS e-bonding software, Albion Connect, to streamline its customer service and ordering processes in relation to BellSouth Corp. (www.bellsouth.com) and, in the future, other incumbents.
Last November was an especially big month for CLEC/ILEC e-bonding announcements.
Focal Communications Corp. (www.focal.com) in November revealed it had started e-bonding with Ameritech Corp. (www.ameritech.com) using Mantiss Information's (www.mantiss.com) CLECware. This means Focal's OSS is connected online and in real time to Ameritech's OSS to order unbundled loops from the Bells for Focal's DSL and high-data-rate DSL (HDSL) services.
Also in November, Jato Communications Corp. (www.jatocom.com) signed a nationwide contract for CLECware, which it is using to perform preordering activities and provision local service request (LSR) transactions with several of the Bell companies.
MCI WorldCom Inc. (www.wcom.com) also announced plans in November to use CLECware for its Internet-based ordering and provisioning network. It began using the software on a trial basis in September to order LSRs from Ameritech.
DSL.net (www.dsl.net) is using software from MetaSolv Software Inc. (www.metasolv.com) and NightFire Software Inc. (www.nightfire.com) to interface with Bell Atlantic-North and South (www.bell-atl.com) for order implementation, according to DSL.net President and CEO David Struwas.
The CLEC Wholesaler
Meanwhile, some CLECs are offering similar e-bonding arrangements to their carrier customers.
NorthPoint Communications Inc. (www.northpointcom.com) in November rolled out its eConnect service, which enables OSS flow-through provisioning between the DSL service provider and its carrier customers. The first customers of the service, which is based on Vitria Technology Inc. (www.vitria.com) software, were Flashcom Inc. (www.flashcom.com), Global Crossing Ltd. (www.globalcrossing.com) and ICG Communications Inc. (www.icgcomm.com).
In launching a web-based flow-through provisioning system called PILOT (which stands for primary integrated logical office tool), New Edge Networks (www.newedgenetworks.com) in January said it planned to connect its OSS to its customers' OSSs. New Edge wholesales DSL services in small, medium and rural areas.
"With all our channel partners, it's a must to do ordering through electronic zero touch," says Robert Knowling, chairman, president and CEO of Covad Communications (www.covad.com), which also provides wholesale DSL services to ISPs and other carriers.
Intracompany Flow-Through
While e-bonding initiatives and software from companies like Mantiss and Vitria are simplifying and speeding orders between carriers, new tools are becoming available to streamline provisioning within an individual carrier.
For example, netActivate, (www.netactivate.net), a division of Call Technologies Inc., is providing tools under its "Project Scarecrow" initiative to add brains to the provisioning process.
Glen Hellman, vice president of sales and marketing with netActivate, explains that provisioning today is a "leaky pipe" with sometimes incomplete data and network element vendors that support different features.
It needs intelligence in the front end--including prequalification rules, the ability to flow through to circuit and broadband network elements, and verification and notification, he says.
With netActivate software the customer representative can automatically learn whether a service won't work or isn't available, providing faster feedback. It can accept a portion of a service order if needed, such as whether one service is available but another on the same order is not. It makes sure the network element the customer representative is sending the order to is available, among other features, says Hellman.
Florida Digital Networks is the first customer of the netActivate system, and is using the system for DSL and POTS.
In another move to ease provisioning, Ennovate Networks Inc. (www.ennovatenetworks.com) has come out with its EnSight Service Automation System, which lets carriers automatically provision, deploy and monitor IP VPNs. It automates tasks like determining IP addresses and unique VPN members, creating interfaces and virtual routers, and configuring links and IP layers.
ANDA Networks Inc. (www.andanetworks.com), meanwhile, is pushing an open architecture standard for flow-through provisioning called open provisioning standard (OPS). It standardizes customer premises equipment interfaces for voice and data.
Making It All Fit
While building and integrating OSSs may be easier than it was in the past, it's still far from a simple task. Consequently, OSS integration has become a lucrative business for many companies.
About 90 percent of American Management Systems Inc.'s (AMS, www.amsinc.com) business is in professional services, an integration practice at the company that works with third-party, off-the-shelf software providers, says Jack Boyle, an AMS vice president.
"You can't do business unless it's integrated," says Deborah Strong, principal with BusinessEdge Solutions Inc. (www.businessedge.com), which also provides integration services to carriers.
Many OSS software vendors provide applications programming interfaces so other software providers can write code that "hooks" into their solutions, but it's not always that easy. Oftentimes, the formats are different, says Peter Gibson, managing partner at BusinessEdge Solutions, so you have the data transformation issues. "It sounds simple, but when you get down to making it work and getting four or five applications to work together, it's difficult," says Gibson.
