OSS SYSTEMS FOR TRIPLE PLAY SERVICES - An Analysis Of The Next Generation OSS Plans Of Large U.S. Wireline Carriers

Background, Scope & Objectives

Background

OSS systems are an important ingredient of success for telecom carriers worldwide, but they are especially critical as the large U.S. wireline carriers roll out sophisticated next generation systems such as triple-play.

To better understand how carriers are upgrading their OSS infrastructure for next generation networks is the purpose of this research report. The report addresses a number of critical issues:

COTS vs. In-House Build

While the general industry trend is for service providers to rely on Commercial Off-The- Shelf (COTS) products, very large carriers such as Verizon and AT&T are steadily moving towards in-house developed systems. In this report we show the rationale behind these decisions.

Revolution vs. Evolution of OSS

Another key issue is how the major US service providers will migrate or retire their legacy systems as the next generation services world approaches. Will large carriers completely revolutionize their OSS systems to accommodate next generation networks as British Telecom now plans or will they evolve their systems by leveraging the current systems.

Next Generation Network and OSS Plans of Specific Carriers

We examined the network infrastructures and OSS plans of four carriers in this study: AT&T, BellSouth, SBC Communications, and Verizon.

OSS Readiness Assessment for Next Generation Networks

Here we assess the plans of the large wireline carriers and point to specific OSS and related challenges that need to be addressed before NGN or triple play services can be delivered with the kind of robustness the U.S. market expects of its incumbent carriers.

Vendor Profiles

Finally, we take an in-depth look at the offerings of key OSS and service delivery vendors addressing the U.S. NGN and triple play market.

Scope & Organization

The scope of the research is to provide subscribers with information regarding US major service providers plans for Next Generation OSS systems. Target carriers include: AT&T,Verizon, SBC, and BellSouth. This research is organized into three sections. In the first section, we analyze Next Generation Network trends for large U.S. wireline carriers. Following that, we take a close look at the services planned and OSS systems to be employed by the target carriers. In the final section, we examine the factors that cause large U.S. wireline carriers to either Buy or Build their OSS infrastructure.