OSS
Though often not given much consideration, middleware is a vital component, not only in its technical capacity, but also in its ability to make OSS/BSS systems more agile and help drive down costs.
While it may not sound exciting on the surface, middleware inevitably becomes a hot topic when telecommunications companies actually need to implement new operations and business support systems (OSS/BSS). That’s because middleware is essential not just for tying systems together, but for business reasons as well.
In some ways, middleware is taken for granted. Technically it enables enterprise-wide messaging and information exchange between systems and users. But commercially it does much more. It’s been demonstrated how using middleware and loosely-coupled systems interfaces can drive down integration costs. Middleware also adds to the agility of OSS/BSS systems, enabling companies to seize new opportunities and respond quickly to threats. Middleware is a key element of next generation service delivery and customer care and retention solutions. Middleware also brings visibility to critical information – for example about customer lifecycle monitoring and network resource utilization – which can make a huge difference to financial results. There clearly are large business incentives to understand and adopt middleware.
Many recent innovations in OSS/BSS architecture have taken place in the middleware layer. Middleware supports composite applications that can streamline internal processes. Middleware encourages the evolution of OSS/BSS beyond the limitations of current legacy applications. Middleware promises plug-and-play integration and collaboration with business partners. This article gives a primer on some basic middleware terms, examines some telecommunications use cases, and describes the work that the TeleManagement Forum (TM Forum) is doing to advance OSS/BSS middleware.
Finally, it closes with some observations about the outlook for middleware adoption.
The subject of “middleware” has grown into one of the most technically complex areas in IT today, making it difficult for the non-specialist to follow its rapid developments or to make informed business decisions involving its use. In addition, competing middleware frameworks, approaches, and products (commercial- and open-source) add to the “noise level,” making middleware seem even more incomprehensible. Below are some key foundational concepts and frameworks to help the non-specialist understand what’s happening in middleware:
J2EE Application Servers. A commonly used middleware approach is based on Java Platform, Enterprise Edition (J2EE or Java EE). J2EE application servers are available from BEA, Red Hat/JBoss, IBM, Sun and other suppliers. They host applications such as Enterprise Java Beans (EJBs), servlets, JavaServer Pages (JSPs) and web services. The Java programming language, Java Virtual Machine (JVM) execution environment, and J2EE technologies are very mature. J2EE has full support for transactions, concurrency, events, security and management. There is a rich suite of development tools for developing J2EE enterprise applications.
Microsoft .NET. Another middleware option is .NET from Microsoft. This encompasses development tools and servers for connecting applications and creating web services. The .NET Framework is a Windows operating system component that is used by .NET applications. .NET applications typically are written in C# or Visual Basic .NET languages, and programming tools such as .NET Studio.
Enterprise Service Bus (ESB). An ESB is a middleware infrastructure element that focuses on integrated enterprise messaging. ESBs are often associated with Service Oriented Architectures (SOA). ESBs are available from companies such as Cape Clear, Red Hat/JBoss, IBM, Sonic, Sun, Tibco, and others, including open source providers.
ESBs typically can handle synchronous and asynchronous messaging, adaption to J2EE, .NET, XML, web services and legacy interfaces, and can perform useful functions like queuing, transformation, validation and security.
Web Services. Web services is a programming technique that is useful for network-based applications, typically deployed over HTTP. Web services is based on open standards from W3C (XML, SOAP, XSLT, etc.) and OASIS (WSDL, UDDI, WS-Notification, WS-Security, WS-Reliable Messaging, etc.). Web services is evolving from the best-effort quality associated with HTTP communications, to the fully reliable communications required for business transactions. Web services are standards-based, making them portable across J2EE and .NET environments. Today there is a trade-off between adopting a mature J2EE or .NET framework, or a portable, future-proof Web services framework for networked applications.
Service Oriented Architecture (SOA). Compared to the infrastructure and standards-oriented items above, SOA is the most conceptual. SOA envisions an Enterprise Architecture (EA) that is based on hierarchical “services” that are exchanged between service producers and consumers. Services are abstractions of the information and functionality of information systems. SOA focuses on business-relevant services such as “register a customer” or “upgrade equipment.” Services may be consumed by a Business Process Management (BPM) system, or a composite application, or a customer-facing website. The other elements described above – application servers, ESBs, Web services – may be used to implement a SOA.
In terms of “selling iron,” OSS/BSS Middleware has been an unqualified success. Somewhere in most companies, J2EE and .NET application servers are quietly doing their work. Many companies have installed ESBs or other messaging buses, and are implementing prototypes or even production-grade applications over middleware. Let’s look at some of the projects that have been cited as case studies:
Project examples
Virgin Mobile USA / BEA. Virgin Mobile USA, an MVNO, integrated Siebel CRM, Telcordia pre-pay, third-party content providers and the Sprint wireless network based on a J2EE solution from BEA into a composite application that is accessible from WAP, SMS, IVR, call center and web channels. The solution defined 26 services, including: POS order entry, product fulfillment, and mobile service provisioning, and log over 2 million transactions per day.
Vodafone/Sun. Vodafone integrated customer trouble ticket systems in all of its European subsidiaries using a trouble ticketing hub based on a J2EE solution from Sun. Vodafone used the OSS/J Trouble Ticket API (see below) as the common API for all of its systems, allowing better coordination of end-to-end customer problem handling.
Swisscom/Microsoft. Swisscom provides a 350-page website in four languages, with messaging on the homepage about service disruption based on .NET content management solutions from Microsoft.
CANTV / Gurulab. CANTV is a large telecommunications service provider in Venezuela that uses a Service Oriented Architecture based on SID and OSS/J (see below). Using this innovative approach, CANTV has integrated Billing and Customer Financial Management. In future phases, the company will integrate CRM, Provisioning and Trouble Ticketing.
TeliaSonera/Sonic. TeliaSonera integrated management systems, mobile personnel, fulfillment systems, billing systems and banking transactions based on an ESB solution from Sonic. Customers can purchase a cell phone from the company’s portal, activate service and initiate equipment deliveries.
These examples clearly show the enormous potential benefits from middleware solutions that improve overall OSS/BSS productivity and customer impact. Middleware is helping service providers deliver services more flexibly and rapidly, and reduce OSS/BSS integration costs. Middleware also can help OSS/BSS vendors and system integrators by providing clear standards for performing integration. Middleware opens up new business opportunities and revenue streams for all parties.
TM Forum efforts
The TeleManagement Form (TM Forum) is an industry consortium with approximately 520 members, including many of the service providers, software developers, hardware vendors and system integrators in the telecommunications space. TM Forum has been actively encouraging OSS/BSS middleware solutions under their New Generation Operations Systems and Software (NGOSS) Initiative. NGOSS is an umbrella term that relates to many of TM Forum’s efforts to define frameworks and interfaces for OSS/BSS. TM Forum is taking OSS/BSS middleware to the next level, by defining standards and models that encourage interoperability between different vendors’ OSS/BSS solutions.
NGOSS has a number of frameworks that support middleware implementations. The Shared Information Definition (SID) is an information model that describes many of the data entities involved in telecommunications management. The Enhanced Telecom Operations Map (eTOM) is an enterprise-level process model for service providers, which is an excellent reference for defining system requirements. The NGOSS Lifecycle program defines standard ways of documenting system behavior through the entire software development lifecycle: Business View, System View, Implementation View and Deployment (Operations) View. NGOSS is the “cookbook” for OSS/BSS integration.
The OSS through Java (OSS/J) Initiative is a TM Forum program that focuses on defining open interfaces that align with the NGOSS SID and eTOM. OSS/J defines open Application Programmer Interfaces (APIs) that allow vendors’ OSS/BSS products to interoperate easily. OSS/J APIs are pre-defined interfaces that can be re-used by many systems and can be included in OSS/J-certified products. OSS/J APIs are extensible to fit almost any business requirement for OSS/BSS integration. OSS/J APIs can be deployed using any of the middleware technologies that are defined above by using the available profiles: XML, Java and Web services. OSS/J APIs – along with other TM Forum standards such as those addressed by the Multi Technology OS Program (mTOP) – define the content of information that needs to flow through OSS/BSS middleware to implement NGOSS-based solutions.
The TM Forum is sponsoring new initiatives that are intended to dramatically expand the use NGOSS standards for OSS/BSS integration. The NGOSS Contracts Management Program is a service provider-led working group that is encouraging the definition of additional OSS/BSS interfaces. This ambitious program seeks to build a “production process” (tooling and governance) for defining contracts, and then to commission many new NGOSS Contract specifications.
Another new TM Forum initiative is Prosspero. Prosspero takes a market-oriented view of open standards adoption. One of the barriers to standards adoption is that it often seems simpler to use proprietary interfaces. Prosspero is intent on changing that by making it easy to adopt standards. One key aspect of the program is to treat interfaces as a product, and to make sure that all the product components are in place: examples, specifications, documentation, training, testing, and an ecosystem of services and tooling vendors. Prosspero is creating a website where standards can be downloaded, along with all the documentation and examples that one would expect from a commercial product. Armed with this information, many new implementers will be encouraged to use open standards.
The TM Forum has made tremendous progress in defining standard, open, re-usable content for OSS/BSS integration. It has active programs to expand the footprint of standards coverage, and to encourage greater adoption by telecommunications service providers and vendors.
The outlook
The relevance of OSS/BSS middleware is readily apparent. Although middleware is a complex topic, the question of technical feasibility is no longer an issue. Nearly every service provider is running middleware these days to support critical applications for both internal and customer use.
It will take a coordinated effort by a large number of players in order to achieve the full potential of OSS/BSS middleware. That requires more education, real-world success cases, and encouragement from industry groups like the TM Forum. A good sign is that many telecoms industry leaders are putting their weight behind open standards for OSS/BSS middleware. The emergence of web services as a portable standard is a very healthy sign.
The potential payout from adopting middleware and open interface standards is huge. Everyone – vendors, service providers and system integrators alike – has a strong economic case for adopting middleware. Of course, since integration often crosses company boundaries, the payout will be even bigger if more players support open standards. Lower integration costs, quicker service deployment, and better business agility are the direct benefits, which translates to improved competitiveness and overall profitability.
Middleware is no longer just a back-office systems issue, but an important element of every telco’s business. strategy.