OSS/J is a TM Forum Technical Program dedicated to helping telecommunications companies harness the power of their Operations/Business Support Systems (OSS/BSS) while containing costs and increasing their ability to meet customers' needs through flexible and agile solutions. The program enables participants from service providers, system integrators, independent software vendors, equipment manufacturers, consultants and academe to effectively deliver a roadmap and suite of Java, XML, and Web Services-based APIs aligned with the TM Forum’s New Generation Operations Systems and Software (NGOSS) framework. Participation is open to any TM Forum member that is able to meet OSS/J’s contribution criteria. A real-world implementation of NGOSS, OSS/J APIs quickly link OSS applications together throughout their lifecycle. A powerful, implementable OSS integration standard, OSS/J is actively participating in Prosspero, the one-stop-shop TM Forum program for deploying standards to the marketplace.
OSS/J freely shares experience, methodologies, ideas, and artifacts supporting the widely adopted OSS/J telecommunications platform. OSS/J makes available Java, XML and Web Services technologies that significantly reduce the integration tax (the single largest roadblock to profitability) while fostering more effective relationships between vendors and buyers. The OSS/BSS functional APIs (application program interfaces) delivered by OSS/J support the business and technology goals of the lean operator:
- End-to-end management of core business processes
- Flexible, component-based solutions
- Standardized technologies to ensure vendor independence
OSS/J APIs help Service Providers jump start the deployment of end-to-end services on next-generation networks and leverage the convergence of telecommunications and Internet-based solutions. The APIs are standardized under the latest Java Community ProcessSM (JCP) program. JCP deliverables for each application area consist of a specification, a reference implementation, and a technology compatibility kit - all of which, including source code, are available to the industry free of charge.
Vision for the OSS/J Program
OSS/J is a TM Forum Collaboration Program designed to foster a marketplace of interchangeable, interoperable components that can be rapidly assembled into end-to-end OSS solutions. The TM Forum’s Prosspero program is a new one-stop-shop that enables significant advancement of the OSS/J vision by providing Solution Packages that include:
- Case studies of existing implementations
- Implementation guides
- Request For Proposal (RFP) guidelines
- Online Support Community
- Training and Education
- Marketing plan and collateral
- Ecosystem of certified implementers, support tools and services
The OSS/J approach benefits all stakeholders along the OSS value chain: equipment vendors, independent software vendors (ISVs), system integrators (SIs), and service providers. OSS/J believes that the fastest and most flexible way to develop OSS solutions is to embrace a multi-tier architecture, based on reusable components and container technology, with client access either by tightly or loosely coupled mechanisms.
In addition to the Java Community Process, the TM Forum OSS/J Program leverages the work of other standards bodies, including 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), Object Management Group (OMG), Workflow Management Coalition, International Telecommunications Union (ITU), and IPDR.