What is NGOSS?
NGOSS is the TeleManagement Forum’s (TM Forum) business solution framework for creating next generation OSS/BSS software and systems. The NGOSS program is delivering a framework for producing New Generation OSS/BSS solutions, and a repository of documentation, models, and guidelines to support these developments. The goal of NGOSS is to facilitate the rapid development of flexible, low cost of ownership, OSS/BSS solutions to meet the business needs of today’s cost conscious, competitive, and rapidly evolving telecom environment.

What are the key elements of the NGOSS program?
The NGOSS program is made up of a number of key elements:

• Definition of the next generation business processes and process models
• Definition of the systems framework upon which these business solutions will be built
• Definition of a shared information and data model as a major building block for reducing integration time and effort
• Guidelines for interfaces and architectures that are technology neutral
• Development of conformance tests to certify solutions and products for compliance to the NGOSS specifications.
• Practical implementations and demonstrations of these solutions through a series of multi-vendor collaborative Catalyst projects

What are the major service provider business drivers, which have led to the need for NGOSS?

• Greater process automation
• Rapid rollout of new services
• Much easier and more flexible business-to-business (B2B) trading
• Lower total cost of ownership
• Lower cost of change
• Greater range of services
• Improved quality of service
• Improved process flow-through
• Greater customer access and control
• More flexible provisioning of services

What is the impact of the above business drivers on NGOSS design?

• A common language for business process definition
• A more open, industry agreed framework and architecture
• Choice of implementation technologies that fit the need
• Closer coupling between OSSs Management data
• Customers provided with appropriate views of data
• Systems created with re-useable components – thus potentially lowering costs, and providing faster time to market for services
• Increased ability to use commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) technologies – which give greater choice, reduced costs, faster implementations, and more skilled developer resources
• Service providers able to co-operate according to individual business needs

What are the main NGOSS design goals?

• Focusing of corporate data
• Physically and logically centralized data, providing more integrated views of customer and operational data
• Loosely coupled distributed systems
• Move away from stand alone OSSs to more of a common infrastructure for management process interaction
• Application components/re-use
• Functional re-use of business process components
• Code re-use of software components
• Increased use of object oriented design
• For components of OSS functionality as well as modeling managed devices
• Improved development time, costs, etc.
• Technology-neutral system framework with technology specific implementations
• Multi-vendor supply and integration
• General purpose (cost effective) systems access
• Operational staff low cost access to data/processes
• Customer system interoperability to service provider data/processes
• Separation of control of business process flow from business component operation
• Provides flexibility to rapidly produce new business solutions
• Allows more re-use of business components across multiple business scenarios
• Workflow automation
• Ability to automate present manual tasks
• Flexibility to change business process sequence
• Legacy/heritage systems
• Ability to integrate existing systems in OSS infrastructure
• Application of adaptation and wrapping techniques

Where will service providers differentiate themselves if everyone deploys NGOSS solutions?
With networking technology rapidly becoming a commodity, management systems play a key role in gaining a competitive advantage. However, the advantage is not only in how the systems are built – it’s also in how systems are used. With the separation of process control from function, the ability to use common systems in different ways becomes much easier, and differentiation is enhanced.

What are the business benefits for telecommunications industry stakeholders?
OSS User (e.g. service provider)

• Faster business solutions/time to market
• Greater range of business services
• Less development/more re-use
• More buy/less make of OSS solutions
• Open systems allow for competitive bidding

OSS Systems Vendor

• More re-use of system solutions/less customized development
• Multi-customer product packaging
• Reduced product portfolio/maintenance costs

OSS System Integrator

• More complete business solutions
• Faster integration
• Predictable integration approaches/costs (via framework)

Network Equipment Vendor

• Accelerated demand for network equipment to support more rapid deployment of new services by service providers

How will NGOSS cope with changes in system technologies and differing market pressures for their support?
TM Forum is developing a technology neutral systems architecture, which provides a common reference framework for all NGOSS compliant solutions. Technology specific selections may then be made to support parts of this framework. As system technologies change, new selections may be made within this common reference framework.

How can I influence the industry with my needs?
Become involved in NGOSS working teams or join and participate in one of the NGOSS Catalysts Showcase projects. Catalyst projects are multi-company, multi-national teams advancing collaborative implementations that encourage and support the development of useable, commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) products needed to provide a sound business solution to an industry problem. These projects are used to validate work-in-progress of TM Forum teams or other industry bodies, or to initiate work in areas that are not well understood.

How does a solution gain NGOSS Compliance?
TM Forum has undertaken this initiative to provide the telecommunications industry with a comprehensive set of testable criteria, which identify an OSS product/solution that is fully compliant with the NGOSS principles and artifacts.  The NGOSS compliance testing suite of documentation defines the essential testing criteria and suggests testing methods to validate compliance with the NGOSS initiative principles and artifacts, and this suite of testing documentation is constantly evolving to track new developments within the NGOSS program.

How does the NGOSS program relate to the Catalyst Showcase program?
NGOSS will use the Catalyst Showcase program to develop proof of concept implementations of the NGOSS business and systems framework. In turn, many of the Catalyst projects implement NGOSS principles.

How can I go about using NGOSS?

• Service providers – use NGOSS frameworks in your procurement specifications.
• Map today’s business processes and create requirements for new business processes using the eTOM.
• Introduce the NGOSS frameworks into your development strategy.
• Look for reference implementations of NGOSS – which have been derived from the results of successful NGOSS Catalyst projects.

What impact will it have on development processes going forward?

• Time-to-market for business solutions should be dramatically reduced.
• Cost of development should be reduced considerably. Cost saving should also increase over time – as more re-use of existing business components is experienced.