The information and communications industry is facing unparalleled changes that are breaking down traditional industry boundaries. Organizations operate using more complex business models, while new providers continue to enter the market. Network and Information Technology operations are converging. Information Technology is expanding its footprint from supporting services to becoming an integral part of the service provided to the customer in order to introduce new services more quickly to the market. Customers and end-users expect to be able to blend these existing and new services in any way they choose and to have the services available anywhere, at any time, and through any chosen access means.
Providers from different technologies and backgrounds are all focusing on the same future – integrated service offerings for next-generation customers. Telecom Service Providers (SPs) are challenged as never before to defend market share and grow revenues. The definition of Service Provider is no longer limited to the traditional network and service operators but now also includes content and application providers.
With all these changes, an effective service delivery environment that supports service innovation, time to market and dynamic value networks among all stakeholders is essential. Delivery of these next generation services happens in a framework where the lines between network and IT are blurred. Within this framework profitability, as well as customer experience, can be driven by managing the complete service lifecycle in an SOA-aligned environment.
TM Forum has formed a Service Delivery Framework (SDF) program to address the industry challenge of producing an effective environment for the delivery of next-generation services to customers. The SDF will support and integrate all the functions required through the Service Lifecycle, which is needed to deliver integrated service offerings to a customer across converging technologies and multiple stakeholders in a Service Provider environment. To meet this industry need, TM Forum is working in collaboration with other industry groups that are contributing to the development of the SDF.
SDF supports and integrates all functions required during the lifecycle of a service delivered to a customer, across all the stakeholders in a Service Provider environment. Thus the SDF unifies under a logical view the functions for service design, creation/composition, deployment, activation, provisioning, sale and campaign management, execution, operations, charging, billing and revenue management, performance monitoring, trouble resolution, service retirement, etc.
TM Forum has identified the urgent industry need for the management of the Service Lifecycle in the SDF and its integration into OSS / BSS environments, and has set up the SDF team to tackle this business challenge and to work with other industry groups. The team is currently gathering requirements, will meet at Team Action Week, and is interested in hearing from interested members on scenarios and issues. The team has produced document TR139, which contains more detail about the SDF and is available to Members. The document is available to members by subscribing to the SDF Team on the Collaboration Workspace at TM Forum’s web site.
Join the discussion today, and find out about all the SDF team’s activities!