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Cartesian Transforms a Tier 1 European Communications Service Provider's OSS/BSS
Oct 12, 2011
The Client Challenge
At a time when communication service providers (CSPs) are scrambling to keep pace with immediate requirements for back-office system changes as they retool OSS/BSS frameworks to accommodate near and long-term industry advancements, the difference between costly missteps and enduring solutions often lies with where they turn for expert assistance in the vendor selection process.
A Tier 1 CSP needed billing and operations support systems to support their forthcoming Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) service launch. Knowing that most of their OSS and BSS systems were not suited to their aspirations to be the leading supplier of next-generation services in a highly competitive market, the Tier 1 CSP embarked on a major transformation of their IT infrastructure. While the MVNO mobile strategy was the most immediate priority, it was paramount that their initiative create an OSS/BSS environment that addressed all future service requirements and enabled the rapid launch of new converged services with minimal disruption to their existing infrastructure.
The situation posed extraordinary challenges. Tight time constraints on the vendor selection process made it impossible to obtain detailed price bids through the usual RFQ process, yet the project’s budgeted cost remained the same. Circumstances posed a high risk that, if things didn’t go well, the CSP could incur unacceptable costs, make poor vendor choices and delegate too much control to vendors and system integrators.
The Cartesian Solution
The client avoided these pitfalls by tapping Cartesian’s extensive experience working with service providers and industry vendors to create OSS/BSS infrastructures capable of supporting rapid service innovation in a highly competitive environment. Cartesian’s experts, many of whom have managed IT operations at leading service providers, were uniquely positioned to help the client take an accelerated, highly innovative approach to finding the right vendors to fulfill the requirements across a comprehensive range of OSS/BSS domain categories.
Cartesian was well prepared to take on the expedited vendor selection process mandated by the client’s unique situation because Cartesian has been working with CSPs worldwide to help them transform their IT stacks in preparation for their next-generation service offerings. These engagements reflect the industry’s confidence in Cartesian’s ability to help them navigate the transitions to meet all the requirements that are driving these changes, including the need for:
- An OSS/BSS infrastructure that can fully support converged service product bundles;
- An infrastructure that reduces overall total cost of ownership while supporting ongoing changes in IT operating models;
- Solutions that continue to support existing revenue streams whilst giving CSPs the speed and agility to respond to market demands quickly, which is, after all, the most important requirement of all.
The engagement began with a review of the client’s existing application environment across all domains in the TM Forum’s TAM (Telecom Application Map), which is widely used as an industry reference point. As a component of the TMF’s Frameworx, the TAM is used to define the roles and functionalities of the various applications that deliver OSS and BSS capabilities. As a member of TM Forum and advocate of Frameworx, the Cartesian team has broad experience using the TAM to develop RFXs and process vendor responses. Indeed, many Cartesian professionals have had first-hand experience executing on these domain requirements as IT managers at major operators.
Cartesian’s team analysed the systems in each of these domains with respect to their suitability to serve the client’s long-term goals in the context of what was required to enable the imminent mobile service. Once the team identified which domains would require a search for new solutions, they developed an RFQ process that would address these requirements in a timeframe matched to the mobile service launch schedule.
Cartesian’s years of experience managing the end-to-end RFx process positioned the team to develop a unique “fast-track” approach that would provide the client with enough information on vendor selection and with enough assurance that costs would fall into feasible parameters.
The first step in this process was to develop an abbreviated list of requirements that would have to be met within each domain. Relying on Cartesian’s extensive knowledge of application vendors’ capabilities as well as new research on whether vendors could satisfy special requirements unique to the CSP, they were able to develop a short list of application vendors per domain.
Perhaps the most sensitive aspect of the process was the need to obtain price quotes that would provide a solid basis for negotiations, even though the details of the RFQ weren’t sufficient to generate the pricing detail normally associated with RFQ responses. The Cartesian group worked closely with the client’s IT managers to add enough detail to the requirements to generate sufficient pricing specificity, without slowing down the RFQ development and response process.
As a final step in this stage of this engagement, Cartesian provided a summary assessment of the RFQ responses to facilitate the final steps in the selection process.
Benefits to the Client
Leveraging Cartesian’s expertise and capabilities, the client was able to determine the vendors it needed to overhaul their OSS/BSS infrastructure at price points that did not compromise the budgets that they had set. And most importantly, the client is now able to launch their MVNO service using the next-gen OSS/BSS architecture, without experiencing delays in their service launch and the associated lost revenue, or incurring the added expense and potential customer dissatisfaction caused by migrating customers from a legacy OSS/BSS.
Why Cartesian
With extensive experience in OSS/BSS transformation, and a vendor-neutral approach, Cartesian is uniquely qualified to provide end-to-end guidance, ensuring a successful transformation. Our range of OSS/BSS services includes:
- Business Engagement & Readiness Preparation
- OSS/BSS Infrastructure Analysis
- Strategy Development for Next-gen OSS/BSS Infrastructure
- Fast-track the RFI, RFP and Contract Negotiation process using eLexicon®
- Business Case Development
- OSS/BSS Implementation Support
- Overall Program Management
- Data Cleansing, Extraction, Loading and Quality Assurance using Ascertain®
- On-going OSS/BSS Business Assurance using Ascertain®
About Cartesian
Cartesian, a TMNG Global company, (NASDAQ: TMNG), is a leading provider of revenue assurance software and professional services to the communications, technology, utilities and digital media sectors in Europe. Through parent company, TMNG Global, sister division, CSMG, and 600+ senior consultants, Cartesian provides a full spectrum of services and solutions to clients around the globe. The company’s clients represent all areas of the communications industry including mobile and fixed telecom operators; entertainment, media and technology companies; and the capital formation firms that support the industry. Cartesian is based in London with corporate headquarters in Overland Park, Kansas, and other company offices in Boston, New Jersey, and Washington, D.C. For more information about Cartesian, visit www.cartesian.com.
