Business Support Systems (BSS) and Operations Support Systems (OCS) are critical components of a telecommunications company’s infrastructure. They help manage key business processes and support the operation of communications networks. This blog post provides an overview of BSS and OCS, their functions, benefits, and key differences.

What are BSS and OCS?

BSS refers to the software systems that support business processes like customer management, product management, revenue management, and order management. BSS helps manage customer relationships, track financial transactions, analyze profitability, and automate business workflows.

OCS refers to software systems that support the operation and maintenance of network infrastructure and services. OCS helps monitor network performance, manage network faults, configure network components, and automate service fulfillment processes.

Key Functions of BSS

BSS performs various critical business functions:

Customer Management

BSS helps manage customer acquisition, service enrollment, account management, and customer care activities like billing and payments. Key BSS systems for customer management include:

• Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system

• Billing and invoicing system

• Payment and collections system

Product Catalog Management

BSS provides capabilities to define pricing models, create product bundles, and establish catalog offerings. Example BSS components include:

• Product catalog

• Pricing engine

• Bundling engine

Order Management and Fulfillment

BSS automates the processes related to taking customer orders and fulfilling them. Key order management systems include:

• Shopping carts

• Order capture

• Order orchestration and provisioning

Revenue Management

BSS provides revenue analytics, quota management, and commission management capabilities to maximize profits. Key revenue management systems are:

• Rating and discounts

• Quota engine

• Commission engine

Key Functions of OCS

OCS provides various operational support capabilities:

Network Monitoring and Management

OCS monitors network health, traffic, faults, and performance KPIs through systems like:

• Network monitoring system

• Alarm management system

• Trouble ticketing system

Network Inventory Management

OCS maintains inventory details of network components and resources through systems like:

• Resource inventory system

• Configuration management database

Network Provisioning and Activation

OCS automates the processes to configure network components and provision services through systems like:

• Service provisioning system

• Network provisioning system

Network Planning and Optimization

OCS provides capabilities for planning network expansions and optimizing network utilization through systems like:

• Network planning system

• Workforce management system

Key Differences Between BSS and OCS

While BSS and OCS are complementary systems, there are some key differences:

• BSS focuses on business processes while OCS focuses on network operations.

• BSS manages customer-facing processes like billing and order management while OCS manages internal network management processes.

• BSS includes commercial off the shelf software systems like CRM and billing system while OCS uses specialized telecom software systems.

• BSS supports revenue generation while OCS supports service delivery and optimization.

• BSS end users are business users while OCS end users are technical users like network engineers.

Benefits of BSS and OCS

Effective BSS and OCS systems provide various benefits:

• Automate business and operational processes to reduce costs and human errors

• Improve customer experience through faster service delivery and personalized offerings

• Provide real-time visibility into network operations and business performance

• Enable data-driven decisions using analytics on customer, network, and financial data

• Adapt quickly to changing business models and network technologies

• Ensure operational efficiency and reliability of communication services

• Comply with regulatory requirements related to billing, 911 services etc.

BSS/OCS as Strategic Assets

BSS and OCS have evolved from siloed back-office systems to becoming strategic assets for telecom companies. Key drivers for this trend include:

• Migration to software-driven networks like NFV and cloud networks

• Adoption of digital business models and services

• Need for centralized customer data and analytics

• Demand for real-time network control and optimization

• Emergence of BSS/OCS-as-a-Service cloud offerings

To capitalize on these trends, telecom companies are modernizing their BSS and OCS landscapes. They are moving from fragmented systems to centralized platforms, investing in automation and analytics, and pursuing BSS/OCS transformation to support business growth.

Conclusion

BSS and OCS underpin the business and operational capabilities of telecom companies. While BSS supports vital business functions like billing and customer management, OCS enables efficient service delivery across complex network environments. Adopting modern, integrated BSS/OCS platforms is key to building agile, data-driven telecom operators that can excel in the digital economy.