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Fiber Marketing with COS Systems

Fiber to the home is a take-rate game!  The main goal is to make your network as attractive as possible for subscribers and to increase take rates.

Are you a traditional Internet Service Provider (ISP), an Open Access Operator, an ISP on an open access network or a wholesale network operator? Either way, your main goal is to make the network as attractive as possible and to have as many subscribers as possible to increase revenues.

As an ISP, you want to promote your company and all your services. As a network operator, you want to promote every service available on your network – whether it is an internet service, telehealth (telemedicine), or something else.

Fiber Marketing

What you need is an online marketplace that allows you to present all services to the end customer: A subscriber marketplace that allows self-service and a great customer experience 24/7.

This gives your subscribers to order what they want – when they want and to easily switch or add services, and it allows you to operate your business more efficiently, with less staff and more profitable.

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Discover COS System’s BSS Platform

Detailed Visualization of BSS Platform Model - Incorporating Business, Support, and System Components for Telecom Operations

BSS Platform/Billing Platform/Billing Solution

Detailed Visualization of BSS Platform Model - Incorporating Business, Support, and System Components for Telecom Operations

Your typical Business Support System, (often also referred to as Billing System or Billing Platform) handles the business side of telecommunications and your customer needs. This includes, for example.

To help you plan, visualize and share the progress of your project and make data driven decisions.

Or order orchestration that allows you to capture, validate and track orders from different channels, simplify order management processes and reduces “time to market” significantly. 

To streamline a number of customer-related services, from billing and order processing to subscriptions and notifications.

Uses intelligent cloud-based billing software to automate billing and ensure revenue tracking and management.

Essentially, a BSS platform ensures that the business operates smoothly and that customers are happy. 

A BSS platform essentially ensures that the business operates smoothly and that customers are happy. In Telecommunications, BSS and OSS (Operational Support System) should work smoothly together, as in our COS Product Suite. 

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Discover COS System’s OSS Solution

Visual Representation of OSS Solutions' Operational Support System Features - Network Monitoring, Maintenance, Service Provisioning, and Fault Management

What is an OSS Platform?

Visual Representation of OSS Solutions' Operational Support System Features - Network Monitoring, Maintenance, Service Provisioning, and Fault Management

An Operations Support System (OSS) manages the actual telecommunications infrastructure. This includes, for example.

  • Network monitoring 

Network monitoring is a critical IT process where all networking components like routers, switches, firewalls, servers, and VMs are monitored for fault and performance and evaluated continuously to maintain and optimize their availability.

NMS can be used to configure and manage devices on the network. Most NMSs include a dashboard that allows network administrators to see a high-level overview of the network. This dashboard typically provides information on network traffic, performance and any errors or issues that must be addressed immediately.

Helps you prepare and equip a network to allow it to provide new services to its users

An OSS solution essentially ensures that the technical side of the business runs smoothly. In Telecommunications, BSS (Business Solution Platform) and OSS (Operational Support System) should work smoothly together, as in our COS Product Suite.

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Discover COS System’s OSS and BSS solutions!

Illustration of Two Rockets Representing OSS and BSS in Telecom. Together, they demonstrate the difference between OSS and BSS in telecommunications.

What is the Difference between OSS and BSS in telecommunications?

In telecom, both OSS and BSS are widespread terms, but what do they stand for, and what is the difference between them?

Operations support systems (OSS) and business support systems (BSS) are IT systems that are crucial in supporting various telecommunications services. They are a mix of hardware and software tools and form the backbone of the telecommunications industry. Although the functions of an OSS platform and a BSS platform can vary in different areas of telecommunications, they always play a vital role in helping telecom businesses simplify day-to-day processes, improve efficiency, and tackle industry-related challenges.

Read more to learn about the different systems and how our BSS/OSS solution can help your FTTH network succeed and generate more revenue. 

Illustration of Two Rockets Representing OSS and BSS in Telecom. Together, they demonstrate the difference between OSS and BSS in telecommunications.

What is a BSS Platform ?

Your typical Business Support System, (often also referred to as Billing System or Billing Platform) handles the business side of telecommunications and your customer needs. This includes, for example.

  • Product management : To help you plan, visualize and share the progress of your project and make data driven decisions.
  • Order management: Or order orchestration that allows you to capture, validate and track orders from different channels, simplify order management processes and reduces “time to market” significantly. 
  • Customer management: To streamline a number of customer-related services, from billing and order processing to subscriptions and notifications.

Essentially, a BSS platform ensures that the business operates smoothly and that customers are happy. 

What is an OSS Platform?

In comparison, an Operations Support System (OSS) manages the actual telecommunications infrastructure. This includes, for example.

  • Network monitoring: is a critical IT process where all networking components like routers, switches, firewalls, servers, and VMs are monitored for fault and performance and evaluated continuously to maintain and optimize their availability.
  • An Element Management System (EMS), also called Element manager, manages specific types of one or more network elements within a telecommunication management network (TMN). That means an EMS can manage a single node/element or a group of similar nodes. For example, it can configure, read alarms etc. on a particular node or group of nodes. The EMS communicates upward to higher-level systems of network management, in order to manage the traffic between itself and other network elements.The EMS is a critical part of the telecommunications management solution. The EMS is the only exposed network element within the TMN and acts as the mediator of the information. It also controls the network elements within a network management system.
  • Network maintenance System (NMS): Can be used to configure and manage devices on the network. Most NMS include a dashboard that allows network administrators to see a high-level overview of the network. This dashboard typically provides information on network traffic, performance and any errors or issues that must be addressed immediately.
  • Compared to and EMS, an NMS (Network Management System)  manages a complete network and understands the inter-relationship between individual devices, which an EMS cannot.
  • Service provisioning: Helps you prepare and equip a network to allow it to provide new services to its users
  • Fault management: The component of network management that detects, isolates and fixes problems.

In short, BSS platforms are focused on your customer’s needs and the business operations and can also be referred to as a billing plattform or billing solution,  while OSS solutions are focused on technical operations. OSS and BSS should work smoothly together, as in our COS Product Suite and help you increase revenue, cut costs & shorten time to market.

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COS Systems and netElastic Join Forces to Deliver Next-Generation RADIUS Solutions to Open Access Broadband Service Providers

Santa Clara, California, and Umeå, Sweden, August 22, 2023 – netElastic, an innovative software company providing high-performance routing solutions, and COS Systems, a leading provider of network management and billing solutions for Service Providers and Open Access Networks are excited to announce a strategic partnership. This collaboration brings together two industry leaders to revolutionize the delivery of RADIUS (Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service) solutions for service providers worldwide.

This partnership between COS Systems and netElastic addresses the growing demand for BSS solutions for Open Access networks. By combining COS System’s unique open-access billing solution with netElastic’s pioneering vBNG routers, the companies will provide service providers with a powerful, future-ready RADIUS platform.

COS Systems Business Engine, a proven network management solution (BSS/OSS) supporting Service Providers and Open Access Networks with an automated end-to-end solution to streamline fiber network management will integrate seamlessly with netElastic’s virtual BNG, a software-based solution that enables service providers to deliver high-performance broadband services. This integration will empower open access service providers to efficiently manage subscriber access and authentication through a centralized RADIUS solution, allowing them to choose virtually any RADIUS-capable BNG solution to manage subscribers.

“We are thrilled to collaborate with netElastic Systems whose disaggregated approach to BNG makes it an attractive solution, creating a wider overlap with fiber operators using COS. This collaboration brings key L3 functionality to enable automation in forward-thinking, unique business models.” said Mikael Philipsson, CEO of COS Systems. 

“While programming an OLT directly is good enough for many ISPs, open-access networkers need fine-grained subscriber control to provide services that allow them to differentiate in the market.” said Tom Mitchell, VP of Strategy and Business Development at netElastic Systems. “RADIUS is the open standard that enables this and netElastic’s virtual Broadband Network Gateway (vBNG) is the ideal router to bring it all home.”

COS Systems and netElastic are committed to helping service providers around the world deliver exceptional broadband services with unmatched reliability and performance. The partnership will focus on providing best-in-class RADIUS solutions to meet the evolving needs of service providers and their subscribers.

About COS Systems:

COS Systems is a leading provider of cloud-hosted network management and billing solutions for service providers. COS Business Engine is a proven network management solution (BSS/OSS) supporting Service Providers and Open Access Networks. The end-to-end platform provides subscribers self-service and digital sales and marketing through an online marketplace. Service orders will be automatically activated within a minute and billing follows with no operator interaction. It offers a great user experience, increasing take rates and revenue. COS Systems has a global customer base and serves a wide range of service providers, including municipalities, utilities, network operators, and fiber ISPs. Learn more about COS Systems at www.cossystems.com

About netElastic:

netElastic is an innovative software company providing high-performance routing solutions for broadband providers. netElastic developed one of the first software-based broadband network gateways (BNGs) and has been a leader ever since. netElastic vBNG brings greater scalability, flexibility, and lower costs to BNGs. netElastic’s software-based CGNAT solution provides the most important CGNAT features at a fraction of the cost of traditional proprietary CGNAT solutions. For more information, please visit www.netelastic.com

Reach out to learn more
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COS Product Improvement – Areas

 Demand Aggregation made easy! 

Our latest update in COS Business Engine makes it easier to track the progress in your network. How large is the demand for buildout in a specific area? Compare different areas in our new area page, both as a sortable list and in a map where areas can be shown color coded depending on their current phase or with a gradient indicating their take rate. Show the distribution of individual surveys or signups within an area. Is demand heavier in the northern part than in the southern? Just split the area in half and start connecting the northern part while you continue to gather interest in the southern part. 

Areas can be added as a layer in all maps, your imagination the only limit.

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COS Product Improvement – Save Queries to Build Your Own Report

 We constantly strive for improvement! 

In COS Business Engine there are tons of filtering options and you can build your own queries to filter out exactly the data that is of most interest to you.

The updated function makes the daily work on our platform easier and allows you to effortlessly

  • Save your favorite queries (e.g. a list of company services, orders in a certain group, or a certain type of object, etc.)
  • Export a query result as an Excel or CSV report
  • Create advanced queries
  • Send your query view to someone else

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Welcome our new customer Cityside Fiber!

We’re pleased to announce Cityside Fiber as our new customer and are very excited to help them bring fast, reliable fiber to businesses and homes in Orange County!

COS and Cityside: Standing Together for Fiber Internet

Experience the future of fiber connectivity with Cityside Fiber and COS Systems. Join us in transforming Orange County into a hub of technological innovation and limitless possibilities.

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COS Feature Updates: Marketplace improvments

Many of our customers are already using the integrated online marketplace, enabling their subscribers to choose what they want when they want and no matter where they are – 24/7! Our updated and improved version of the platform allows for even more customization and makes it easier for you to

  • Customize the portal to your brand guidelines and needs
  • Modify existing templates and create your own look and feel
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VETRO Integrates with COS Systems, Accelerating Operators’ Ability to Deploy Rapidly and Reduce Time to Revenue

COS and VETRO logos - Partners in Streamlined Fiber Network Management

COS and VETRO logos - Partners in Streamlined Fiber Network Management

Integration Eliminates Swivel-Chair Operations and Duplicate Data Entry by Providing Real-Time Visibility for Service Locations, Installation Status, and Service Type

 

Portland, ME, May 2, 2023 – In a surging fiber broadband market, network owners and operators remain competitive by planning and deploying fiber networks rapidly and cost effectively. A new technical integration announced today between VETRO, a leading global provider of open, cloud-native fiber management systems of record, and COS Systems, a premier maker of cloud-hosted software used to manage broadband networks around the world, will do just that — providing network operators and internet service providers (ISPs) an automated end-to-end solution to streamline fiber network management. The integrative approach between the two companies will lead to greater efficiencies in areas ranging from planning to operations, reducing critical time to market.

“With soaring demand for true high-speed connectivity, the broadband industry needs to deliver network infrastructure that keeps pace. We’re delighted to partner with the forward-thinking, innovative team at COS Systems to help our shared customers seamlessly leverage VETRO’s best-in-class fiber management system,” said Will Mitchell, VETRO CEO. “Our open API, cloud-native platform enables seamless integration between VETRO’s system of record and OSS/BSS tools offered by COS to help network operators save significant time and money with the service provisioning and billing associated with their fiber networks.”

Optimizing Network Design and Serviceability

Leveraging VETRO’s network mapping data along with the COS Business Engine, joint VETRO and COS customers can now plan and design networks based on confirmed demand, optimizing fiber build outs. Field crews installing equipment have direct access to fiber circuit paths and network design; as drops are completed and Optical Network Terminals (ONTs) are installed, status changes are updated in real time, driving serviceability.

Network operators can easily identify and troubleshoot issues and respond to outages and service requests quickly. Various departments — engineering and billing for example — are working from the same set of data in real time, eliminating repetitive “swivel chair” operations and ensuring data integrity.

“With our integration, we’re marrying two industry-leading platforms to provide network operators with a holistic view of their network,” says Mikael Philipsson, CEO, COS Systems. “Today’s dynamic broadband environment requires thoughtful, collaborative approaches and we are proud to work with VETRO to deliver a solution that compresses deployment time, drives down errors, and provides real-time visibility and monitoring. The powerful combination of the COS Business Engine and VETRO’s always-accurate system of record offers a smart, automated end-to-end solution, with thousands of validations and cross-referencing to ensure data integrity.”

To learn more about the integration or to request a demo, please visit cossystems.com/book-a-demo/

About COS

COS Systems delivers cloud-hosted software to plan, build, and manage broadband networks globally. COS Business Engine is a proven network management solution (BSS/OSS) supporting Service Providers and Open Access networks. The end-to-end platform provides subscriber self-service and digital sales and marketing through an online marketplace. Service orders will be automatically activated within a minute and billing follows with no operator interaction.  It offers a great user experience, increasing take rates and revenue. Learn more about COS Systems.

About VETRO

VETRO builds software that makes it radically simpler and faster for broadband providers to plan, design, deploy, and operate their fiber optic networks. Our map-based SaaS platform is easier to use and more powerful than traditional tools, and enables network owners, operators and sponsors to benefit from a modern, integrated, and connected digital hub for their physical network assets. Learn more about VETRO at vetrofibermap.com.

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