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BSS/OSS Transformation in Telecommunications

BSS/OSS Transformation in Telecommunications: Key Considerations and Best Practices

As telecommunications networks evolve with fiber broadband, 5G, and cloud technologies, legacy Business Support Systems (BSS) and Operations Support Systems (OSS) struggle to keep up. Modernizing these systems is crucial for improving efficiency, enhancing customer experiences, and staying competitive.

Why BSS/OSS Transformation is Essential

BSS (Business Support Systems)

BSS manages customer-facing operations, including:

  • Billing & Revenue Management – Accurate invoicing and charging.
  • CRM – Customer interactions and support.
  • Product & Order Management – Service creation and provisioning.
  • Self-Service Portals – Enabling digital customer engagement.

OSS (Operations Support Systems)

OSS focuses on network management, such as:

  • Network Inventory & Orchestration – Tracking and automating network assets.
  • Service Provisioning & Activation – Enabling rapid service deployment.
  • Fault & Performance Management – Ensuring network health and reliability.

Key Drivers of BSS/OSS Transformation

  1. Cloud & SaaS Adoption – Moving from legacy systems to scalable, flexible platforms.
  2. 5G & Fiber Expansion – Demanding faster, automated service management.
  3. Customer Expectations – Requiring real-time activation, self-service, and personalization.
  4. Regulatory Compliance – Ensuring adherence to industry and legal standards.
  5. Cost Optimization – Reducing operational expenses and inefficiencies.

Challenges in BSS/OSS Transformation

  • Legacy System Complexity – Migrating from outdated platforms without disruption.
  • Multi-Vendor Integration – Ensuring seamless interoperability.
  • Data Migration Risks – Maintaining data integrity during the transition.
  • Resistance to Change – Encouraging adoption across teams.
  • Cost & Timeline Overruns – Managing project scope effectively.

Best Practices for a Successful Transformation

  1. Define a Clear Roadmap – Set goals and prioritize a phased approach.
  2. Choose the Right Technology Partners – Select cloud-native, API-driven solutions.
  3. Focus on Automation & AI – Streamline operations and enhance decision-making.
  4. Implement Agile & DevOps – Accelerate deployment with iterative improvements.
  5. Ensure Robust Data Migration – Test and validate for accuracy.
  6. Emphasize Change Management – Train employees and foster adoption.

BSS/OSS transformation is essential for telecom operators to improve efficiency, agility, and customer experience. By adopting cloud-based, automated, and interoperable solutions, operators can future-proof their networks while reducing costs.

Looking to modernize your BSS/OSS systems? Contact us to learn how COS Business Engine can support your transformation. 

 

Book Your Demo Today!
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COS Systems and GOCare Create Innovative Solution 

To Revolutionize and Simplify Customer Experience and Sign-Up Process for Network Operators and Subscribers Worldwide


Las Vegas, Nevada, Calix ConneXions, October 2023 – GOCare providing innovative software solutions to the broadband and utility industries, including a complete digital experience platform, proprietary SMS Chat functionality, Secure Payments, multi-platform NPS scoring, and a sophisticated analytics engine, and COS Systems, a leading provider of network management and billing solutions for Network Operators, Service Providers and Open Access Networks are excited to announce a strategic partnership as well as a Proof of Concept (PoC) demonstrations that will take place on the expo hall floor of ConneXions.

This collaboration brings together two industry leaders to revolutionize and simplify the customer experience and sign-up process for Service Providers and their subscribers worldwide.

The PoC addresses customers’ overwhelming preference for digital channel engagement and the convenience of those channels for prospective customers, existing customers, and operators alike. Combining COS System’s address-search functionality (showing where fiber is available), with GOCare’s intelligent data capture and flexible digital experience platform, the companies provide operators and their subscribers with a world-class customer experience and easy access to available services. The integration makes it easy for operators’ subscribers to sign up for service by using digital channels such as SMS, WebChat, Social Media interactions, and even email to both get information about fiber services available in their area and eventually sign up via those digital channel engagement mediums.

COS Systems Business Engine, a proven network management solution (BSS/OSS) supporting Service Providers, Operators, and Open Access Networks with an automated end-to-end solution to streamline fiber network management will integrate seamlessly with GOCare’s analytics engine to enable operators to search for and sign up for services using the digital mediums most comfortable to their subscribers.  

“In a landscape where ISPs must constantly adapt their interactions with networks and subscribers, our decision to partner with GoCare has us very excited. This partnership signifies more than integration; it opens new avenues for enhanced communication and customer experiences, while reducing operational expenses and time for ISPs and network owners. COS has always championed automation, and finding a partner in GOCare, who shares this ethos, means our combined software capabilities will empower operations to engage with customers through contemporary channels like SMS, Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram, with the scope for further expansion. It’s about efficiency meeting innovation for superior service delivery,” said Mikael Philipsson, CEO of COS Systems.

“In today’s competitive broadband marketplace, ‘being easy to do business with’ is critical”, stated Rick Perkins, CTO of GOCare. “The PoC between GOCare and COS Systems simplifies customers’ expression of interest to a service provider and accelerates the timeline of service delivery without the friction of legacy processes like web searches, filling out forms online or even phone calls, IVR, hold times, and more” added Rick. Furthermore, service providers are able to determine consumer demand beyond their footprint for future smart builds through this important integration between GOCare and COS Systems”, concluded Perkins.

COS Systems and GOCare are committed to helping operators worldwide deliver exceptional broadband services with unmatched reliability and performance. The partnership will focus on providing a best-in-class customer experience 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 GOCare:

GOCare provides software solutions to the broadband and utility industries. Our SaaS portfolio includes a complete digital experience platform, proprietary SMS Chat functionality, Secure Payments, multi-platform NPS scoring, and a sophisticated analytics engine allowing our clients to benchmark their performance against other similar operators. GOCare was founded by industry veterans and incorporates its mission of “By Operators, For Operators” into how they partner with broadband industry leaders such as Vexus Fiber, Point Broadband, Bluepeak, and many others. For more information visit www.gocarecx.com. 

Reach out to learn more
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More money, more problems?

Money - Bead Broadband Funding for Network Expansion

Grant funding such as BEAD money and private dollars have been flowing into the telecom industry for new fiber and broadband expansion at record-breaking rates. However, new challenges arise as traditional providers expand and upgrade their networks. How do you ensure network expansion without unnecessary business expansion?

Now is the time for operators and service providers to closely examine their internal processes and systems, and they need to ask themselves the following questions.

  • Can you truly scale with your current software?
  • Do you still have to click ten times in your system to provision a customer? 
  • Are you still dealing with customer-centered billing and confusion about where your data is and if it’s accurate?

Embracing Automation for the Future of FTTH Networks

The future of FTTH networks is fast, reliable, and automated, so if the answer to any of these questions is no, it is time to invest in modern and specialized end-to-end automation software that delivers excellent customer support.

Future-Proof Your Network with COS Systems

Future-proof your network today and scale to meet today’s demands on FTTH.

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. An address-driven and data-centered approach gives operators a single source of truth for their FTTH business data.

Our end-to-end platform provides subscriber self-service and digital sales and marketing through an online marketplace. The platform can activate service orders automatically within a minute, and billing follows with no operator interaction. It offers an exceptional user experience, increasing take rates and revenue.’ As the centerpiece of your fiber business, it integrates with other specialized software platforms to digitize fiber construction management and mapping, creating a comprehensive end-to-end solution for maximum efficiency. 

Contact Us Today

If you believe that our network management solution aligns with your goals, don’t hesitate to Contact Us. Let’s discuss your Fiber-to-the-Home project and pave the way for a successful future together.

For a deeper dive into this topic, we highly recommend reading our whitepaper.

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Fiber Marketing with COS Systems

Fiber Marketing Solutions: Computer and Shopping Cart for Enhanced ISP Business

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.

Let’s Connect and Transform Your Fiber Project

Are you ready to take the next step in transforming your fiber project? If you’re looking for a partner committed to automation, efficiency, and excellence, COS Systems is here to help.

Contact Us today and discuss how our fiber network solutions can empower your business bridging the digital divide and providing our communities with comprehensive FTTH coverage.

If you want to dive deeper into the topic, I highly recommend reading our whitepaper.

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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

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. 

Learn more and book your demo today!
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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?

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

  • Network monitoring 

Network monitoring is a critical IT process in which all networking components, such as 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 ensures that the business’s technical side runs smoothly. As in our COS Product Suite, BSS (Business Solution Platform) and OSS (Operational Support System) should work smoothly in Telecommunications.

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Discover COS System’s OSS and BSS solutions!

What is the Difference between OSS and BSS in telecom?

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. 

What is a BSS Platform?

Your typical Business Support System (often also referred to as a 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: Also called order orchestration that allows you to capture, validate, and track orders from different channels, simplify order management processes, and reduce “time to market” significantly. 
  • Customer management: To streamline several 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 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 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.
  • Compared to an 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 network management component detects, isolates, and fixes problems.

In short, BSS platforms are focused on your customer’s needs and business operations and can also be referred to as a billing platform 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.

Learn more and book your demo today!
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COS Systems and netElastic Join Forces to Deliver Next-Generation RADIUS Solutions to Open Access Broadband Service Providers

COS Systems and netElastic RADIUS Solutions Collaboration Logo with Village Background

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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