Our tools going the way of the slide rule

My grandfather achieved many great things in his lifetime and I’m really proud to come from his lineage. I have many great memories of him and one perplexing one. When I was accepted into Engineering at Uni, he proudly presented me with his trusty slide-rule and stated that I’d be needing it in my course. […]

Customers buy the basic and learn to love the features

“Most customers buy the basic and learn to love the features, but the whole customer experience is based on trying to sell the features.” Roger Gibson. This statement appears oh-so-true in the OSS sales pitches that I’ve observed. In many cases the customer really only needs the basic, but when every vendor is selling the […]

OSS survivorship bias

Take a look at the image below. If you were told that the image showed where planes had taken hits in WWII before returning to base and were asked to recommend locations on the plane where armour should be strengthened, where would you choose? Would you choose to strengthen behind the cockpit and on the […]

OSS data as a business asset

“To become a business asset, the role of data within an organization must move from being departmentally siloed to being centrally managed. Breaking down the siloes is not necessarily a technical challenge, but an organizational one. It requires a data strategy, the correct level of ownership and corporate governance. Data-as-a-business-asset means a single definition of […]

The Second Law of OSS Thermodynamics

“Applying the Second Law of Thermodynamics to understanding reality, Boyd infers that individuals or organizations that don’t communicate with the outside world by getting new information about the environment or by creating new mental models act like a “closed system.” And just as a closed system in nature will have increasing entropy, or disorder, so […]

Etisalat enlists Comptel

Etisalat Enlists Comptel’s FWD to introduce cliQ to Sri Lankan Mobile Subscribers Comptel Corporation announced that Etisalat Sri Lanka has launched cliQ, its new offering designed to allow subscribers to purchase time-based mobile data packages by using Comptel’s FWD solution. As many mobile subscribers are ill-equipped to buy data in expensive and hard to understand […]

A dubious revenue stream

I recently met with an old friend who is now a leading Engineer in mega construction projects (I’m talking multi-billion dollar projects here). He told me that most of the lead construction companies struggle to make a profit from the main contract due to underestimating or perhaps just competitive bidding to ensure a pipeline of […]

If telcos don’t issue bills, where does new revenue come from?

“Many of you here are working on digitalisation projects but I would urge you to think bigger. You need to think about business model change – with existing customers or into whole new sectors. It isn’t just about product innovation. It’s about company innovation.” Deborah Sherry at TM Forum Live! I really like the way […]

Just three things

I was due to speak at TM Forum Live today but wasn’t able to make it across to France this year. However, the talk will still continue on, so if you’re in Nice please drop in to listen to Amrit Singh and Crispin Blackall talk about how Infosys and Telstra are using microservices to deliver […]

Dialog consolidates with Netcracker

Dialog Consolidates All Billing on Netcracker’s Next-Generation Revenue Management Platform. Netcracker Technology announced that Dialog Axiata, a subsidiary of Axiata Group Berhad, has expanded its partnership with Netcracker by using Netcracker’s Customer Billing Management solution to consolidate billing across all lines of business into a single platform. This expansion will bring Dialog’s retail and enterprise […]

Telenet Selects Netcracker

Telenet Selects Netcracker for Comprehensive Digital BSS Transformation. Netcracker Technology announced that Telenet has selected Netcracker to be its strategic partner and initiate a comprehensive digital transformation to leverage its cable and wireless assets and deliver the most innovative services and outstanding customer experience to its more than 2 million customers. This digital transformation program […]

Open source is like a free puppy

TM Forum Live is currently bringing together some of the leading thinkers in the world of OSS at a gathering in France. Whilst I can’t be there, a colleague is representing PAOSS and relayed this message: Best quote in my opinion was Shahar Steiff of PCCW – “Open source isn’t like free candy – it’s […]

Theseus’ OSS transformation

Last week we compared OSS to Theseus’ ship, how it was constantly being rebuilt mid-voyage, then posing the question whether it was still actually the same ship. OSS transformation is increasingly becoming a Theseus’ ship model. In the past, we may’ve had the chance to do big-bang cutovers, where we simply migrated users from one […]

Inside the OSS bubble

Have you ever noticed that you sometimes end up so wrapped up in the OSS project or activity you’re doing that you lose track of everything that’s going on around you? This is an example of being inside the bubble. This is great for getting in the flow of what you’re doing. The challenge can […]

Nuage Networks SD-WAN solutions selected by Telefónica

Nuage Networks SD-WAN solutions selected to transform business service offerings of Telefónica. Nuage Networks, the Nokia venture focused on software-defined networking (SDN) solutions, announced a partnership with Telefonica Group that will deliver automated end-to-end services leveraging next-generation cloud technology to several thousand global enterprise customers. Specifically, Telefonica selected Nuage Networks as its provider for next-generation […]

Orange Belgium extends with Amdocs

Orange Belgium Expands Relationship with Amdocs for Digital Enablement of its Prepaid Operations. Amdocs announced that Orange Belgium has signed a three-year agreement with Amdocs for digital-enablement services in support of its prepaid operations. Orange Belgium, which is one of the leading telecom providers in the country offering mobile, Internet and TV services, is looking […]

KT transforms with Amdocs

KT Transforms Charging Operations with Amdocs Enabling Rapid Service Introduction. Amdocs announced that KT Corporation, the largest quad-play service provider in South Korea, is live with a single real-time convergent charging system and a single product catalog from Amdocs in support of all of its lines of business. As a result, KT can rapidly introduce […]

Rebuilding the OSS boat during the voyage

“When you evaluate the market, you’re looking to understand where people are today. You empathize. Then you move into storytelling. You tell the story of how you can make their lives better. That’s the “after” state. All marketing ever does is articulate that shift. You have to have the best product, and you’ve got to […]

GCI Charts signs with CSG Managed Services

GCI Charts New Data Mediation Transformation Strategy with CSG Managed Services. CSG International, Inc. announced that it will leverage its CSG Intermediate™ data mediation solution and managed service approach to streamline operations and better support new services at Alaska-based GCI. GCI (NASDAQ: GNCMA) is one of the few quad-play providers globally, offering the four core […]

360 degree OSS view from 6 blind men

“In the world of OSS, the blind men are like the 6 (or more) different departments – operations, business, IT, sales, marketing, executive, etc. Each interacts with the OSS elephant and each has a different experience with it.” Yesterday’s post on Six blind men and an OSS elephant. Each of us, and each of the […]