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The OSS Transformation Secrets Tier-2 Operators Use That Tier-1s Ignore

In the telecommunications industry, Tier-2 (smaller) network operators often look up to their larger Tier-1 counterparts as models for building networks, telco standards and operational support systems (OSS). However, and the Tier-1 operators will never admit to this, but the lessons don’t always need to flow top-down from T1 to T2. In fact, the pragmatic approaches that Tier-2 operators adopt due to budget constraints can provide…

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28/01/2025 No Comments

Build, Buy, or Blend? The First Step on Your Path to OSS Transformation Success

Are you about to embark on an OSS transformation? It's a huge journey that awaits. It won't be without risks and fears either. Like any journey, it all starts with the old cliche of starting with the first step! When helping organisations embarking on their transformation journeys, there's typically three primary transformation models for you to consider: Buy an Off-the-Shelf Solution: This approach involves procuring a…

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24/01/2025 No Comments

Could vendor financing help to solve an OSS buyer/seller chasm conundrum? (part 11)

We recently discussed how the "Ultimate Game," a study in behavioural psychology, might help to explain why there tends to be less initial animosity between carriers and open-source OSS vendors compared with proprietary / paid vendors. And like the rest of the buyer/seller chasm series, we also discussed the three main reasons for the lengthy "match-making dance" between buyers (carriers) and sellers (OSS vendors) that delays starting…

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15/01/2025 No Comments

It’s Not the Big That Eat the Small… It’s the Fast That Eat the Slow

The great thing about the holiday period is you often get the chance to step away from business as usual (BAU) activities. As customer projects go into a brief hiatus, it clears a little space in the calendar to read and plan for what to do in the year ahead. This book "It's Not the Big That Eat the Small...It's the Fast That Eat the Slow:…

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07/01/2025 No Comments

The Ultimate Game: How this behavioural experiment applies to the OSS buyer/seller chasm (part 10)

Last year, we published a series of articles about the chasm that exists between OSS/BSS buyers and sellers. “The chasm” is best exemplified by the situation where: A buyer (eg network operator) desperately wants a new OSS to improve operational efficacy and every seller (eg a software vendor) desperately wants to sell their OSS to the buyer, yet it still tends to take 18-24 months* to…

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02/01/2025 No Comments

A million words about OSS

Whilst setting up for another new initiative this week I became aware that the PAOSS blog has just ticked past 1 million words.  And that's not including all the other pages or downloads available on the PAOSS website. I knew I loved talking about OSS (which was the whole reason for starting this blog), and with anyone who would listen [perhaps even quite a few who…

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19/12/2024 No Comments

Overcoming the OSS buyer-seller chasm: Using a brilliant ad-man’s perspective (chasm series, part 9)

In our "chasm" series of articles, we've talked about the gap that exists between OSS buyers (eg carriers or network operators) and OSS sellers (eg vendors, integrators, etc). The buyers desperately want new systems to improve their business operations and the sellers desperately want to sell the solutions they create. Why then the 18 month to 2 year sales cycles? Put simply, it's the chasm. Today…

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10/12/2024 No Comments

Okay OSS data, are you dirty or clean? The dishwasher analogy

Have you ever had an OSS or BSS project that's impacted by poor data quality? The problem of data integrity gets raised on almost every project we get involved with here at PAOSS, especially when passive assets such as cables, splice joints, etc are involved. Our systems face a perennial challenge of poor data quality. As we aim to add increasing levels of automation into our…

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27/11/2024 No Comments

Does your OSS/BSS have a “Golden Path” or a “Frankenstein Path?”

"One of my favorite things about designing software is designing the defaults. The defaults define the experience for everyone out of the box. And, therefore, for most people in perpetuity. Convention over configuration rules the day. To me, everything it could possibly do is less interesting than what it does right now, factory fresh. At 37signals we call this The Golden Path and we discuss it…

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20/11/2024 No Comments

Our latest labour-of-love project: An OSS/BSS Process Mapping Guide

Have you ever been tasked with mapping out the processes for the telco you work for? Either as a way of documenting current state, or just to perform a first-time mapping for your company? It can be a lengthy exercise, and based on the regular feedback we get, a daunting task too. There are some wonderful resources, including TM Forum's eTOM and AXELOS's ITIL frameworks. These…

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15/11/2024 No Comments

Challenger carriers are the high-speed traders of the telco world: How does this manifest in their OSS?

In the last week alone, I've had two potent reminders that the world of OSS is simply (pun intended) too complex. This manifests in many ways, but I'll start with the standards that underpin our industry. The standards bodies do fantastic work. I'm a huge fan. Enormous credit should go out to everyone who has contributed to the development of the multitude of standards because I…

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05/11/2024 No Comments

AI is going to destroy (some) OSS architects and consultants. Does Good Will Hunting provide an antidote?

It seems fairly obvious (to me at least) that AI is an existential threat to many traditional information-based roles like consultants and architects. I've already seen one wave of this happen, so the next seems inevitable too. When I first entered the field of IT and telco consulting back in 2000, our clients engaged us because we had knowledge of, and/or access to, information that they…

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30/10/2024 2 Comments

Applying Elon Musk’s “Idiot Index” to OSS

I've just finished reading the book, "Elon Musk," by Walter Isaacson. It's a fascinating study of a fascinating, and highly polarising engineer. Polarising, but also inspiring (inspiring what to avoid as much as inspiring what one could/should/can do). Musk's biography cites example after example of his ability to think big, but also think very small to solve problems across complex industries like space travel and automobiles.…

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22/10/2024 No Comments

The best OSS I built was shut down after 2 years

My "best" OSS build was my first. Unfortunately the client shut it down after just over 2 years. Why? We'll get to that. What did I learn? We'll get to that too. I shouldn't say "my" OSS or "I built" because it was a massive effort from a very special team and I'm not trying to take much credit for it. But it was a pretty…

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17/10/2024 No Comments

Are your OSS RFPs feeling horny baby?

In case you hadn't already picked up on it, today's title paraphrases Austin Powers, the flamboyant British spy and comedic character created by Mike Myers. What does a fictional British spy have to do with today's article on OSS RFPs? It's a bit of a tenuous link, but let's give it a go anyway. Did you know that acoustic horns had a big say in changing…

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15/10/2024 No Comments

If you want your OSS to be Exceptional, it must be the Exception (chasm series, part 8)

Standing out in a highly saturated and fragmented OSS market can be really difficult. We're regularly involved in bake-offs where we see dozens of OSS compared against each other. We've recently been involved in one with 10 making the short-list for further analysis. All 10 are the best in class (for this client's unique needs anyway) but are all variations on a common theme:- similar functionalities,…

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10/10/2024 No Comments

OSS Procurement Events: Buyers do Judge the Book by the Cover

One of the things I love about my job is all the vendor demos I get to see. Product demos are one of the four important steps in the "inverted pyramid" vendor selection process we follow with our carrier and utility clients as we go about finding a best-fit new OSS and/or BSS solution for their needs. And the vendor selection process is an important pre-requisite…

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30/09/2024 No Comments

Will the Age of AI and Automation cause a rethink in OSS Licensing Models?

Over the years, we've been involved in many OSS procurement events and have seen a variety of different pricing models proposed by vendors. Being software, most vendors have quite a lot of pricing flexibility (others, not so much!). Naturally, pricing models can significantly influence a company's decision to select one vendor over another so I'm always interested to see each vendor's pricing approach. Traditional seat-based licensing…

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10/09/2024 No Comments

What does RAN data have to do with Steve Jobs’ “connect the dots that are unconnectable” speech?

Earlier this week, I was lucky enough to be introduced to a talented RAN automation expert. He's one of Australia's foremost, hands-on, experts on SON (Self Organising Networks), so it was a fascinating conversation about network automation and many other things. The discussions inevitably led to RAN data. As much as I'm Passionate About OSS, the real love probably originates from the data that underpin OSS…

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05/09/2024 No Comments

When it comes to OSS, are you a Tigger or an Eeyore?

I was listening to a group of telco experts on a podcast the other day. As they were talking, I kept picturing the image of Eeyore - you know, the donkey from A.A. Milne's "Winnie-the-Pooh" stories with an overly pessimistic outlook on life. Sources: https://getwallpapers.com The podcast was just soooo gloomy. Channeling Eeyore, I'll paraphrase: "Oh, bother. The telco industry and OSS markets, they’re just not…

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02/09/2024 No Comments