# Presentation: 689221

## Operations Support Systems:Today’s and the Next Generation’s

**Arlene Ryan**
- Manager
- Interconnection Solutions
- (203) 245-5869
- aryan@.telcordia.com
- March 15, 2001

**Operations Support Systems:****Today’s and the Next Generation’s**

- Copyright © 2001 Telcordia Technologies.  All Rights Reserved

**Interconnection Solutions**

**FCC OSS Tutorial**

**Notes:**
If presentation starts here, just manually click to next slide

## Interconnection seems simple....

**Gets the customer data**
**Fills out a service order**
**Sends the order to a trading partner**
**Confirms the due date**
**Completes the order**

**Wholesale Carrier**

**Receives the service order**
**Validates and confirms the order**
**Fulfills the order and notifies the trading partner**

_**Interconnection  Model**_

**Interconnection seems simple....**

_**Business Model**_

**Customer**

**Retail Carrier**

**Wholesale**
**Carrier**

**Network**

## ... but is actually complex, for the retailer...

_**Business Model**_

**Customer**

**Retail Carrier**

**Wholesale**
**Carrier**

**Network**

**Gets the customer data**
**On average 3-5 pre-ordering inquiries are required**
**Information must be obtained from the customer, the incumbent’s systems, internal data and M&Ps**
**Fills out a service order**
**Typical Local Service Order contains 600-800 data fields**
**Each field is dependent on 3-4 business rules**
**Some orders need to be reprocessed**
**Sends the order to a trading partner**
**Different trading partners may require different data protocols**
**Confirms the due date**
**Completes the order**

## ..and the wholesaler

_**Business Model**_

**Customer**

**Retail Carrier**

**Wholesale**
**Carrier**

**Network**

**Receives pre-order**
**Validates and responds to pre-order**
**Receives the service order**
**Validates and confirms order or returns it to trading partner.**
**Incorrect or incomplete orders are returned for manual handling**
**Human intervention is often required to answer retail carrier questions regarding those returned orders**
**Fulfills the order and notifies the trading partner**

## Trading Partners Must “Connect” At Many Levels

**Physical Network Connectivity**

**Protocol**

**Business Rules**

**TRADING PARTNER**

**TRADING PARTNER**

## Example of Business Rule Usage

**Field**
**Name**

**TOS**

**TOS**

**TOS**

**TOS**

**TOS**

**TOS**

**TOS**

**Valid**
**Values**

- _1_st Char
- 1,2,3
- _2_nd Char
- A,B,D,-
- _3_rd Char
- M,F,-
- _4_th Char
- R,-

**LSOG**
**Version 3***

**TOS**

**ILEC 1**

**ILEC 2**

**ILEC 3**

**ILEC 4**

**ILEC 5**

**ILEC 6**

**ILEC 7**

- _1_st Char
- 1,2
- _2_nd Char
- A,B,D,N
- _3_rd Char
- M,F

- _1_st Char
- 1,2,3
- _2_nd Char
- A,B,C,D,-

- 1B8
- 1MB
- RWN
- RVG
- FQQ
- 1MR

- _1_st Char
- 2
- _2_nd Char
- A,B
- _3_rd Char
- M,F

- _1_st Char
- 1,2,3
- _2_nd Char
- A,B
- _3_rd Char
- M,F

- _1_st Char
- 1,2
- _2_nd Char
- A,B,-
- _3_rd Char
- Not
- Supported
- _4_th Char
- Not
- Supported

- _1_st Char
- 1,2

**Data**
**Format**

- 4 AN

- Up to 3 AN

- 3 AN

- 2 AN

- 3 AN

- 1-3 AN

- 2 AN

- 4 AN

**# of **
**Business**
**Rules**

- 9

- 9

- 3

- 1

- 1

- 1

- 4

- 2

**Mapping**
**Rules**

- 6

- 9

- 0

- 12

- 8

- 01

- 2

- 1

**Example of Business Rule Usage**

**Field: Type of Service (TOS) Required on all Service Requests**

- *Local Service Ordering Guide (Guidelines suggested by the Ordering and Billing Forum)

## Interconnection Alternatives

- CLEC

- _Trading Partner-to-Trading Partner_

- _Clearinghouse_

## The Alternatives

- Facsimile
- Orders often prepared manually then faxed to trading partners
- Commonly used for CLEC to CLEC trading where volumes do not yet warrant mechanized interfaces
- ILEC–provided Graphical User Interfaces (GUI)
- Proprietary GUI’s provided by an incumbent & used by wholesale trading partners to transmit local service orders to that provider
- Interconnection Gateways
- Software and hardware owned & maintained by the CLEC
- Network connectivity established with individual trading partners
- Clearinghouse
- Key interconnection functionality resident in clearinghouse
- Connectivity to trading partners established & maintained by the clearinghouse provider

## Some Cost Considerations Underlying  the Interconnection Decision

- Software
- Hardware
- Maintenance
- Data center and support
- Network connectivity to trading partners
- Management of change control & enhancements
- Re-work costs for incomplete/incorrect orders

## One View of the Path Forward

- Modify approach to key industry processes
- Focus on cost efficiency
- Analyze the complexities faced by all parties involved
- Focus on industry issues rather than trading partner issues
- Work “standards” that cover industry processes (e.g. change control) as well as interface challenges
- Gain consensus up-front on the key criteria that will lead to success
- New industry solutions
- Design a solution that attempts to implement capabilities once
- Centrally manage and implement capabilities that are needed by all parties (clearinghouse concept)
- Business Rules
- Protocol translations
- Communications Link
- Only require minimal capabilities at trading partner sites

## Interconnection Has Proven to Be a Greater Challenge Than Generally Anticipated

- Data to be exchanged is complex
- Trading partners must connect at many levels
- We expect business models to continue to evolve

## Agenda

**Introduction – Steve Cohen**
**Back Office OSS – Mike Schwartz****	**
**Interconnection Solutions – Arlene Ryan**
**Front Office OSS – Rich Fialkoff**