Patent ID: 7729286

Claim:
A computer-implemented method for execution with computer code embodied on a tangible computer readable medium, comprising: receiving a service request relating to a given user service entity, each user service entity defining a user service available to a user and associated with one or more service component entities defining service functionality aspects of the user service, each service component entity representing a distinct aspect of service functionality providable by a telecommunications system and associated with provisioning information; identifying one or more service component entities associated with the given user service entity; and for each identified service component entity, accessing provisioning information associated with the service component entity and provisioning the service functionality aspect defined by the service component entity in accordance with the retrieved provisioning information; wherein at least one of the service component entities is associated with a plurality of alternative implementation technology entities; wherein one of the alternative implementation technology entities is selected in dependence on a predetermined criterion; wherein priority information is assigned to the alternative implementation technology entities, and the predetermined criterion comprises the priority information; wherein identifying one or more service component entities and accessing provisioning information comprise accessing a database, the database comprising: entities defining service components, each service component entity representing a distinct aspect of service functionality providable by the telecommunications system; entities defining implementation technologies, each implementation technology entity being associated with a service component entity and representing a technology usable for implementing the aspect of service functionality represented by the service component entity; and entities defining user services available to users of the telecommunications system, each user service entity being associated with one or more service component entities defining the service functionality aspects of the user service; wherein the alternative implementation technology entities includes a first alternative implementation technology entity and a second alternative implementation technology entity, and where a higher priority is assigned to the second alternative implementation technology entity than the first alternative implementation technology entity, in order to assist in a phasing out of the first alternative implementation technology entity.