Business support systems (BSS) solutions play a foundational role in driving the transformation of communication service providers (CSPs) to digital service provider (DSPs In telecom, a DSP delivers an integrated set of communication and media services that have traditionally been delivered by over-the-top or web-based service providers. While a DSP will continue to offer communications connectivity services, it will also expand its portfolio of services and add value to the connection, in part by building an extensive partner ecosystem and by taking steps such as adopting open networking technologies and practices.) by supporting new monetization, customer management, partner management, and product management features. However, neither the technological architecture nor the manner in which legacy BSS solutions are configured, implemented, and updated are suitable to help CSPs offer differentiated 5G services. For example, 5G networks are significantly more dynamic than 4G networks, with new capabilities such as network slicing and micro-services provided by logical network nodes distributed dynamically using the core tenets of distributed cloud computing. The interfaces into the network from a monetization perspective are more dynamic as well. The core network functions for charging and billing interfaces must be rapidly instantiated and automatically scaled in 5G. Moreover, the evolution from physical network infrastructure to network function virtualization (NFV) that took place with IMS deployments continues with cloud-native network functions for 5G, adding to the complexity of implementing and integrating 5G BSS solutions.

This Frost & Sullivan study will examine the growth opportunities for business support systems (BSS) providers, particularly in 5G. It will outline the 5G use cases that must be supported by communications service providers (CSPs) and how BSS must adapt to support the emerging market needs. Detailed company profiles of three leading BSS providers are included.

Author: Vikrant Gandhi