What is OSS and how does it work?

New technologies have increased a high demand for bandwidth and, of course, a vertiginous growth of mobile Internet users. This brings new challenges for many companies that provide digital services. To cope with these changes and the incorporation of new services (5G networks) it is necessary that teleoperating companies that provide communication services use transformed OSS systems.

Next, we will analyze what OSS is, its meaning and the function it fulfills within telecommunications systems.

What is OSS?

To begin with, the term OSS refers to Operations Support Systems. This is a type of system that implements IT (information technology) tools and applications that companies use to monitor and manage large communications networks.

It also allows to manage all kinds of technologies (3G, 4G or 5G) and various network domains, and its main purpose is to ensure that a network is efficient, which translates into winning, that is, that the company obtains greater profitability and customers are satisfied (and happy) with the service.

In addition, these OSS systems offer independence and automation in many processes, such as: network configuration, monitoring and management of failures through software, activation of services and processing of network inventories, among others.

How does OSS work?

OSS allows collecting data and information about the state of the network, which companies use to plan changes in order to improve services more and more. Below we explain in more detail its operation.

• A communication network is responsible for carrying data from one point to another, whether SMS data, emails, or files, among others. Currently all communication processes in the network are data, which means that the network is responsible for receiving and transmitting that information.
• To operate the network you must first configure the data, that is, route them and, in addition, verify that the billing is correct, that there are no failures in the transmission, to guarantee a good service, among others.
• It seems like a simple process, but it is much more complex and challenging because many aspects are involved, including: the types of technology, the number of devices, the services they provide, and a long list of additional aspects.
• This is where OSS intervenes for the organization and optimized management of the network, since they have applications designed to share data, implement updates and control processes in an automated way, thus reducing response times.
• OSS allows tasks to be consistent and provide updates to other systems and also generate reports of the management carried out.

In summary, a large part of the OSS is responsible for analyzing networks and services, to offer timely solutions that allow the design of an optimal and efficient network with a routing of quality services.

Similarly, OSS can be used to identify, simplify, and automate operational tasks that optimize network resources. This shows that communication service providers need to employ OSS to run a truly efficient and cost-effective network.

At JSC Ingenium, provider of turnkey Network Infrastructure solutions for MNOs and MVNOS we offer customized Core, infrastructure solutions BSS and OSS for 3G/4G/5G networks and Service Enablers.