OSS Interoperability Initiative geared toward simplifying deployment and management
Three global ICT powerhouses – Huawei, Ericsson and Nokia – renewed and updated the joint OSS Interoperability Initiative initially agreed to in 2013.
The goal of the OSSii is to enable operators to use operations support systems from multiple vendors through cross licensure of OSS interfaces used for network management. As operators increasingly move to automate and virtualize network functions, the OSSii contemplates integration of core and virtual network interfaces to help carriers quickly spin up new services like voice over LTE.
Building on the 2013 memorandum of understanding between the three companies, the latest version is expanded to include IP multimedia subsystem domain, and management and orchestration.
Yan Ye of Huawei, speaking to the VoLTE example, said: “As LTE and VoLTE rapidly develop, the integration period and costs for IMS interoperability become a key focus for operators. As a major player in the OSS field, we are committed to reduce customers’ operational costs, simplifying network management and shortening the time to market for new services introduction. OSSii will effectively unleash innovations in the network management field, improve integration efficiency and reduce customer costs. We are happy to renew our commitment to this initiative.”
Based on the initial deal, the companies agreed to fees set on a 50/50 reciprocal basis, a term that extends to others that may join the initiative if they have proprietary OSS interface or interoperability test specifications, otherwise the fee will be on a “fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory” basis.
Martin Sillen of Ericsson’s business unit cloud and IP, said: “Extending the OSSii scope demonstrates the strength of Ericsson’s support for multivendor interoperability. We are committed to building on the success that the initiative has already achieved to help operators optimize their network operations and meet the demands of the networked society.”
In addition to Nokia, Ericsson and Huawei, ZTE, NetScout, Ascom, Cisco and Anite take part in OSSii.