Ericsson is providing the back-end OSS/BSS, IBM is providing the IT services – in combination, they enable freedom of choice over CRM and user services
During MWC Barcelona, RCRTech principal analyst Sean Kinney spoke with Ericsson’s Mats Karlsson, vice president and head of OSS/BSS, and IBM’s Jason Kelly, global head and managing partner, Core Business Applications.
“The partnership between Ericsson and IBM is a longstanding one focused on efficiency and competitiveness,” according to Karlsson, who emphasized the need for CSPs to transform OSS/BSS. “We provide the core commerce and BSS,” which encompasses front-end agnostic Telco Configure, Price, Quote (CPQ) capabilities, as well as order care and catalog manager, which are available separately or combined together in the Ericsson Digital Monetization Platform. Ericsson is working with IBM to support integration to CRM of choice.
“IBM provides freedom to choose any type of CRM vendor, and provides the user services, which with AI will evolve further,” said Kelly, referring to IBM’s “freedom of choice” framework, designed to integrate with any CRM vendor (including Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics, or SAP). “With AI, we can go even further,” said Kelly, referring to IBM’s AI-powered tools, such as watsonx Orchestrate, which automates workflows, such as syncing data between the core commerce systems and various CRM platforms.
“The value is that our companies are very alike. We continue to evolve, dealing with high-tech manufacturing, with mission-critical networks, and with enterprise clients we pay close attention to,” said Kelly, noting that in the area of CRM, both IBM and Ericsson see tremendous opportunity. “Because many of our clients have varied platforms, being open and allowing freedom of choice is important, as is having orchestration of applications,” Kelly noted that bringing AI and multiple agents together makes orchestration even more powerful. “The data that used to sit in silos must be integrated, and we do that with Ericsson, and with an API network that allows us to move data in near real time – a solution that is a 1 + 1 = 3.”
Mission-critical networks and role of OSS/BSS
When talking of mission-critical networks and the role of OSS/BSS, Karlsson explained that Ericsson’s dual-mode 4G/5G standalone mobile core network is providing secure, high-speed, and resilient communications.
“The mission-critical network is a big opportunity for CSPs and operators. With the way the world is developing, there’s a tremendous need to modernize networks in defense, public safety, railways and transportation,” said Karlsson. For these mission-critical networks, Ericsson is providing the core network, the radio network, and the business and operations support systems (OSS/BSS) to manage it all. With regards to OSS, Mats said, “It’s important to make sure services are delivered according to the performance SLAs for highly performant services that have to work all the time,” said Karlsson, noting that a “best-effort network” is no longer enough.
In BSS, he sees a need to create varied offers and monetization capabilities for different agencies and industries that rely on the mission-critical networks. “We are taking the BSS portfolio and configuring it to make sure it’s very modular in its approach. That way, we can use the same BSS system we use for operators in our mission-critical network, which provides scale in the industry,” said Karlsson.
Integration and the marriage of capabilities
The “marriage” of capabilities between Ericsson and IBM is critical because it bridges the gap between high-speed telecommunications infrastructure and complex IT system integration. “What we have is really a marriage of capabilities; you can’t separate the two when you think of highly critical networks,” said Kelly, noting that updating technology for public safety and emergency services helps police, fire, and ambulance personnel through live video feeds and high-res imagery that improves first-responders’ situational awareness and ability to respond and communicate with control centers. Also important is real-time access to data (like vehicle registrations, medical histories, GPS locations), as well as prioritization of emergency communications over standard commercial traffic during high-demand incidents.
“Some of the network is sovereign, and some of it’s on a cloud that’s on prem, and other parts are public. Many factors come together, so we complement one another as the lines blur,” said Kelly. “Together, we orchestrate an outcome that is powered by AI, whether Watson or AWS, or any of the technologies Ericsson brings to the table.”
As an example of a mission-critical network, Ericsson and IBM have partnered to deliver the next-gen Emergency Services Network (ESN) in the UK, modernizing communication for more than 300,000 first responders. Ericsson is providing the core network infrastructure and OSS/BSS, while IBM is handling the design, build, and integration of open, trusted, and secure technologies.
“The Emergency Service Network has to be reliable, and even 99.999% is not good enough. That’s why we can’t say this part is yours and this is ours, as we have to work with multiple partners and players in the network to ensure it is open, trusted and secure,” said Kelly, referring to partners like Ericsson, Samsung Electronics, Frequentis, and Palo Alto Networks.
IBM has been leading and driving the sales in the ESN, and Ericsson is providing the core network and OSS/BSS with nearly “100% SLAs,” because of the critical nature of the content that has to travel in emergency situations. “It’s a very important reference in the industry,” says Kelly.
