• TelecomTV recently held its first Digital Support Systems summit
• We ran a poll during the summit to identify the key requirements for next-generation digital support systems (DSS)
• Enabling the launch of new digital services and having an AI foundation are regarded as most important 

Emerging digital support system (DSS) tools should be AI-based and capable of helping telcos to drive additional sales from new digital services, according to the results of a recent poll conducted during TelecomTV’s inaugural Digital Support Systems summit.

The summit was focused on the emergence and development of a unified cloud platform-based OSS, BSS and technology stack that can support operations and business processes, eliminate traditional telco technology silos and help communications service providers (CSPs) continue their evolution to becoming digital service providers (DSPs). In essence, as CSPs become DSPs, so they will migrate away from traditional OSS and BSS systems and increasingly support their day-to-day activities with DSS systems more suited to cloud-based and increasingly open architectures. 

But what should be the key attributes of DSS stacks?

We asked, What are the most important requirements for next-generation digital support systems?

We provided seven possible answers and respondents could select as many as they deemed applicable.

Naturally, a large chunk of our summit attendees believe DSS tools should ‘Facilitate new digital services and revenues’, with 59% of our 90-plus respondents voting for that option, though you might have expected the number to be higher!

And a majority of those who voted believe it’s important that DSS tools are ‘Built around AI capabilities’, though again it’s surprising that number isn’t higher given how AI is expected to be at the heart of anything based on data in the future. 

Key to the successful application of DSS tools will be a source of accurate and relevant data: Some 47% of our poll respondents believe ’Integrated data management across the network’ is an important requirement for digital support systems. 

Another surprise, at least to this observer, is that only 46% of our voters believe it’s important that DSS tools are ‘Built and operated on cloud-native software’. It’s surprising that option did not attract greater support, given how service providers are forging ahead with their cloud-native strategies as they transition to DSPs. 

Interestingly, there is clearly a view among most of our poll respondents that existing software systems have plenty of life left in them and will run alongside, rather than be superseded by, emerging digital support systems: Only 30% see DSS as a ‘Full replacement for all legacy OSS and BSS silos’, yet strangely only 28% regard it as important that DSS tools are designed to ‘Work alongside legacy systems’. 

You can catch up with all of the sessions from the Digital Support Systems summit, which featured speakers from Swisscom, China Mobile, Verizon, Dell, Optiva, TM Forum and Appledore Research, here.

And don’t miss the Open RAN Summit, which starts on 14 May. 

- Ray Le Maistre, Editorial Director, TelecomTV