The Billing & OSS World Expo Blog

By Tim McElligott

If you’ve been to this page before, you’ve no doubt heard me use the term “problem solvers” when describing the people who exhibit and speak at the Billing & OSS World Conference & Expo. I say it with the highest regard. But problem solving doesn’t happen at the product level alone. The process starts much earlier.

Problem solving starts with standards. If you really want to know how your problem is being solved, if you’re the kind of person who likes to look behind the curtain or in the magician’s hat, then you would appreciate the nuts-and-bolts efforts and pure problem solving of organizations such as ATIS.

ATIS, in its own words, develops standards and solutions addressing a wide range of industry issues in a manner that allocates and coordinates industry resources and produces the greatest return for communications companies. Over 600 industry professionals from more than 250 communications companies actively participate in ATIS committees and incubator solutions programs. It is accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).

One of those committees is coming to the B/OSS Conference to provide a deep dive into IP-to-IP Intercarrier Ordering and Billing. As providers move to the Next Generation Network (NGN) environment, it is important to understand the requirements as defined by the industry today and the open items for discussion in industry forums in order to ensure the establishment of thorough and efficient processes.

And BSS/OSS is all about processes. ATIS’ Sharon Weldon, co-chair of the Ordering & Billing Forum (affectionately known as the OBF) and senior principal at TEOCO Corp., will host a session on Thursday, June 10, at 9 a.m., called “Get the Latest on IP-IP Ordering and Billing.”

When the OBF says “get the latest,” it’s talking about things that probably haven’t yet made it into the products your vendors are bringing to market. Some of these capabilities or process definitions are things you may want to be demanding from them. But you can’t demand it if you don’t know about it and that’s why it’s so important to maintain an awareness of what groups like the OBF are working on.

Here’s your chance. Click here.