FROX communication, is an independent software vendor (ISV) and consultancy company focused on applying OSS/J technology for realizing OSS/BSS integration projects. Showing its commitment to standardized solutions, FROX communication took over the specification leadership for the OSS/J TT API which represents the core of this Prosspero solution pack.

Main achievements of the new maintenance release version 1.1 are the support of version 1.3 of the Common API specification as well as the provision of the Web Service based communication profile. The use of the Common API V1.3 means that with this version the CBE object model specification is now supported, i.e. the API's information model is now based on the Shared Information and Data (SID) model.

FROX has used the OSS/J Trouble Ticket API specification as basis for the development of its suite of trouble ticket system (TTS) integration products. These comprise a TTS-independent, carrier grade and certified implementation of the TT API and a suite of integration engineering support and test tools. The API implementation provides an adapter framework which is used to adapt the API implementation to the customer-specific TTS. Tools which provide a model driven approach to build (i.e. model and generate) the adapter and define the trouble ticket entity and state model are available and is the preferred methodology for efficiently realizing such type of integration projects.

The picture below depicts the general implementation approach chosen in several projects to realize afore mentioned use cases as opposed to a point-to-point proprietary approach.

Integration Approach according to this Solution Pack

Proprietary Point-to-Point Integration Approach

FROX realized already TT integration projects based on this standardized approach around the globe at wireline and wireless operators such as TDC, Denmark, Telstra, Australia, T-Mobile, Germany as well as various operational companies of the Vodafone Group.

Operators use different organizational approaches to make use of FROX's products and, herewith, implement the TT Integration Solution Pack:

• They license the products and ask their preferred systems integration company to do the integration of the trouble ticket client applications with the trouble ticket server application/s; or
• they ask FROX not only to deliver products but also to do the integration; or
• they ask FROX to provide training to their architects and developers, acquire the products and do the integration project by their own.

Operational and Business Support Systems integrated using the TT integration solution as mentioned before and based on FROX's products comprise

• BMC Remedy ARS based TTS (both client and server)
• Micromuse Netcool (client)
• HP TeMIP (client)
• Agilent NETExPERT (client)
• Amdocs Clarify (server)
• as well as operator self-developed systems.

• the project implementation phase becomes shorter,
• project complexity and therefore overall risk gets reduced, and
• quality gets improved through use of COTS products and tools in cooperation with the model driven approach implied.

Own project experiences focused on applying the afore mentioned TT Integration Solution as opposed to a proprietary point-to-point integration approach confirm that

• total project realization time is reduced by at least 30%, and
• total project cost is reduced by at least 50%.