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C B R A S: Build Versus Buy and The Role of COTS

The document discusses the challenges of building a revenue assurance system for telecommunications companies. Revenue assurance systems are difficult to build because telcos have highly diverse and uncoordinated existing systems. While some vendors try to provide commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) revenue assurance software, these solutions still require extensive customization work due to the unique architectures and disparate operations of different telcos. It is also difficult for COTS solutions to keep up with the rapid evolution of telecom technology, systems, and operations.

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Morad M Swid
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17 views

C B R A S: Build Versus Buy and The Role of COTS

The document discusses the challenges of building a revenue assurance system for telecommunications companies. Revenue assurance systems are difficult to build because telcos have highly diverse and uncoordinated existing systems. While some vendors try to provide commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) revenue assurance software, these solutions still require extensive customization work due to the unique architectures and disparate operations of different telcos. It is also difficult for COTS solutions to keep up with the rapid evolution of telecom technology, systems, and operations.

Uploaded by

Morad M Swid
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Section 6 : Chapter 1

CHALLENGES OF BUILDING A
REVENUE ASSURANCE SYSTEM
Revenue assurance, by its very nature, is a very difficult to build
information systems. After all, there would be no reason for the rev-
enue assurance function if the telco had comprehensive, accurate
and well-coordinated systems and operations for the revenue gen-
eration process.

What telcos do have are highly diverse, highly uncoordinated sys-


tems. This means that an effective revenue assurance team will need
a good deal of help from the systems that support it.

Build Versus Buy and the Role of COTS

Every manager, accountant and revenue assurance investigator


thinks, “There must be an easier way!” when confronted with the
morass of technological challenges to executing revenue assurance
duties.

A common hope is to find and purchase a software package to


assume the arduous task of manual reconciliation and checking.
At first glance, this seems to be a perfectly reasonable and desir-
able objective. Everything would be simplified greatly if there was
a package to do RA.

The good news is that several vendors today attempt to provide this
kind of COTS (commercial-off-the-shelf) functionality.

The bad news comes in several variations:


1. Telecom architectures are so unique that it is impossible for
anyone to build systems that can pull together all the piec-
es without a lot of customization work.
2. Telecom operations are so disparate between carriers, mar-
kets and lines of business that it is impossible to build a
set of applications that meets even a small portion of their
needs.
3. Telecom technology, systems and operations are evolving
at such a hectic rate that it is impossible to conceptualize a

eXcellence in Telecommunications 327

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