OSS architecture and requirements for VoIP networks

The rapid emergence of voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) networks and their enticing appeal to a broad base of customers are driven by economic incentives, improved productivity, and creation of new services. Thus, VoIP networks provide an attractive value proposition to service providers, as they enable additional revenue opportunities through new services coupled with reduced network operational costs. An effective operations support system (OSS) is needed to manage a VoIP network by performing a full range of network management tasks (fault, configuration, accounting, performance, and security [FCAPS]). However, its primary goal is to ensure that customers do not perceive any difference in the transition from the public switched telephone network (PSTN) to converged services architecture in terms of toll-quality voice and 99.999% network availability. An OSS for managing VoIP networks requires greater focus on service-oriented operations and management. In this paper, we discuss the challenges that are unique to managing VoIP networks. Specifically, we propose an OSS for VoIP networks with emphasis on provisioning, monitoring, capacity planning, and service creation.