The Transformative Role of BSS/OSS for Telcos in Africa
Africa’s telecommunications sector isn’t just evolving—it’s at a critical inflexion point. Over the past decade, mobile penetration has skyrocketed, transforming the continent into one of the world’s most dynamic telecom markets. With about 527 million mobile subscribers today (GSMA), the opportunities are immense. But so are the challenges.
For telcos operating in Africa, the landscape is anything but simple. The growth in subscribers comes with increasing demands for better service quality, faster response times, and innovative products—all while managing razor-thin margins and navigating the complexities of underserved markets. These pressures expose the fragility of outdated systems that many operators still rely on, systems that simply weren’t built for the demands of today’s hyper-competitive and customer-centric era.
This is where BSS (Business Support Systems) and OSS (Operational Support Systems) become a necessity. Historically, these tools were viewed as back-office utilities, the “plumbing” of telecom operations. But today, they’ve become strategic assets, enabling telcos to reimagine how they deliver value. BSS drives everything from billing to customer management, while OSS ensures the network itself runs smoothly and efficiently.
But fragmented operations, legacy architectures, and inefficient processes threaten to derail progress. Integrating BSS and OSS becomes a gamechanger. It isn’t just about improving operations—it’s about unlocking the potential to scale services, deliver personalized customer experiences, and drive revenue in ways that were previously out of reach.
This TechTalk Thursday article explores how BSS/OSS systems are helping Africa’s telecom operators stay ahead of the curve, providing the agility needed to meet rapidly evolving customer demands and market conditions.
The Evolution of OSS and BSS in African Telcos
For decades, OSS and BSS have managed everything from billing and customer accounts to network optimization and service provisioning. But the industry is moving beyond the basics. Today, the question isn’t just what can OSS and BSS do? —it’s how can they evolve to meet the demands of tomorrow?
Traditional OSS and BSS: A System Struggling to Keep Up
Modern telecom challenges demand integrated solutions that break down the silos between network operations and customer services. Traditional OSS and BSS systems, often operating in isolation, create inefficiencies that hinder both agility and growth. The advent of 5G and IoT has further complicated things, with the need to manage vast and diverse device ecosystems, from rural sensors to complex industrial tools. Traditional OSS systems simply weren’t designed to handle this complexity, leaving operators struggling to provide seamless connectivity and integration.
5G introduces network slicing, allowing operators to create multiple virtual networks on a single physical infrastructure. While this is revolutionary, it adds layers of complexity, requiring real-time dynamic resource allocation that traditional systems struggle to execute efficiently. Meanwhile, customers have raised the bar, expecting personalized services, seamless experiences across all devices, and immediate resolutions to issues. Traditional BSS systems, built for simpler times, lack the agility to meet these modern demands.
Add to that the pressure to rapidly deploy new services, scale efficiently to meet surging data traffic, and do so in a cost-effective, energy-efficient manner. The need to comply with evolving regional regulations and manage cybersecurity risks further strains the capability of legacy systems. For telcos in Africa, where unreliable infrastructure and underserved rural regions are prevalent, these challenges are even more pronounced.
Integrated OSS/BSS solutions come into play in this situation. It’s not just a technical upgrade; it’s a strategic shift in how telecom businesses operate, ultimately empowering them to deliver faster, more personalized services while maintaining operational efficiency.
How BSS/OSS is Transforming African Telcos
The fusion of BSS and OSS into a single, integrated platform marks a significant leap forward for telecom operators. Here’s how it’s transforming the way African telcos operate:
Unified Data and Processes
When BSS and OSS systems work together, data is shared seamlessly between customer-facing services and network operations. For example, when a customer subscribes to a new service, the system instantly provisions the necessary network resources without delay. This eliminates manual intervention and accelerates the service delivery process.
Enhanced Agility
Service activation becomes nearly instantaneous, with no bottlenecks between business workflows and operational processes. This allows telcos to roll out on-demand services such as 5G network slicing, IoT solutions, or tailored data plans with unprecedented speed, meeting the needs of both urban businesses and rural customers.
Cost and Efficiency Gains
Integrated systems streamline operations by reducing the complexity of managing separate BSS and OSS platforms. This not only cuts down on operational costs but also eliminates errors associated with inconsistent or fragmented data. The result? Greater efficiency, fewer mistakes, and a more agile approach to scaling services as demand grows.
Improved Customer Experience
The integration of BSS and OSS systems offers telcos a unified view of customer needs and network performance. This cohesion helps resolve issues in real time, tailor service offerings, and speed up service activation, all of which significantly enhance the customer experience. Whether troubleshooting a problem or customizing a data plan, customers enjoy a smoother interaction, making them more likely to remain loyal.
Regulatory Compliance and Reporting
As telecom regulations in Africa grow increasingly stringent, compliance becomes a top priority. Integrated BSS/OSS systems help telcos stay ahead of regulatory requirements by ensuring that BSS efficiently handles regulatory reporting, data management, and compliance transparency. Meanwhile, OSS tracks network performance metrics to ensure compliance with service-level agreements (SLAs). This commitment to compliance not only helps telcos avoid penalties but also builds trust with both regulators and consumers, strengthening their position in the market.
Supporting Hybrid and Emerging Business Models
The telecom landscape in Africa is rapidly evolving, with telcos branching out into new sectors like fintech, MVNOs, and smart city initiatives. Integrated BSS/OSS systems offer the flexibility needed to support these emerging business models. BSS manages complex revenue-sharing agreements and multi-service billing, while OSS allocates network resources across multiple providers, ensuring consistent service performance. This flexibility enables telcos to unlock new revenue streams and scale operations to meet the demands of an ever-changing market.
An example of this in action is Protei’s roaming management solutions, which showcase how BSS/OSS-powered innovations drive new business opportunities. Protei offers modular solutions for Data Billing and Interconnect (DBI), along with a Billing and Charging for Roaming Framework (BCRF)—both designed to streamline operations and generate additional revenue.
“Our roaming management solution integrates multiple useful and revenue-generating tools for operators. For DBI, we have developed innovative and stable modular solutions. Our BCRF (Billing and Charging for Roaming Framework) is also innovative and highly reliable. Similarly, in messaging, we offer a suite of products that cover all messaging functionalities, including SMS, location-based services, and MMS.”
Protei is committed to dedicating significant resources to developing and supporting its business in Africa, ensuring that telecom operators on the continent have access to cutting-edge solutions tailored to their needs
“We view Africa as a very promising region, and we are dedicating significant attention and effort to developing our business here”
– Vladimir Freinkman, VP of Marketing and Business Development, Protei
Faster Time-to-Market for New Services
In an increasingly competitive market, speed is crucial. Telcos need to launch new services quickly to stay ahead of the curve. Integrated BSS systems streamline the creation and rollout of pricing models, promotions, and customer onboarding processes, accelerating time-to-market. Simultaneously, OSS ensures the smooth integration and provisioning of new network services. This agility allows telcos to respond swiftly to market trends, customer demands, and competitive pressures, keeping them at the forefront of the industry.
The Next Level for BSS/OSS – AI, Cloud, and Beyond
The future of telecom operations is unfolding at a breathtaking pace. As telecom providers navigate the complexities of 5G, IoT, and an ever-demanding customer base, they are being driven to rethink the very foundations of how they manage their networks and services.
Cloud adoption is one of the primary catalysts for this transformation. As more telcos move their operations to the cloud, they are unlocking the ability to scale rapidly, enhance flexibility, and streamline service delivery. Cloud-based BSS/OSS platforms allow for faster deployment, better resource management, and a more secure and resilient infrastructure. This shift also opens up opportunities for real-time data processing, greater automation, and the capacity to seamlessly integrate new technologies as they emerge.
Alongside cloud adoption, advanced analytics and machine learning are changing how telecom operators engage with both their networks and their customers. The powerful combination of cloud and AI allows for predictive analytics that not only identify potential network issues before they occur but also help in crafting more personalized, data-driven customer experiences.
Generative AI, in particular, is positioned to redefine how telecoms manage and optimize their infrastructure. It’s not just about automating routine tasks; it’s about creating sophisticated models that can predict network traffic, simulate customer behaviors, and even design optimal network topologies. This technology holds the potential to create a level of operational foresight that will give telecom operators a competitive edge like never before.
“Everybody’s talking about AI today, and we are one of the vendors investing quite a lot in AI. In 2023, we launched our latest product, AIGCortex, which plugs generative AI into our BSS/OSS to transform them. Generative AI is native to BSS and supports innovative use cases, such as digital humans who can act as customer agents—revolutionizing customer interaction and supporting telcos in their daily operations.”
– George Zhao, the Deputy CMO of Whale Cloud
This is just one example of how generative AI is breaking down long-standing barriers between network operations and customer service, enabling a more cohesive and agile approach to managing telecom infrastructure.
Another example is Telco Enabler’s PortaOne’s approach to IoT deployment. By offering rapid deployment solutions like the “IoT Mill,” PortaOne enables telcos to offer IoT services faster, giving them a competitive edge in the market. Similarly, their internal adoption of AI for process optimization helps telcos accelerate service delivery, ensuring that they can meet tech-savvy consumers’ increasing demands. This approach not only reduces time-to-market but also positions telcos to respond to emerging trends swiftly, keeping them at the forefront of the industry.
“IoT for Telos is not just about connectivity; it’s about integrating companies into the IoT ecosystem, enabling startups to deliver services faster with a higher rate of success. Our goal is to work with regional service providers and innovators in different niches, and connect them with a business ecosystem: IoT Mill, sensors, connectivity, real-time billing and charging, data processing, workflow integrations, feedback, engineering support. Now they’ll have the tools to quickly create something unique that can be a genuine asset for people within their customer group.”
With cloud and AI technologies, African telcos are presented with a unique opportunity to leapfrog traditional telecom models, unlocking new capabilities and addressing long-standing challenges. The scalability and flexibility of cloud-based platforms enable operators to serve diverse markets—from rural areas to bustling urban centers—without the burden of legacy infrastructure. And with the rise of AI-driven insights, telecoms are better equipped to understand customer needs and tailor services accordingly.
The convergence of cloud, AI, and modernized BSS/OSS systems is more than an upgrade; it’s a strategic pivot that will redefine how telecoms serve their customers and manage their operations in the digital age.
At the same time, future-proof OSS solutions are critical to sustaining long-term growth. As Nir Lev-On of Amdocs OSS & Networks emphasized at the panel discussion we had at AfricaCom2024, modern OSS as well as BSS platforms must evolve alongside market demands, enabling telcos to introduce new services quickly and efficiently. By leveraging next-generation capabilities, operators can enhance operational efficiency, streamline network performance, and stay ahead in Africa’s rapidly expanding digital economy.
