Blog
Operational efficiency
ODA
Wholesale Monetization
Telco
BSS
Lead-to-Cash
ZIRA Group
In an era where customer expectations are on the rise, driven by increased competition, advancements in technology, and evolving consumer preferences, the telco industry faces a crucial challenge: how to transition from rigid, monolithic systems to agile, interoperable ecosystems that can swiftly adapt to market demands.
Traditional Business Support Systems (BSS) often fall short, slowing time-to-market, inflating operational costs, and hindering innovation.
ZIRA’s Lead-to-Cash BSS suite, modular by design, has for years adopted standards set by TM Forum. So, as soon as TM Forum announced the rise of ODA, we signed the Manifesto and began actively enforcing the guidance being developed within the ODA Community.
By embracing ODA’s standardized, component-based framework and leveraging ZIRA’s plug-and-play solutions, Communication Service Providers (CSPs), Wholesale Carriers, NetCos, ServCos, SatCos, FiberCos, and TowerCos can unlock unprecedented levels of agility, automation, and innovation.
Why ODA isn’t just another buzzword?
ODA is an industry-agreed, cloud-native blueprint that enables CSPs to build agile, interoperable, and software-driven IT ecosystems using modular, standards-based components through:
- Breaking down complex systems into manageable components, facilitating easier updates and scalability.
- Ensuring seamless communication between diverse systems through standardized Open APIs.
- Empowering faster service launches for new services.
- Fostering a collaborative ecosystem for rapid adoption of emerging technologies.
By adopting ODA, telecom operators can transition into more flexible and responsive organizations, better equipped to meet customer demands.
As a TM Forum member since 2006, ZIRA has consistently aligned with TM Forum frameworks and standards. Our knowledge and expertise have continued to grow as we fully embraced Open APIs and the ODA over the past years, leveraging a combination of targeted training and practical hands-on experience. As an early adopter of the TM Forum Open APIs, ZIRA has achieved Platinum status in the Open API Conformance Certification program, and we are leading the way with Open API certifications in real-world customer deployments thanks to our API-first architecture.
By aligning our Lead-to-Cash suite and roadmap with the ODA, we are making it easier to integrate our products as part of a best-of-breed enterprise architecture strategy.
ZIRA’s Lead-to-Cash BSS suite
ZIRA’s Lead-to-Cash is a fully modular BSS that supports various business models, including Wholesale, B2B, and B2B2X, and offers:
- Plug-and-play components: Allowing operators to deploy only the necessary modules, reducing implementation time and costs.
- Open API integration: Ensuring compatibility with other ODA-compliant systems.
- Automation and intelligence: Incorporating AI and automation to streamline operations and enhance customer experience.
- Future-ready architecture: Designed to adapt to emerging technologies and industry trends.
By leveraging ODA principles, Open APIs, microservices, and decoupled systems, the Lead-to-Cash suite has been standardized and deployed either on-premises or on the cloud (AWS, GCP, Azure, etc.), fully aligned with the TM Forum framework.
The use of Open APIs ensures seamless integration with existing systems, enabling full automation of the lead-to-cash process, from order capture to billing and revenue settlement. Microservices allow ZIRA's BSS modules to scale independently, supporting rapid deployment and continuous enhancement without disrupting legacy environments.
ODA’s modular, software-first approach allows for the decoupling of customer-facing systems from core backend functions, improving agility and accelerating time-to-market for new wholesale offerings.
Interoperability across hybrid environments minimizes vendor lock-in and enables smooth data exchange with third-party platforms.
This is how ODA bridges theoretical frameworks with real-world digital transformation in telecom.
As an example, ZIRA partnered with stc Group, a leading digital enabler, to implement its Lead-to-Cash BSS suite, automating the entire settlement and revenue chain, enabling end-to-end automation for new multiparty B2B2X solutions, incorporating more sophisticated product bundling with an industry standard configure, price, quote framework. This collaboration enhanced efficiency, reduced manual dependency, and shortened the settlement cycle, earning them multiple innovation awards.
stc Group, by deploying ZIRA’s ODA-aligned suite automated partner onboarding processes, significantly lowering integration costs and accelerating time-to-revenue for wholesale services. The suite is built with microservices, event-driven and reactive architecture principles enabling applications to be scalable with uncompromised reliability while being highly effective in infrastructure utilization. The solution modules are designed to be loosely coupled facilitating easier integration, location transparent and capable of supporting isolated, autonomous services that enable applications to be elastic and resilient to support any amount of user load while only using just necessary resources. Recently stc Group, has become the first carrier in the Middle East to achieve ‘Running on ODA’ accreditation.
Overcoming challenges: security, policy, and cultural shifts
Transitioning to an ODA compliant architecture is not without its challenges. Security risks, evolving policies, and cultural shifts within organizations can pose significant hurdles. However, the standardized nature of ODA provides a robust framework for addressing these challenges. Adopting ODA requires addressing:
- Security risks: ODA’s standardized components and APIs facilitate the implementation of consistent security protocols across systems.
- Policy compliance: The modular design allows for easier updates to comply with changing regulations and policies.
- Cultural transformation: Adopting ODA encourages a shift towards a more collaborative and agile organizational culture, essential for digital transformation.
ZIRA’s commitment to compliance and best practices provides a robust framework for addressing these challenges.
Embrace the future of telco
The telecom industry is on the brink of a new era. By adopting Open Digital Architecture and integrating ZIRA’s modular BSS Lead-to-Cash suite, telecom operators can overcome legacy constraints, accelerate innovation, and deliver superior customer experiences. The path forward is clear—embrace standardization without sacrificing flexibility, foster collaboration over isolation, and prioritize agility to meet the demands of a rapidly evolving digital landscape.
Ready to take the next step?
Discover how ZIRA’s Lead-to-Cash suite, aligned with TM Forum’s ODA, can help you revolutionize operations and innovate at scale.
