Axiata, Vodafone and Jio run on Open Digital Architecture

Axiata, Jio and Vodafone have demonstrated their commitment to TM Forum’s Open Digital Architecture (ODA) and become the first communications service providers in the world to achieve TM Forum’s new Running on ODA status.

Co-created by over 1,750 professionals from more than 350 TM Forum member companies, ODA defines an industry-agreed set of reusable software building blocks for creating, managing, and securing any digital service.

ODA aims to make it easier for telcos to move to cloud native software and greatly improve time to market, reduce costs, enhance customer experience, and create new partnerships.

“With open components and well-defined APIs to interconnect them, ODA has allowed Jio to transform its application landscape into more modern, microservices-driven and cloud-native. This makes us more agile and enables us to deliver value to our customers even faster” said Kiran Thomas, CEO, Jio Platforms Ltd.

One of the ways Vodafone is making use of Open APIs and ODA is to help create better customer experiences.

“At Vodafone, we’ve adopted an agile, API-first and data-driven approach to give our customers the best experience possible across multiple channels – app, online, retail - as well as help them on their own digital journeys,” according to Scott Petty, Chief Digital and Information Officer, Vodafone. “Open Digital Architecture is behind this digital drive.”

The criteria for Running on ODA are assessed jointly by the CSP and TM Forum’s CTO office using the ODA Success Framework, which is a light but rigorous evaluation based on six key dimensions necessary for delivering successful business outcomes using ODA (ODA principles/rules, ODA skills, Open APIs, ODA components, agile governance and process models). Running on ODA status is renewed annually through self-assessment and biannually by joint assessment with the TM Forum CTO office.

Open APIs and ODA are making it easier for Axiata to generate new revenues by opening its IT and network capabilities to partners.

"Using Open APIs and ODA has enabled Axiata not only to capitalize on our growth ambition by reusing software applications across our group of operating companies, but also to develop new ways to monetize our IT and network capabilities by opening them to partners.", said Anthony Rodrigo, Group Chief Information Officer, Axiata Group.

More than 40 software providers have also mapped their products to the ODA Component architecture, demonstrated at DTW in a pilot ODA Component Directory.

This directory gives a view of industry conformance to ODA, using ODA’s cloud-native software building blocks, and offers greater transparency on component specifications, starting with Open APIs.

The pilot directory includes products and solutions from the following companies: 6d Technologies; alvatross by SATEC; Amdocs; Aria Systems; AsiaInfo Technologies; AwareX; Axiata Digital Labs; Beyond Now; BMC Software; Cerillion; Comarch; CSG; Ericsson; ETIYA; Hansen; Huawei; i2i Systems; IBM; Incognito; Inspur; Intraway; Jio Platforms; Juniper; Marand Software; MATRIXX Software; Mavenir Systems; Microsoft; Netcracker; Nokia; Optiva; Oracle; Pegasystems; Persistent Systems; Salesforce; SAS Institute; ServiceNow; SigScale; Sterlite Technologies; Subex; Tata Consultancy Services; Tecnotree; TEOCO; Torry Harris Integration Solutions; and Whale Cloud.

“Salesforce is committed to collaboration via open standards, which will be better enabled by the ODA initiative," said David Fan, VP & GM of Communications Products at Salesforce.