As Andy Tiller, EVP, TM Forum, outlines, TM Forum's annual Accelerate event brought together technical experts from telcos and their partners worldwide to collaborate on architecting solutions to cross-industry challenges. They progressed on the work they do together throughout the year in the following key areas:
Open Digital Architecture (ODA)
Multiple sessions throughout the week focused on a variety of aspects of developing ODA, and this provided a highly engaging and valuable opportunity for project teams to discuss wider issues together to gain agreement and alignment. Session outcomes included:
- ODA Transformation Guides: ServCo NetCo: The project team examined challenges related to delayering to ServCo-NetCo and its impact on revenue growth. Governance principles, transformation challenges, and the evolving landscape amid digital-native competition were discussed. Telcos' adoption of NetCo and ServCo separation was explored, with a breakdown of their differentiation.
- ODA Ecosystems: The team agreed a definition of a Governance and trust framework for using ODA in ecosystems, leveraging federated identity management. This will support secure supply chain B2B2X enterprise services, including trust mechanisms, Bill of Materials, ODA Contracts, AI governance support.
- ODA for Networks: The team agreed that TM Forum aims to be an industry standard for O-RAN, building standards and creating specifications to help define O-RAN architectures and interfaces. This will also include integrating other key marketplaces with TMF standards and elements into ODA. As a result, the next step will be to explore the idea of two new workstreams, New Use Case - Software Defined Cloud Interconnect Service and New Use Case - Network Security Service.
- Harmonizing Universal Domains: A half-day joint session aimed to align universal domains and plan future harmonization. The Business Architecture team met with ODA Component & Canvas, Open API, and Information Systems Architecture (ISA) teams to explore evolving TM Forum framework models for modern business architectural needs. Valuable alignment was achieved as the Business Architecture team shared completed work within the capability map and value stream framework.
Components and Canvas:
The components and canvas workshop had two breakout streams for which the key outcomes included:
- Components Stream: The team conducted a thorough review and update of the component inventory. Two components were specified, three were updated, and progress was made on two more, targeted for completion by the end of Sprint 1. Interaction diagrams were also updated for three domains: Billing, Product Order, and Production.
- Conformance Stream: The team agreed on API specifications, finalized testing design, implemented a minor component conformance report redesign, and completed the conformance profile. The CICD process was reviewed, with upcoming updates at DTW’24 - Ignite.
- How to use ODA: Next Steps: A cross-team group aimed to align programs on leveraging ODA foundations for building cloud-native IT & Network solutions. Discussions covered expanding the IG1228 use case catalog, crucial for ODA solution architecture, business architecture, and defining tests and CTKs. Ongoing work will focus on further expansion and exploration of various use cases.
Inter-project ways of working
The collaborative session among Information Systems Architecture teams, including eTOM, SID, and Functional framework, focused on enhancing AI integration into ODA. Key outcomes included initial feedback, agreement on next steps involving gap analysis, inter-project dependencies identification, and roadmap prioritization.
Wholesale Broadband
During the workshop sessions, the Wholesale Broadband project team agreed a standardized product model for wholesale broadband provisioning for Fiber to the Premises (FTTP) and Fiber to the Building (FTTB), along with product characteristics and specifications categorized against network layers 1-4. This enabled focused efforts on developing a context-specific API suite for standardized solution support, including Phase 1 API modifications and context-specific APIs for layer 2 broadband services provisioning, set for demonstration at DTW’24 - Ignite. The APIs in scope for Phase 1 are Product Catalog, Product Inventory, Appointment, Geographic Site, Geographic Address, Service Order, and Product Offering Qualification.
Autonomous Networks
- AN Journey Map and Key Effectiveness Indicators: Andy Tiller presented an overview of the market and survey results on AN Levels, and a proposed pilot study for global comparison. The objectives of the pilot include assessing feasibility, determining value to operators, prototyping a methodology, and understanding evaluation tools' requirements. The proposed scenario involves Fault Management on the RAN, using a prototype Levels Evaluation Tool with 3GPP parameters and an agreed questionnaire. The timescale for the pilot spans February to June 2024, leading up to DTW24 - Ignite.In addition, details were presented of the draft GB1059 AN Levels Evaluation Tool (ANLET) and IG1256 Key Effectiveness Indicators (KEI) which will be used during the pilot study.The workshop also explored Key Effectiveness Indicators (KEI) crucial for assessing the success of Autonomous Networks. Insights were provided into these metrics, enabling organizations to strategically optimize autonomous systems to meet their business objectives.
- GenAI for Autonomous Networks: The GenAI for AN workstream aims to integrate Artificial Intelligence with the Autonomous Networks framework, aligning with AN vision and architecture goals. The focus of the sessions at Accelerate was on developing a whitepaper to offer practical insights on GenAI's alignment with TM Forum standards, providing a roadmap for decision-makers and addressing ethical considerations, potential risks, and solutions for responsible implementation.
- Intent driven Autonomous Networks: Valuable discussions on intent driven AN covered the introduction, definition, and motivation of intent, Autonomous Networks Architecture, intent management functions, modelling, Intent API, and its role in service and product management. Considerations for decision-making and conflict resolution were also explored.
- Measuring and Managing Autonomy: The project team worked to define and formalize how the Autonomous Operations Maturity Model (AOMM) will evolve, using feedback from attendees to enhance GB1042B AOMM Operations Best Practice v2.0.0. They completed an overview of the Value Operations Framework (VOF) (GB1041), capturing lessons learned from VOF projects and feedback on the VOF Key Concepts. They also reviewed and developed the AOMM to benchmark the current maturity and define the roadmap for Autonomous Operations, including all dimensions, alignment with other TMF Maturity Models, benchmarking and scoring, and the go-to-market strategy.
Data and AI
It was a busy week for the Data and AI team, with sessions focused on managing open, intelligent, multi-party data and AI ops within ODA. They also looked at AI, Data and AN in the context of ODA existing architectures, exploring current and emerging architectures across various projects and where they fit under ODA workstreams, using the input from Digital Twin for Decision Intelligence (DT4DI) and AN to align on key synergies and touchpoints that could be used for supporting open, intelligent multi-party data within the ODA and took the first steps to understanding how ODAi will work.
- Modern Data Architecture (MDA): The team achieved significant milestones, developing the first draft of the MDA whitepaper and reference architecture. There was consensus on MDA tenets, outlining its value, objectives, development roadmap, and planning for the initial eight chapters of the whitepaper. A crucial outcome involved collaboration between the Digital Twin for Decision Intelligence (DT4DI) and AN projects, ensuring mutual support and alignment with the MDA project.
- Governing AI and Data driven Modern Telecom Operations: The project team discussed the creation of an AI Taxonomy and Model Classification for AI projects, emphasizing specificity to AI capabilities and technology, not generic across all AI projects. They reviewed the AI Maturity Model (AIMM/AIOpsMM) for alignment and interoperability within TMF. They defined the procurement principles for 3rd party integration and AI/data procurement and supply chains. Finally, they established aligned ways of working across AI/AN & ODA projects using an ODAi Project Roadmap Matrix.
TechCo Organizational Design (TCOD)
Accelerate was highly successful for the TCOD project team, with the announcement that TCOD will be officially in the business quadrant of ODA, which was an excellent validation of their work since Accelerate in 2022. They created a draft of the Telco to TechCo Transformational Framework, focusing on the organization, people and culture aspects that are considered 80% of digital transformation, with a roadmap for next steps leading to publication later in 2024. Also, KPIs were developed alongside a baseline maturity level matrix for TechCo.
Ecosystems
- IoT Ecosystems Solution Design - Concept to Reality Accelerator: The Ecosystem Modelling team worked on developing a Solar energy use case and the role of the telco in enabling new business opportunities for revenue growth. This included enhancing the value proposition from the customer perspective, financial modelling for the managed solar scenario, and exploring revenue models and partnering use cases for realizing an ecosystem view within the telco's existing IT estate.
- Business Assurance: New survey: The team worked on developing a new industry survey for release in May 2024, to gather the latest digital business assurance economy trends. The survey will have a broader scope and streamlined questions compared to previous surveys conducted. An analysis report is targeted for November 2024.
- Application of AI: The project team agreed the next phase of work beyond IG1325 Impact of GenAI on Fraud Management, with the goal to publish a new IG asset on GenAI agents in the Fraud management domain using real world applications. Also, start process to get ‘Business Assurance Management’ block added to the ODA components chart. The team will also update GB1004 Business Assurance Dimension Framework to include new dimensions for business assurance and GenAI.
Open APIs
The Open API Workshop was pivotal for discussions on API development, governance, and implementation, featuring a range of sessions where industry experts shared insights, engaged in discussions, and participated in collaborative efforts to refine API practices within the community. This rich exchange of ideas, collaborative spirit, and strategic initiatives, lays a foundation for future efforts in API development and governance. The insights from the workshop will be turned into actionable plans, promoting innovation and standardization in the API community. Key topics and outcomes included:
- Open API best practices for governance and strategic planning for future development efforts.
- Design patterns and V5 design guidelines to enhance API development processes to streamline development and ensure consistency.
- Optimization of expression languages and requirement for an ontology repository for intent management APIs.
- Exploring APIs related to Connectivity as a Service (CaaS), Zero Touch Partnering (ZTP), and onboarding, focusing on the application of Intent Extraction with GenAI for service discovery and model conflict resolution, emphasizing the evolving nature of connectivity services.
- Shared insights on the alignment of DCS Toolkit and Async API Toolkit to support development and ensure compatibility with the Open API Data Model.
- Partnership Program: Examined future API initiatives related to ORAN, Edge Computing, and SDWAN, highlighting the need for collaboration with industry standards bodies to support emerging technologies and standards.
- Delved into APIs related to access control, including Digital Identity, Federated Identity, and Roles and Permissions, providing an overview of secure and manageable access in digital ecosystems.
- Presented on AI and AN APIs for Closed Loop and Anomaly Management, indicating a move towards leveraging AI for operational efficiency and anomaly management.
- Highlighted the automation of Data Governance through standardized service and data models, emphasizing governance's role in data quality, compliance, and security.
- CAMARA: Reviewed collaboration opportunities in service API development and approved a stabilized version of the Operate API suite, showcasing efforts towards standardizing API development and ensuring interoperability.
Open API Data Model & SID Alignment
On the topic of consuming ODA as a Model, the project team considered whether they should manage the Open API Model as an asset. This would involve structuring it by domains and an additional aggregator, adding an ID to each entity, removing duplicates, versioning, and centralizing. It would also include decisions on when, how and what to publish. They also discussed the opportunity to relate the Open API Data Model entities to other TM Forum assets such as ODA Components and the Information Framework as well as perhaps other TM Forum assets.
To join any of the collaboration projects mentioned in this article, visit our project listing webpage.