On February 2, 2010 North-West Telecom, Siemens, and STEP LOGIC entered into a trilateral agreement for distribution of the joint Russian software product known as CN OSS ( Communication Network Operational Support System. ) The implementation of this software product on the networks of N.W.Telecom’s St. Petersburg Branch is currently in its final phase ( see the press release of 01.10.09 ).

The participants to the Agreement agreed about further promotion of the CN OSS product created on the basis of three software modules* in Russia and CIS countries. Each of the three agreeing companies is the copyright holder of “its” software module forming an integral part of one software product.

The platform used for the CN OSS software product development was the IRONMAN system by SIEMENS that has been operated for many years by large Western telecommunication operators such as Deutsche Telekom and France Telecom. Russian specialists were given all necessary “know-how” to enable them to develop the system on their own, with regard to the specific needs of Russian communication operators. As a result of such joint effort, an innovative software product was created, which is currently being totally generated and maintained by Russian personnel. Competence centers have been set up to develop and implement this software product in Voronezh, Moscow, and St. Petersburg.

Since 2005, STEP LOGIC specialists have been implementing Inventory, one of the key modules of the OSS system, in N.W.Telecom on the basis of the CN OSS product. It is used in the essential operations related to collection, analysis, systemization, and migration of data on N.W.Telecom network components in CN OSS.

The Communication Network Operational Support System belongs to the class of Operational Support Systems (OSS) and is intended for automation of basic business processes and for unification of activities of key units of large multiservice telecommunication network operators. The system enables accounting of a broad range of resources and services for access networks, transport networks, and data transmission networks. The main feature of CN OSS developed with regard to Russian specifics is the implemented ability to get accurate on-line data of the network resources, their configuration and status, and of the actual and planned use of communication services that the operator offers its customers.

Among the undeniable competitive advantages from the CN OSS implementation are:

• minimized costs of new equipment due to more efficient utilization of available resources;
• higher revenues due to shorter time needed to check the   feasibility of services (including xDSL services);
• reduced costs of network operation and updating, and of scheduled and reconditioning repair;
• higher service quality and lower customer churn;
• shorter time-to-market for new services;
• lower transport costs related to work on remote sites;
• lower costs of system integration into the operator’s IT infrastructure.

Noted Vladimir A. Akulich, General Manager of N.W.Telecom, “implementation of CN OSS is a historic milestone marking the beginning of a new era in business process automation based on a unique innovative system of line engineering accounting, which is to become the foundation, the common base for all systems operated in the Company without exception. As a result of implementation of the signed trilateral Agreement, the initial costs of N.W.Telecom will be repaid not only through the business and financial advantages of implementation of this system (such as higher ARPU, and lower user churn rate due to higher loyalty and service quality satisfaction), but also from proceeds from subsequent sales of the CN OSS product itself to other telecommunication companies in the RF and CIS countries.”

Emphasized Yuri A. Kantarovsky, president of STEP LOGIC, “We have been implementing CN OSS in N.W.Telecom for several years, and are happy to see the real results of this work. Today, the largest fixed communication operator in the North-West owns a unique, and a most advanced operational support system for communication networks on the Russian telecommunication market. This software product will help to reduce the service provision time, and to automate “end-to-end” business processes. The signing of this agreement became the outcome of joint efforts in developing a Russian product satisfying the requirements of GOS and OST standards and industrial recommendations, and what is the most important, satisfying the needs of today’s Russian communication operator.”

Noted Marco Burkhardt, Siemens vice president, “I am really happy and satisfied that our joint project of implementation of the CN OSS system in N.W.Telecom has scored, apart from expected direct effects from the implementation, also this fantastic result of efficient cooperation of the three companies, this joint software product, a communication operator network control tool that is highly efficient and unique for the Russian market. I am sure that our product has a great future.”