TM Forum's Open Digital Architecture (ODA) and open APIs are aimed at revolutionizing telco BSS/OSS systems, and with successful adoption, they promise to enhance vendor interoperability. But implementing them comes with significant challenges for operators and vendors alike.

In this episode, I sit down with Caroline Chappell, founder and director of ccsquared and a former partner at Analysys Mason. We dive into the history and goals of ODA and open APIs, explore the real-world challenges operators face in putting them to work, and discuss why the data layer is crucial for true vendor interoperability. Listen now to hear:

• How ODA aims to help operators build systems from best-of-breed components, and what challenges stand in the way [04:17];
• Why the data layer is even more critical than standardized APIs for telecom operations [09:03];
• Why procurement practices need to change to truly support innovation in the industry [13:32]; and
• The disruptive power that combining LLMs and ODA can bring to telco BSS [14:50].

Links and Resources

• Learn more about TM Forum’s ODA and open API initiatives.
• Check out my interview with Ray LeMaistre from TelecomTV about harmonizing data structures and Totogi’s deployment at Zain Sudan, where our cloud-based charger replaced an incumbent system in just 18 days.
• Watch my epic MWC24 MVNO Summit talk about BSS Magic and the AI-first future of telco business support systems.
• Download this case study about how Vodafone saved nearly 70% by moving its analytics to the public cloud.
• We're counting down to the 100th episode of Telco in 20 and celebrating with a special episode dropping October 1. Don’t miss it—like and follow today!
• I love watching Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR) videos of power washing courtyards, trimming overgrown lawns, and cleaning hoarders’ homes. What’s wrong with me?
• Watch this episode on our YouTube channel.
• You can find the episode transcript here.

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This week’s guest

Caroline Chappell is a leading expert in the application of new software technologies – cloud, open APIs and AI – to telecoms networks and their operations. She has over 35 years of industry experience as a software engineer, research analyst and consultant. She is an influential advocate for the cloudification of the network and its evolution as a platform, the capabilities of which can be consumed as a service. Caroline was most recently a partner at Analysys Mason but has founded ccsquared to investigate the new and disruptive network architecture needed for tomorrow’s AI and extended reality-driven world.

Podcast Credits

• Executive Producer and Host: Danielle Rios, TelcoDR
• Senior Producer: Lindsay Grubb, TillCo Media
• Senior Editor/Brand Manager: Alisa Jenkins, Springboard Marketing
• Audio Editor: Andrew Condell
• Supervising Producer: Amanda Avery
• Associate Producer: Kriselda Dionisio
• Music: Dyami Wilson