By Juhani Hintikka

Web 2.0 has provided the end user free reign to the content and communities they seek on the Internet, resulting in the rapid development of social networking sites, wikis, and blogs. The changes have been so swift that often unwary service providers have been relegated to mere onlookers. However, to continue to ignore this business revolution is foolhardy -- a provider who wishes to stake claim to the end user must embrace the demands of the Web 2.0 phenomenon now!

Until very recently, given their closed network infrastructures, telecom operators had failed to capitalize upon the creativity, collaboration, and information sharing capacities within their subscriber base. At the same time, the big Internet Players such as Google and Amazon have progressed rapidly, providing Web 2.0 developers access to mix and match content retrieved from their websites and create new Internet pages that have more value to the end user.

One of the operators' main bottlenecks of participating in the Web 2.0 revolution has been the lack of control over opening their

proprietary networks to the worldwide web. Given the popularity of long tail services on the Internet, wherein a large proportion of users are frequenting diverse and niche sites, it is impossible for the operator to be responsible for all content. Thus, while the operator may attempt to own a few services, most will be co-branded partner offerings or third party independent applications. In such a scenario, how does the operator ensure end-to-end service quality to its subscriber base?

The answer lies in the Operations and Business Support Systems (OSS/BSS) that handles charging, network, and service management aspects of the operator's communication portfolio. OSS/BSS will facilitate the transition of the operator from closed silo operations to a service oriented architecture comprising open Application Program Interfaces (APIs). These interfaces,

Another key facet of the OSS/BSS is access to personalized subscriber data, which provides valuable behavior and usage patterns and allows the operator to multiply end-user experience a hundred fold. The OSS/BSS can detail when, what, and how often a particular subscriber uses their access, allowing the operator to provide a customized mix of services to suit the needs of its subscriber base. In the event the subscriber needs to be hooked up to an external service provider on the Internet, the operator can still wield control over the quality of access, i.e. ensuring a stable and powerful enough internet connection that is secure from outside threats such as viruses, spam, and firewalls. In fact, it is the OSS that helps the operator fashion an efficient Data Security policy for subscribers, guaranteeing the same levels of protection that a subscriber is conditioned to getting while surfing the Internet on their PC at home and work.