A Beginners Guide To Telecom BSS/OSS for Mobile Networks

Name: A Beginners Guide To Telecom BSS/OSS for Mobile Networks
Rating: 4.4 (2284 reviews)

BSS/OSS process flow, Charging & Billing in 2G, 3G, 4G & 5G Networks, Interconnect Billing, eTOM Flows, eTOM & ITIL, NOC

Created byDr. Moazzam Tiwana

Last updated 10/2025

English

What you'll learn

Operations of a Telecom Service Provider
BSS/OSS Process Flows,
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) in BSS
Order Management, Inventory Management, Provisioning & Activation
Pre-paid/Post Paid Billing in 2G, 3G, 4G & 5G Networks
Mediation, Rating & Billing Processes
Immediate Event Charging (IEC), Event charging with Unit Reservation (ECUR), Session charging with Unit Reservation (SCUR)
Interconnect Billing
Billing during Roaming
Telecom Management Network (TMN)
enhanced Telecom Operations Map (eTOM)
Example eTOM Process Flows
eTOM vs ITIL; comparison and Alignment

Course content

12 sections • 93 lectures • 3h 31m total length

What is a Communication Service Provider (CSP)?2:01
What are Support Systems and their Classification?1:24
The Bigger Picture: Business Support System (BSS)4:28
The Bigger Picture: Operation Support System (OSS)2:38
Summarizing importance of OSS & BSS1:21
Understand how the network infrastructure is managed and monitored to deliver services using OSS and BSS, and how these systems support service delivery, business operations, marketing, and customer care.
Advantages of Automating OSS/BSS1:21
Automation of OSS/BSS using computer systems and software applications reduces time to create and deliver new services, enables quicker fault resolution, lowers operational costs, and boosts subscriber satisfaction and ROI.

A Generic Process Flow for a Service: 1. Product Catalog1:43
2. Customer Relationship Management (CRM)3:00
Explore telecom CRM within BSS/OSS, detailing multi-channel customer interactions and how CRM software registers customers, processes orders, handles queries, and generates insights.
Registration of Customer1:32
Register a customer to capture personal information, national ID, and contact details in the CRM, verify identity, create a CRM account with a service identity, and record billing details.
3. Order Management Block & Activation of Service3:10
4. Charging & Billing1:37

Introduction to Charging & Billing in 2G GSM Networks0:54
GSM Architecture Overview4:31
Trace the gsm architecture from base transceiver system to the bsc and msc, and understand how hlr and authentication center handle subscriber data and authentication.
Authentication Procedure2:38
Call Flow of a Post-paid Call2:10
Call Detail Record (CDR)0:52
Offline Charging System-Mediation1:56
The offline charging system bills subscribers after the monthly cycle, using mediation to convert diverse records into a common ascii format for processing.
Offline Charging System-CDR Rating1:31
Offline Charging System-Billing2:15
Architecture for Pre-paid Charging in GSM2:43
Explore prepaid charging architecture in GSM networks, including SSP (co-located with MSC), SCP with service logic, rating engine with balances, and SMP with voucher management system.
Call Flow for Pre-paid call5:44
2G GPRS-EDGE Architecture2:00
2G GPRS-EDGE CDR Generation1:38
Explore how crs are generated in sgsn and ggsn, with time-based charging in the sgsn and volume-based charging in the ggsn, linked to postpaid and prepaid charging systems.

3G UMTS Architecture & Charging3:42
Policy and Charging Control (PCC)1:26
PCC Architecture: Subscriber Profile Repository (SPR)0:50
PCC Architecture: Policy & Charging Rules Function (PCRF)3:01
PCC Architecture: Policy & Charging Enforcement Function (PCEF)1:31
4G LTE Architecture with PCC3:12
Post-paid Call Flow in 4G LTE3:20
Describe postpaid data access in 4g lte, from enodeb data requests and authentication via hss with sbr and spr, to pcf-driven QoS, charging rules, and EPS bearer setup.
3GPP Offline Charging System1:37
The charging trigger function generates charging events and forwards them to the offline charging system, where the charging data function creates raw cards for mediation by gateway and billing system.
CDR Rerating1:47
Learn CDR rerating, recalculating charges for CRS when rates are misapplied or dated back. The re-rating engine reads CRS, checks data usage and numbers, applies tariff, and updates subscriber bills.
Reject Rating2:02
Pre-paid Call Flow in 4G LTE4:26
3GPP Online Charging System1:33
Types of Credit Units & Plan Examples2:39
Account Balance Management Function (ABMF)1:12
Rating Function (RF)1:25
Explore the rating function in online charging systems, converting monetary units to credit units and calculating charges per voice time, per unit, or per service event, including free minutes.
Online Charging Function (OCF) Sub-types: 1. SBCF 2. EBCF1:03
Online Charging Scenarios1:52
1. Immediate Event Charging (IEC)3:06
2. Event Charging with Unit Reservation(ECUR)3:37
3. Session Charging with Unit Reservation(SCUR)3:16
Explore session charging with unit reservation for voice calls, as the charging trigger and online charging function reserve units, apply rating, and adjust balances with usage and refunds.

5G Architecture with Charging3:30
Explore 5g architecture and charging, including pdu sessions, qos flows, and the roles of smf, pcf, and udm in policy and subscriber profiles.
CHarging Function (CHF) in 5G2:01
Initial Call Flow for Charging in 5G2:33
5G Offline Charging: 1. Event Based Charging1:43
Explore how 5g offline charging uses event-based charging for sms and mms; the upf triggers the charging function, which creates and updates a cdr via charging data requests and responses.
5G Offline Charging: 2. Session Based Charging2:09
5G Online Charging: 1. Immediate Event Chargng (IEC)2:55
5G Online Charging: 2. Event Charging wih Unit Reservation (ECUR)1:53
5G Online Charging: 3. Session Charging wih Unit Reservation (SCUR)2:55

Introduction to Telecommunications Management Network (TMN)2:09
Telecommunications Management Network (TMN) Layers2:32
Fault, Configuration, Accounting, Performance & Security (FCAPS)3:02
TMN Model Implementation in Mobile Networks1:09
Explore the TMN model in mobile networks through its layered structure, with the network element layer housing the radio access network, transport network, core network, and application servers.
Element Management System (EMS)1:09
Network Management System (NMS)0:51
Network Operations Center (NOC)1:51
Operate and monitor the network infrastructure and services from a centralized network operations center, staffed 24/7 to detect faults, resolve outages, and support customers with FCAPS reports.

From TMN to Telecom Operation Map (TOM) Model3:08
From TOM to enhanced Telecom Operations Map (eTOM)2:44
eTOM Level 01:25
eTOM-Horizontal Level 1 Process Groupings2:42
Explore level one horizontal eTOM groupings, including marketing and offer management, service development and management, resource development and management, and supply chain development and management, viewed through the CIO lens.
eTOM-Vertical Level 1 Process Groupings4:30
eTOM Enterprise Management1:10
eTOM Level 2 Business Processes2:15
eTOM Level 3 Business Processes2:27
eTOM Level 4 Business Processes1:20

Requirements

Understanding of Basic Telecom and Mobile Networks' Architecture

Description

OSS (Operation Support System) & BSS (Business Support System) are critical IT systems that support a wide variety of telecommunications services. Made up of a collection of hardware and software tools, these systems are the foundation of the telecommunications industry. While OSS and BSS serve different purposes in different areas of telecommunications, both systems help telecom organisations streamline day-to-day processes, boost productivity and overcome an array of industry challenges. Both systems are essential to the smooth operation of telecommunications networks, but they have different roles.

BSS systems are responsible for managing the business aspects of a telecommunications company. This includes functions such as customer management, billing and invoicing, product management, and revenue management. BSS systems help telecommunications companies to manage their operations more efficiently, reducing costs and increasing revenue.

On the other hand, OSS systems are responsible for managing the technical aspects of a telecommunications network. This includes network monitoring and management, fault management, performance management, and provisioning. OSS systems help telecommunications companies to manage their networks more effectively, reducing downtime and improving the quality of service.

Both BSS and OSS systems are critical to the success of telecommunications companies. While BSS systems help companies to manage their business operations, OSS systems help companies to manage their technical operations. Both systems work together to ensure that telecommunications companies can provide high-quality services to their customers.

Overall, BSS and OSS systems are critical components of modern telecommunications networks. They help companies to manage their operations more efficiently, reduce costs, and improve the quality of service. As telecommunications networks become more complex and the demand for high-quality services increases, BSS and OSS systems will continue to play a crucial role in the success of telecommunications companies.

Who this course is for:

Anyone interested to learn about BSS/OSS

A Beginners Guide To Telecom BSS/OSS for Mobile Networks

What you'll learn

Explore related topics

Course content

Introduction6 lectures • 13min

A Generic Process Flow for a Service & its Basic Building Blocks5 lectures • 11min

Evolution & Generic Architecture of Mobile Communication Systems3 lectures • 6min

Charging & Billing in 2G GSM Networks12 lectures • 29min

Charging & Billing in 3G UMTS & 4G LTE Networks20 lectures • 47min

Charging & Billing in 5G Networks8 lectures • 20min

Interconnect & its Billing3 lectures • 8min

Roaming & its Billing8 lectures • 16min

Telecommunications Management Network (TMN) Model by ITU-T7 lectures • 13min

enhanced Telecommunication Map (eTOM)9 lectures • 22min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: