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How Hansen is Pioneering the Telecoms Landscape of Tomorrow

Insights How Hansen is Pioneering the Telecoms Landscape of Tomorrow
Brian Cappellani
Written By

Brian Cappellani

 

Digital Transformation World Copenhagen (DTW) 2023 has wrapped up, offering a treasure trove of practical insights and debates that are reshaping the telecoms sector as we know it. For Hansen, the event presented a prime opportunity to showcase how our advanced solutions are finely attuned to the sector’s rapidly evolving technological landscape. Our VP of Technology Strategy, Brian Cappellani, was on hand to share his expert views. Let’s delve into some of the pivotal themes and insights that caught our attention. 

Autonomous Networks 

One of the hottest topics of DTW 2023 was autonomous networks. As service providers look for efficient ways to manage the complexities of modern networks, AI and intent-driven capabilities are becoming critical components. This theme aligns closely with the work Hansen has undertaken in the Digital Services Marketplace catalyst, with Cognizant. 

Phase five of the Digital Services Marketplace linked in nicely to this theme as this year we focused on Quality of Service (QoS) metrics to guarantee network performance for next-gen applications like smart healthcare and facility management.  

By delivering Connectivity-as-a-Service (CaaS), powered by  AI, the solution monitors for network anomalies and instigates self-healing mechanisms upon detecting disruption patterns. If an issue arises and the network degrades to outside the SLA, the network automatically provisions the required resources to swiftly restore performance. 

With Hansen Catalog as a core foundation to the solution, these service quality attributes can be fully modelled and expressed through the TM Forum 921 intent management API that integrates with AI engines to further enable the autonomous management of network performance. 

The Role of AI 

Artificial Intelligence is not just a buzzword; it’s a reality that’s transforming how customer journeys and interactions will be managed in the telecoms sector. Hansen used DTW to exhibit the importance of how clean, consistent data is essential for maximising AI’s capabilities, especially within a commercial setting.  

We demonstrated this at our booth through our Hansen Informatics platform, which feeds real-time event-based commercial and customer information into AI algorithms. Our showcase involved integration with Google’s Retail recommendation engine and Hansen CPQ. The result was the effortless ability for Hansen CPQ to surface the most relevant products, services and offers to customers, during their journey. Furthermore, with Hansen CPQ omnichannel capabilities, AI-driven enhanced selling capability can be replicated across any sales channel. 

New Monetisation Strategies 

A pivotal topic at DTW 2023 was the transformation of monetisation models in telecoms, moving CSPs towards becoming Digital Service Providers (DSPs). Captured succinctly by the phrase “From Telco to Techco,” this shift underscores the need for agility and experimentation in market offerings. 

There is a great deal of learning to be done over the next few years as 5G and other major network investments need to be monetised, providing greater return on those investments, and CSPs must have the capabilities to learn without excessive expenditure.  

This theme plays nicely into Hansen core value proposition as we as a business are uniquely positioned to equip Communication Service Providers (CSPs) with the tools they need to achieve commercial agility – the ability to rapidly respond to market changes and evolving customer needs. The ability to quickly experiment with new market propositions and assess their effectiveness based on metrics is the cornerstone of our solution.  

Beyond the Core Themes: TM Forum Standards and Awards 

Of course, at any DTW event, there is a focus on the TM Forum standards and initiatives. This year, the spotlight was on the Open Digital Architecture (ODA), and the Component Canvas. Hansen was honoured to receive the prestigious “Ready for ODA” status, a recognition given to only a select few vendors. This award recognises the investment and commitment of Hansen to the Forum’s initiatives and our level of investment, where we have consistently contributed to the evolution of the ODA standards and definitions and are continuing to lead the Canvas conformance workstream. Moreover, this serves as a clear indicator to the market and our customers that Hansen is actively future proofing its technology in alignment with what customers are asking for. 

DTW 2023 was an exceptional event that underscored the evolving dynamics within the telecoms industry. The recognition Hansen received, both in terms of awards and the alignment of our technology with emerging themes, demonstrates that we are on the right track. We continue to make strides in providing CSPs with the solutions they need to be agile, efficient, and future-ready.

Hear more from Brian Cappellani, Vice President of Technology Strategy on the future of AI, Automation, and Autonomous Networks and discover Commercial Agility – what Hansen is considering the key to 5G monetisation.

 

1. What does “modernise with precision” mean for Tier-1 telecom operators?

“Modernise with precision” describes a low-risk, targeted approach to BSS/OSS modernisation where operators upgrade only the parts of their digital stack that create the greatest impact. Instead of embarking on high-risk, multi-year full-stack replacements, Tier-1 telcos selectively introduce cloud-native BSS/OSS, API-driven telecom architecture, AI-ready data layers, and TMF-compliant BSS components.
This modular strategy reduces cost and disruption, allowing operators to strengthen areas such as product agility, order orchestration, customer experience, and operational efficiency while maintaining stability in core environments. It aligns directly with TM Forum’s Open Digital Architecture (ODA), which encourages a composable, interoperable, future-proof approach to telco transformation.

2. Why is time-to-market so important for telecom monetisation today?

Telecom monetisation increasingly depends on the ability to respond quickly to new commercial opportunities – from enterprise IoT solutions and digital services to 5G monetisation, wholesale partnerships, and B2B vertical offerings. In this environment, operators that can design, package, and activate new services in days rather than months gain a clear revenue advantage.
Legacy catalogues, rigid product hierarchies, and tightly coupled BSS architectures make rapid innovation difficult. Modern operators therefore prioritise catalog-driven architecture, agile/composable BSS, and cloud-native BSS capabilities to give business teams control over offer creation without relying on long IT delivery cycles. Faster launch cycles = faster monetisation.

 

3. What is slowing down product launch cycles for many telcos?

The primary obstacles are deeply entrenched in legacy architecture: hard-coded product models, outdated catalogues, nonstandard integrations, and heavy IT dependencies. These constraints slow down even minor product changes, creating friction between commercial teams and IT.
Modern telcos are replacing these bottlenecks with TMF-compliant BSS, cloud-native catalogues, API-driven BSS integrated via TMF Open APIs, and low/no-code configuration tools. These solutions allow product owners to create and test offers independently, ensuring the Digital BSS backbone supports true agility.

4. How can telecom operators reduce order fallout and manual intervention?

Order fallout typically stems from fragmented systems, inconsistent data models, and brittle custom integrations across BSS/OSS chains. When orchestration spans numerous legacy systems, even small discrepancies can cause orders to fail.
Operators can dramatically reduce fallout rates by adopting zero-touch service orchestration, modern order management modernisation, end-to-end automation, and a unified data model across their Digital OSS and Digital BSS layers. Cloud-native telecom systems and order orchestration for telecom remove reliance on manual rework, minimise delays, and improve service accuracy – all essential to delivering predictable customer experiences.

5. Why is accuracy so important for B2B and wholesale customer experience?

For enterprise and wholesale customers, trust is built on precision. A single misquote, incorrect configuration, or missed activation can lead to delays, SLA breaches, revenue disputes, and strained relationships. These segments rely on highly controlled, predictable fulfilment processes – particularly as operators expand into 5G edge services, network slicing, managed security, and outcome-based contracts.
Improving accuracy requires strengthening the underlying architecture – through modern CPQ for telecom, clean data models, cloud-native BSS/OSS, and robust API-driven telecom architecture. When quoting, ordering, provisioning, and billing are accurate, customer satisfaction increases naturally.

6. How does cloud, AI, and API-driven architecture support telecom modernisation?

Cloud-native platforms provide the scalability, flexibility, and deployment speed needed to support modern telecom services. AI introduces intelligence into operations, enabling predictive analytics, anomaly detection, and proactive assurance. APIs – especially TMF Open APIs – ensure new components integrate cleanly with legacy systems.
Together, AI-powered BSS/OSS, cloud-native architecture, and API-driven integration create a digital foundation that supports continuous innovation, reduces technical debt, and enables operators to deliver new services more efficiently. This trio is central to future-proofing the telco stack.

7. What is TM Forum’s Open Digital Architecture (ODA) and why does it matter?

TM Forum’s Open Digital Architecture (ODA) is an industry-standard framework designed to help telcos simplify, modularise, and modernise their BSS/OSS environments. ODA promotes interoperability, composability, and openness so operators can integrate new capabilities without heavy customisation or vendor lock-in.
For Tier-1 operators, ODA serves as a blueprint for transitioning from monolithic legacy stacks to cloud-native, API-driven, modular BSS/OSS infrastructure. By adopting ODA-aligned solutions, operators speed up integration, lower deployment risk, and reduce long-term operational cost.

8. How is Hansen involved in TM Forum and ODA?

Hansen aligns its architecture directly to TM Forum’s ODA principles and has contributed to the development of one of TM Forum’s recognised industry standards. This reinforces a commitment not just to following best practices, but to shaping them.
Hansen’s portfolio of cloud-native, AI-powered, API-driven Digital BSS/OSS modules is built on TMF Open APIs and composable design principles. This ensures seamless interoperability in multivendor environments and helps operators modernise safely and incrementally.

9. Can operators modernise their BSS/OSS without a full-stack replacement?

Yes – and in fact, most Tier-1 operators now prefer incremental transformation. Full-stack replacement is high risk, slow, and expensive. By contrast, modular modernisation allows operators to introduce new BSS/OSS capabilities – catalogues, orchestration layers, charging engines, customer management, monetisation components – without destabilising the existing ecosystem.
This approach reduces risk, accelerates value, and aligns with ODA’s principles of composability and openness. Operators can modernise at their own pace while still maintaining service continuity.

10. How does modular modernisation reduce risk?

Modular transformation focuses on improving specific parts of the architecture – such as product agility, order accuracy, unified data, or 5G monetisation – without changing everything at once. Each module is integrated, tested, and scaled independently, which reduces disruption and improves predictability.
It also allows operators to retire legacy systems gradually, reducing technical debt over time while still realising near-term efficiency and revenue gains. This is why agile/composable BSS is now the preferred model for Tier-1 telecom transformation.

11. What operational improvements can telcos expect from a unified data model?

A unified, AI-ready data model brings real-time visibility across commercial and operational processes, enabling faster decision-making and more reliable service execution. It also allows operators to detect issues earlier, automate root cause analysis, and reduce order fallout.
This consistent data foundation is essential for AI-powered BSS/OSS, predictive assurance, next-best-action recommendations, and advanced analytics. It ultimately improves operational efficiency, accuracy, and customer experience – three core pillars of modern telecom performance.

12. Why is Customer Experience (CX) tightly linked to operational excellence?

Most customer experience problems – delays, incorrect orders, billing errors, missed SLAs – originate from inefficiencies within the internal BSS/OSS engine. When operators modernise their Digital BSS/OSS processes, eliminate manual workarounds, and ensure accurate orchestration and service activation, the customer experience improves naturally.
This is particularly true for enterprise and wholesale customers, where CX is defined by precision, predictability, and contract performance. Improving CX requires improving the processes beneath it.

13. How do Hansen’s solutions fit into a Tier-1 telco transformation strategy?

Hansen provides cloud-native, API-driven, TMF-compliant, AI-powered Digital BSS/OSS modules that integrate smoothly into hybrid and legacy environments. Operators can use them to strengthen catalog agility, automate order flows, unify data, enhance monetisation, or improve service reliability – without needing to replace their entire BSS/OSS stack.
This flexibility supports transformation at the operator’s own pace, aligned to business priorities, regulatory requirements, and commercial objectives.

14. What benefits can operators expect from a layered or hybrid modernisation approach?

A layered or hybrid approach allows operators to combine existing systems with cloud-native components, enabling transformation without disruption. Key benefits include:
• Faster time-to-market for new offers
• Improved order accuracy and reduced fallout
• Lower cost-to-serve through automation
• Stronger customer experience
• Gradual reduction of technical debt
• Alignment with ODA and modular architecture principles
This approach balances stability with innovation – ideal for Tier-1 operators.

15. How do industry standards such as ODA accelerate telecom digital transformation?

Industry standards like TM Forum ODA and TMF Open APIs reduce integration complexity, promote interoperability, and give operators a trusted blueprint for modernisation. They ensure that new BSS/OSS components can plug into existing environments without custom engineering.
By reducing dependence on bespoke integrations and enabling modular deployment, standards significantly lower long-term cost and accelerate transformation across the business. They also future proof the architecture for new technologies, including AI, automation, and 5G service innovation.


 
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