NaaS

Network as a Service transformation

Through NaaS transformation, CSPs gain business agility, functional independence between IT and networks and greater re-use of abstracted services.

NaaS: Foundation for Telco to become a NetCo?

The CEO playbook outlines why the current operating model of the traditional integrated telco needs to change if they are to drive a series of previously unobtainable efficiencies. Therefore individual CSPs must make big decisions about where they want to play in the ecosystem:

The asset-light ServCo component of any future CSP needs to be extremely flexible and predictive of market demand
The asset–heavy NetCo component of any future CSP needs to be hyper-efficient, which means a strategic laser focus on automation and simplification.

Network as a Service (NaaS) is a critical foundation for telco-to-techco transformation and becoming a platform service provider, and it is widely seen as a digital enabler to deliver on-demand network services to enterprise and developer ecosystems.

CEO playbook: designed to drive practical action

NaaS transformation hides the complexity

NaaS transformation explained

Key benefits of NaaS transformation

Decouples separation of concerns between Core Commerce Management and Production.
Enables faster time to market for creating new products and offers.
Exposes network capabilities to external developers, partners, and customers.
Uses the same set of APIs for service lifecycle operations, independent of technology.
Enables E2E service lifecycle and management across technology silos.

Watch this animation, where Johanne Mayer, a TM Forum Distinguished Fellow and ODA expert, describes the relevance (or why and how) of NaaS transformation.

TM Forum members have been working on NaaS transformation through collaboration projects, Catalysts, and in person events since 2018 to deliver a detailed portfolio of assets and use cases. Joining the E2E ODA project allows you to participate in the NaaS transformation collaboration project, working with industry leaders to create the future evolutions of NaaS.

Learn more about the NaaS project

Join End to End ODA project

NaaS proven to deliver results

The Automating NaaS Lambda (λ) Services Catalyst project, led by AT&T with Amdocs, IBM, Tech Mahindra, and CIENA / Blueplanet, showed how an enterprise customer could use a self-service portal to order a 100G wavelength service connecting sites in Houston and Atlanta. The team used NaaS principles to define and expose reusable services by decomposing the E2E wavelength service into a Tail service (servicing each end points), a Reconfigurable Optical Add/Drop Multiplexer (ROADM) or Open ROADM service, as well as a LAG service. From the set of atomic and modular services, the Catalyst reused the ROADM and O-ROADM service to create a new Wholesale Wavelength Product for B2B customers.

This Catalyst project showed how CSPs can reduce the “complexity” of network to IT integration, whilst reducing costs and time to market to create new products and offers by leveraging TM Forum technology-agnostic Open APIs.

NaaS transformation

The NaaS transformation guideline document (IG1224) helps both IT (Core Commerce Management) and Production domain solution designers and architects build working solutions by providing them with sample use cases showing how the NaaS Transformation can be done. It describes how to use the TM Forum Open Digital Architecture (ODA) assets to expose and manage the lifecycle of the production domain capabilities (such as any network technologies, media, applications, etc.) as services.

Today a service is managed by organization silos and there is not an E2E owner for the complete 'service' lifecycle. NaaS is about providing best practices for the production domain ownership of E2E responsibility of the complete service lifecycle.

Learn more in our information guide NaaS transformation (IG1224)

Where to start on your NaaS transformation journey

The NaaS transformation project team which includes CSPs, vendors and system integrators who, together, created a comprehensive set of documents that helps any operator define and build out their NaaS transformation.

(Note: most of these documents are for members only).

Playbook: How can I simplify the consumption of connectivity for my enterprise customers?

Learn how to enable the consumption of connectivity for my Enterprise customers, your readiness and its potential.

Open Digital Framework Terminology (TMF071)

The glossary contains terms from EBA, DPRA, ODA and ODF documentation published in Releases 15.0 up to 21.5, as well as some Release 22.0 documents.

Network as a Service (NaaS) Package (IG1170)

This is the first draft of a package for specifying and realizing Network as a Service across multiple technology domains, many of which are defined by individual Service Providers.

Network as a Service (NaaS) API Component Suite Profile (TMF909A)

This document sets out to define the API Component Suite in support of a set of Customer Facing Services which are utilized to deliver product offers and product offer bundles. These services are referred to collectively as Connectivity as a Service.

How to use ODA – Using Open APIs to realize Use Cases (IG1228)

This document's objective is to illustrate through various simple use cases that show how ODA can be used to create growth, drive efficiency savings and improve customer experience within your organisation

NaaS Service Management (IG1224)

This guideline focuses on the service fulfillment function of the lifecycle. This Service Fulfillment User Guide will help both IT and domain solution designers and architects build working solutions by providing them with sample use cases showing how this can be done.

End to End ODA Project

The End to End ODA project captures the voice of the members to ensure that ODA assets from different teams converge, join up, and are usable..

Project details

Improve your skills with training

Why not upskill yourself with one or more of our Fundamental Transformational courses:

Digital Business Ecosystems Fundamentals course

The way we do business and offer services is transforming, with services often involving complex groupings of partners and suppliers.

Using industry best practices, the ecosystem modeling framework and industry use cases, this training course will enable you to understand how ecosystems are changing the fundamentals of the business world.

Digital Maturity & Transformation Fundamentals

An introductory course describing digital transformation and maturity, its importance and key drivers.

Get an introduction to TM Forum’s perspective on digital maturity and transformation, why it is important and how to get the organization’s digital transformation started or accelerate its progress.

Related content