Two leading telecommunications network solutions providers, ZTE and Nokia Networks, have signed a Cross-Licensing Agreement on operation supporting systems (OSS) within the framework of OSSii (www.ossii.net).
The goal of OSSii is to facilitate the interoperability between the network management systems of different vendors in the telecommunications infrastructure industry, so that the cost of service updates in a multivendor environment can be reduced. According to the MoU of OSSii, that should be achieved through bilateral negotiations and agreements between the vendors.
The new agreement aims to further encourage open ecosystems and to boost the innovation of multi-vendor CEM and OSS solutions for the benefit of operators and the whole communications ecosystem that depends on highly performing networks.
On March 24, 2015, ZTE expressed its commitment to OSSii through a press release, followed by engagement in bilateral negotiations with several vendors. The agreement signed with Nokia Networks is the result of this engagement and it includes a Cross-Licensing Agreement for the north bound interface for wireless communication systems as well as a mutual test service agreement.
According to the agreement, both sides will provide each other with related technical documents and interface testing environments. This agreement will improve the interoperability between OSS interfaces and, as such, will benefit the operators with reduced cost and shortened time-to-market of new services.
After signing the agreement, Dr. Zhenge Sun, ZTE Vice President, emphasised the importance of the cooperation:
“ZTE is striving for a continued reduction of costs and complexity of the network management and operation, so that service update time for its customers can be further reduced. By signing the OSSii Cross-Licensing Agreement with Nokia Networks today, ZTE has again demonstrated to the industry its determination and ability of improving the OSS interoperability”.