This IDC study presents the key concepts and structures of the operational support system (OSS) and billing market, including IDC's market taxonomy. This document outlines the foundation for IDC's research into OSS and billing opportunities at service providers (SPs) and within the telecommunications industry. It may be used as a reference for market segmentation and as a general overview of market forces. It explores the industry impact of telecommunications industry competition, SP spending choices, packaging/delivery models, regional and emerging market considerations, and the rise of Linux as well as technology advances in networks, software, and hardware. The factors influencing spending shifts, industry growth, SP competitive advantage, and OSS and billing vendor competitiveness are also discussed.

"As service providers begin investing in next-generation network technologies, they are recognizing the important role that their OSS and billing systems play in the success of the services and packages they plan to roll out and are looking to implement solutions that help them achieve their business goals, as opposed to just addressing a technological requirement," says Shira Levine, senior research analyst, Next-Generation OSS and Billing.