Scaling Telecom operations with BOAT and Open Digital Architecture

The telecommunications industry is undergoing a significant transformation driven by the increasing demand for faster and more reliable services. As networks expand and services become more complex, telecom operators face operational challenges related to process efficiency, regulatory compliance, and the integration of legacy and modern infrastructures.

To address these challenges, adopting TM Forum’s Open Digital Architecture (ODA) alongside Business Orchestration and Automation Technologies (BOAT) is essential. This approach standardizes workflows, eliminates manual inefficiencies, and ensures interoperability across diverse technology stacks, allowing operators to scale their operations efficiently while maintaining high service quality.

How Open Digital Architecture (ODA) Enables Scalable Telecom Services

EntODA provides a modular and standardized framework that enhances interoperability between legacy systems and next-generation digital services. By leveraging TM Forum’s Open APIs, telecom providers can integrate business processes, ensuring a scalable and automated ecosystem.

Key APIs for Process Automation in Telecom

Several Open APIs play a crucial role in automating telecom operations:

• TMF620 (Product Catalog Management) – Standardizes how product offerings are created and managed.
• TMF632 (Resource Inventory Management) – Enables real-time visibility into available network resources.
• TMF641 (Service Order Management) – Automates order processing and service fulfillment.
• TMF648 (Service Inventory Management) – Ensures seamless tracking of active services and infrastructure.

By integrating these APIs into automation workflows, telecom providers can accelerate service delivery, improve resource utilization, and enhance operational efficiency.

Automating Service Activation and Fault Management with Camunda 8

In sectors with dense infrastructOrchestrating communication between Operational Support Systems (OSS) and Business Support Systems (BSS) is a critical aspect of telecom process automation. Camunda 8 serves as a powerful orchestration engine that connects billing systems, customer service platforms, service provisioning, and network monitoring.

BPMN for Workflow Automation in Telecom

Using BPMN 2.0 modeling, Camunda enables the automation of complex workflows, ensuring efficient execution of service requests, network failure resolutions, and billing adjustments.

One of the most impactful use cases is automating service activation workflows. Traditionally, activating a telecom service involves multiple interactions between OSS and BSS systems, including:

1. Availability validation
2. Inventory checks
3. Network resource configuration
4. Customer notifications

With Camunda, this workflow can be modeled, automated, and executed dynamically, significantly reducing activation time and eliminating manual inefficiencies.

Similarly, fault management automation ensures that when an event is triggered by a monitoring system, an automated workflow is initiated to diagnose the issue, suggest corrective actions, and escalate the problem if necessary.

The Role of eTOM in Telecom Process Automation

The Enhanced Telecom Operations Map (eTOM) provides a structured framework for managing telecom operations efficiently. By integrating eTOM process domains with Camunda, telecom operators gain greater control over key workflows, ensuring process optimization and alignment with industry best practices.

Security automation and regulatory compliance are also enhanced through BOAT integration. Adopting a Zero Trust model, where authentication and authorization are continuously verified within workflows, ensures robust security enforcement. Additionally, CI/CD security pipelines automate compliance checks before system changes are deployed, reducing security risks and regulatory violations.

Real-world applications: automating Fiber Deployment with BOAT and Camunda

IA leading telecom operator successfully implemented BOAT with Camunda to streamline fiber deployment, achieving:

• 50% reduction in deployment time through workflow automation.
• 18% decrease in operational costs due to minimized manual interventions.
• 35% improvement in customer activation efficiency via automated partner validation and scheduling.

The project also introduced real-time service feasibility checks, optimizing site selection for network expansion. Seamless CRM and network provisioning integration improved workflow transparency and reduced operational bottlenecks.

Why NTConsult’s BOAT Framework is a game-changer

ANTConsult developed BOAT as a flexible and scalable framework for telecom process orchestration and automation. Unlike proprietary automation solutions from major OSS/BSS vendors such as Amdocs, Ericsson, and Nokia, BOAT is API-driven and aligned with TM Forum standards, ensuring greater flexibility and reduced vendor lock-in.

Security and compliance automation

With the rising threat of cyberattacks, security automation is a critical aspect of telecom process orchestration. BOAT enables:

• Automated compliance checks, ensuring systems adhere to regulatory standards.
• Real-time security monitoring, integrating AI-driven anomaly detection.
• Automated response workflows, mitigating cyber threats before escalation.

These capabilities ensure strong security governance across telecom networks while optimizing risk management.

AI-driven automation: the future of Telecom Operations

The evolution of telecom operations is moving toward an AI-driven and hyper-automated model. While traditional telecom workflows relied on manual processes and monolithic systems, the future lies in cognitive automation, machine-learning-based decision-making, and self-optimizing networks.

BOAT’s integration with ODA facilitates the transition to AI-Native Telco by enabling:

• Predictive analytics for real-time network optimization.
• Dynamic resource allocation based on AI-driven congestion forecasting.
• Automated customer service enhancement, improving response times and personalized offers.

A leading telecom operator that adopted BOAT’s AI-driven automation achieved:

• 40% reduction in mean time to resolution (MTTR).
• 30% improvement in customer service response times.
• Significant cost savings through predictive maintenance and automated incident response.

BOAT’s modular AI approach allows telecom providers to incrementally integrate AI capabilities across different operational layers, minimizing risks and ensuring a smooth transition to AI-driven automation.

The future of telecom operations lies in hyperautomation, where AI-powered processes replace traditional manual workflows. BOAT, ODA, and Camunda are leading this transformation, delivering:

• Higher operational efficiency
• Lower costs through automation
• Enhanced security and compliance
• Faster, more reliable customer experiences

Companies that embrace this automation-first approach will gain a competitive advantage, ensuring agility and scalability in an increasingly dynamic telecom landscape.

Next Steps

To explore how BOAT and ODA can optimize telecom automation, visit NTConsult’s Camunda Services or contact us for a consultation.