OBF creates the collaborative standards and solutions that ensure accurate billing for the industry’s core services as well as emerging innovations. It is the industry’s go-to resource for resolving key issues and creating ordering, billing, provisioning and exchange of information solutions about access services as well as other connectivity between telecommunications customers and providers.
Highlights:
- OBF is responsible for the development of documents to enable automated exchange of information needed to support Local, Access, and Wireless service ordering, along with the standards for inter-company billing and record exchange, for IP-based and TDM-based networks, a full listing of documents is available in the Documents tab.
- The Emergency Procedures for Requested Delay of Access Order Implementation defines a process for addressing an event that may jeopardize the Access Service Ordering Guidelines (ASOG) implementation date, which is the cutover date when companies upgrade their systems from one version of the ASOG to the next version.
Subgroups
Mission: The Billing and Record Exchange (B&RE) Committee focus is on the development of requirements and implementation standards for inter-company billing and record exchange for the evolving packet based network as well as the traditional PSTN network.
The B&RE Committee is responsible for maintaining the following documents:
- Multiple Exchange Carrier Access Billing (MECAB) Document
- Small Exchange Carrier Access Billing (SECAB) Document
- Carrier Access Billing (CABS) Auxiliary Report Specifications (CARS) Document
- CABS Primary Inter-Exchange Carrier Charge (PICC) Dispute File Specifications Document
- Dispute File Specifications Document
- Exchange Message Interface (EMI) Documentation
- Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) Transaction Sets (TS):
- 811 TS – Consolidated Service Invoice/Statement
- 820 TS – Payment Order/Remittance Advice
- 824 TS – Application Advice
- 864 TS – Text Message
Chair
Shelia Goodwin, AT&T
Mission: Ordering Solutions develops the requirements, implementation, and message transmission standards for inter-company ordering and provisioning of emerging technologies as well as the traditional telecom services of access, local and wireless.
Scope: The Ordering Solutions Committee:
- Coordinates and develops business requirements, implementation models and specifications for inter-carrier ordering. This encompasses ordering and provisioning of interconnection/access services, local services, wireless and intermodal (wireless to wireline, wireline to wireless).
- Works collaboratively with other national industry working groups, for example LNPA WG, to develop standards to address FCC mandates, such as those related to number portability.
- Reviews working documents of other ATIS forums addressing evolving technologies, such as Cloud Services Forum, PTSC, etc., provides feedback and develops the associated ordering requirements and implementation specifications following the Unified Modeling Approach (UMA Process).
- Develops and maintains the UMA Process and Guiding Principles documentation and work with other ATIS forums to ensure alignment across groups.
- A Joint Development Agreement between OBF and the Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF) was signed in 2013, initiating collaboration between the OS Committee and the MEF to develop an international Ethernet ordering standard. The primary work effort will take place under the auspices of the OS Committee, with significant input and participation from the Access Service Ordering Subcommittee. The new output will be jointly owned by OBF and MEF. All of the information (e.g. documentation, modeling data, etc.) related to the project covered in the JDA is housed on a joint password-protected wiki page hosted by the MEF.
- MEF EVC Service Attribute to ATIS Mappings
- Standardized Ethernet Service Order Specifications Project Calls and Meetings
- Standards for IP-based services are done within the OS committee. To further address traditional telecom services, the following committees exist within OBF:
- Access Service Ordering
- Local Service Ordering
- Wireless Service Ordering
Mission: The Access Service Ordering Committee is responsible for developing, evolving and managing the documentation of all industry processes that support business practices as well as emerging technologies associated with the ordering and provisioning of Interconnection Services, Access Services, and the associated ordering interfaces.
Scope: The Access Service Ordering Committee:
- Coordinates and develops business requirements, implementation models and specifications for inter-carrier ordering and provisioning of interconnection/access services. The following documents are supported:
- Access Service Ordering Guidelines (ASOG)
- Access Service Request (ASR) Mechanized Interface Specifications (Mech Specs)
- Design Layout Report Industry Support Interface (DLR ISI)
- Multiple Exchange Carrier Ordering and Design (MECOD)
- Telecommunications Service Priority (TSP) System Guidelines for Access Service
- Trunk Group Service Request (TGSR)
- Unified Ordering Model – Access Service Request (UOM-ASR) Vol. I, II and III
- Works collaboratively with other national industry working groups to develop standards, address FCC mandates and support evolving technologies. For example:
- Common Language TAG
- Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF)
- Reviews working documents of other ATIS forums addressing evolving technologies, such as Cloud Services Forum, PTSC, etc., provides feedback and supports the associated ordering requirements and implementation specifications following the Unified Modeling Approach (UMA Process).
Co-Chairs
Joan Graff, Ericsson
Vacant
Mission The Local Service Ordering Committee develops the requirements and implementation standards for inter-company ordering and provisioning of traditional local telecom services.
Scope: The Local Service Ordering Committee is responsible for developing, evolving and managing local service processes.
The Local Service Ordering Committee:
- Defines information models, electronic interface specifications (e.g. XML) and implementation guidelines using the Unified Modeling Approach (UMA).
- Develops all associated local service pre-ordering, ordering, provisioning* and post-ordering business processes and corresponding documentation management.
- Works collaboratively with national industry groups to develop local standards.
- Reviews working documents of other ATIS forums addressing evolving technologies and provides feedback on the associated local ordering requirements.
* Provisioning is inclusive of the design functions up through issuance of the installation work document.
Co-Chairs
Randee Ryan, Comcast
Mission The Wireless Service Ordering Committee is responsible for identifying, discussing and resolving technical and operational issues related to wireless communication interfaces and associated processes. The Wireless Intercarrier Communication Interface Specification (WICIS) document is managed under the purview of this committee.
Scope: The Wireless Service Ordering Committee is responsible for developing, evolving and managing wireless service processes.
The Wireless Service Ordering Committee:
- Defines information models, electronic interface specifications and implementation guidelines using the Unified Modeling Approach (UMA).
- Works collaboratively with national industry groups to develop wireless and intermodal number portability standards.
- Reviews working documents of other ATIS forums and provides feedback on the associated wireless and intermodal requirements.
Co-Chairs
Deb Tucker, Verizon Wireless
Teresa Patton, AT&T