AN OPERATIONAL SUPPORT STRUCTURE FOR A TELECOMMUNICATIONS NETWORK

A support structure for an operational telecommunications network deploys a set of individual technologies and provides a set of services to customers. The support structure is divided into a set of domains each of which provides a particular management function for the network. These domains include a domain for managing customer handling functions, a domain for managing the network, a domain for managing the individual technologies deployed in the network, a domain for managing instances of the individual services provided by the network, a domain for managing billing operations, a domain for managing the services provided by the network when grouped together to form a portfolio, and a domain for managing jobs performed by the human workforce for the network. Each domain has its own set of databases and systems for performing the required management operations and also interfaces to some of the other domains. Each domain is implemented by one or more tightly integrated computers. The interfaces between the domains are primarily message passing interfaces.