A framework for semantic telco process management - An industrial case study

The increasing complexity, the highly dynamic environment and the changing customers´ needs in the Telecommunication sector present considerable challenges to achieve satisfactory service outcomes. Therefore, seeking reuse, automation and flexibility in Telco´s processes turn into a pressing need. However, due to the lack of formal semantic information, dynamic and adaptive processes cannot be set up. Semantic business process management (SBPM), which aims at achieving more automation and flexibility in the BPM lifecyle by using semantic technologies, has recently gained a huge interest in both research and industry market. In this paper, we show how the theoretical benefits of SBPM can be made a reality in a real industry case study. Within a collaboration with Orange labs, we define a semantic framework for advanced Telco´s workflow management. The framework has been implemented on the top of existing web-based platforms for business process design and execution and validated using standard service supervision processes from Orange labs. As a result, the benefits and limitations of using SBPM in a real Telco´s setting are reported.