Multi Technology Operations System Interface

Description

The Multi Technology Operations System Interface (MTOSI) is a key TM Forum standard, referenced in 3GPP, that defines a web services-based interface for communication between Operations Support Systems (OSS) and Network Management Systems (NMS) or Element Management Systems (EMS). It is the successor to earlier CORBA-based interfaces like MTNM's Itf-N, leveraging modern SOA (Service-Oriented Architecture) principles. MTOSI works by exposing a set of standardized XML-based web services (SOAP/HTTP) that allow an OSS to perform management operations on network resources. Its architecture is built upon the TM Forum's NGOSS (Next Generation Operations Systems and Software) framework and utilizes the Shared Information/Data Model (SID) to ensure a common understanding of managed entities like services, resources, and customers. Key components include service contracts defining operations such as notification, inventory, and activation, and detailed message schemas for exchanging management data. The interface supports critical functions like service provisioning, inventory synchronization, fault management, and service assurance. By providing a standardized, technology-agnostic communication layer, MTOSI enables different OSS applications—such as fulfillment, assurance, and billing—to interact seamlessly with underlying network management systems, regardless of the vendor or technology of the managed network elements. This facilitates automated, end-to-end service lifecycle management.

Purpose & Motivation

MTOSI was developed to modernize and simplify the integration between OSS and network management layers, addressing limitations of earlier interface technologies like CORBA. As networks grew more complex with the introduction of 3G, 4G, and IMS, the need for faster, more flexible, and cost-effective OSS integration became critical. Proprietary and technology-specific interfaces led to high integration costs, long development cycles, and brittle systems that were difficult to maintain and upgrade. The TM Forum created MTOSI to leverage widely adopted web services standards (XML, SOAP, WSDL), which offer greater interoperability, easier firewall traversal, and a richer ecosystem of development tools compared to CORBA. Its adoption into 3GPP specifications provided a standardized method for 3GPP network management systems to expose their capabilities to OSS applications. The primary goals were to reduce integration time and cost, improve agility in deploying new OSS applications, and enable more automated and efficient operational processes. By standardizing the information model and communication protocol, MTOSI allows operators to mix and match best-of-breed OSS applications and network equipment from different vendors, fostering a more competitive and innovative ecosystem.