As more and more wholesale operators who sell connectivity and other digital services implement LSO APIs, the need to streamline onboarding by buyers becomes even more important.
The MEF LSO Springboard program provides wholesale operators with a framework for easy access to testing and certification services to validate LSO API implementations. The program dramatically reduces the onboarding effort and time required by retail service provider customers.
Whether you are a buyer, seller, or both when it comes to automating your ecosystem you need to be able to onboard, test, and maintain interoperability with multiple partners on an ongoing basis.
Wholesale operators are increasingly being asked by their large retail service provider customers to implement open standard LSO APIs for automated pre-order, order, and post-order interactions between them. By implementing LSO APIs, these wholesale operators can generate more revenue by selling more products to more customers. However, their initial business case for implementing LSO APIs often relies on current business volumes with one customer. Making the business case for the initial implementation easier is a key objective of the LSO Springboard program.
Conversely, buyers who want their partners to use LSO APIs need to be able to onboard them quickly with minimal effort. For this reason, buyers are keen to motivate their wholesale partners to use the MEF LSO Onboarding & Interop Test (OIT) Service and MEF LSO API Certification.
The LSO OIT service enables companies to develop and test their implementations extensively ahead of any buyer-specific onboarding. LSO API certification increases the level of confidence of buyers in general in that the seller has implemented LSO APIs according to MEF standards and they are ready for interoperation.
The LSO Springboard program is a MEF framework within which wholesale operators can access specific MEF services without being MEF members so long as they are “sponsored” by one or more MEF member buyers and participate according to the rules of the program.
The LSO Springboard program will evolve based on the needs of LSO buyers and LSO sellers who participate in the program, and will incorporate lessons learned.
Who is eligible to join the LSO Springboard program?
Any wholesale operator selling connectivity services to one or more MEF member companies that has implemented LSO APIs on the “buy side” and is itself planning to implement LSO APIs on the “sell side.”
How does a wholesale operator participate in the LSO Springboard program?
Any wholesale operator can request sponsorship to participate in the program from one or more of its service provider customers who have implemented LSO APIs and are a current MEF member. If the MEF member agrees to sponsor the wholesale operator, MEF will continue the process directly with the wholesale operator.
A wholesale operator in the Asia Pacific region is made aware that its sole international service provider customer is keen to have all their wholesale connectivity service partners implement open standard LSO APIs so that they can automate business processes between them. Currently, quote and order interactions between them are handled by a proprietary API.
The Asia Pacific wholesale operator decides that it will implement the LSO APIs for interoperability with its current international service provider customer for two reasons—primarily, to increase their competitive edge over other wholesale operator suppliers of their service provider customer; secondly, to increase the potential for revenue from other retail service providers that have also implemented an LSO API on the buy side.
After requesting sponsorship from its service provider customer, the wholesale operator engages with an LSO Solution Provider for its first LSO API implementation (LSO Quote), uses the LSO OIT service to test the implementation during integration, and then certifies the LSO API—all through the LSO Springboard program. It is then introduced to other LSO buyers who use the LSO Quote API to receive quotes from the wholesale operator, resulting in new business from multiple service provider customers.
The LSO Springboard program is a unique framework for wholesale operators to join the rapidly growing ecosystem of open standard business automation for connectivity and other digital services.