What the hell is an SDP?
One of the challenges operators face in implementing service delivery platforms is navigating through the vendor jargon. Different vendors have been known to use the term "Service Delivery Platform," "Service Delivery Framework" or "Service Delivery Environment" to describe the same basic concept, even though the details may be different.
Moriana Group and the TM Forum offer this list of characteristics that every SDP should have, regardless of the name.
- A layered architecture that follows the principles of service-oriented architecture (SOA) to facilitate integration with service providers' operations and business support systems
- A foundation of standard commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) hardware and software
- Open communications and IT standards rather than vendor-specific solutions
- Common execution environments, data repositories and sets of standardized service enablers to be shared by services and applications running on the SDP
An ability to expose selected network and service capabilities to third parties in a managed and secure way.