This IDC study forecasts the size of the worldwide OSS and billing systems market for 2011–2016 and provides segmentation, growth rates, and market share data as well as market analysis by major functional area (fulfillment, assurance, and billing) and major geographic region (North America; Europe, the Middle East, and Africa [EMEA]; Asia/Pacific [APAC]; and the rest of the world [ROW]).

According to Deb Osswald, research vice president, NGN Operations, "OSS and billing investments are critical to enabling CSPs to sustainably differentiate their offerings and drive profitable revenue growth. Taking into account the current global fiscal crisis and economic instability along with an increasingly crowded service provider landscape, fleeting customer loyalty, rapidly compressing margins, and high penetration rates, CSPs need to exploit every possible means to achieve a competitive advantage."

"Advanced technologies resident in today's OSS and billing systems, along with analytics and cloud, provide CSPs with several powerful ways to improve their organization's business and operational agility and flexibility so they are better positioned to capitalize on the many new revenue opportunities presented by an increasingly mobile and savvy population that continuously seeks a fresh supply of relevant and innovative offerings. Accordingly, IDC forecasts the global OSS and billing market for external spending to grow to $29.7 billion in 2016, at a 3.2% CAGR from $25.4 billion in 2011."