Your 5G network is live. The infrastructure investment is massive. The technology promises are real. But here's the uncomfortable question: can you actually monetize it fast enough to justify those billions in deployment costs?
The brutal truth facing telecom operators is that 5G technology has outpaced the systems needed to sell, provision, and manage those services. Your network can deliver incredible capabilities. But if your OSS and BSS can't keep up, you're essentially operating a Ferrari with horse-and-buggy business systems.
The market opportunity is massive. The global Next Generation OSS and BSS market reached $57.45 billion in 2023 and is projected to hit $132.43 billion by 2030, growing at 13.3 percent annually. In the US alone, the OSS BSS market was valued at $20.37 billion in 2024 and is expected to reach $53.38 billion by 2033.
But traditional OSS/BSS transformation projects take years and cost tens of millions. By the time you finish implementing, the market has moved on. This is where low-code platforms are changing the equation for forward-thinking telecom operators.
Let's be direct about what's actually happening in telecommunications. 5G deployment is racing ahead. But monetizing those capabilities is a different story.
5G isn't just faster 4G. It's a fundamental shift in what networks can do: network slicing, edge computing, ultra-low latency applications, massive IoT connectivity. Each capability represents potential new revenue streams. But only if you can actually deliver services quickly.
Traditional OSS/BSS systems were built for a different era. They handle voice and data services reasonably well. But they struggle with the dynamic, on-demand nature of 5G services. Want to offer enterprise customers dedicated network slices for their specific applications? Your legacy systems probably can't provision, bill, or manage that properly.
The introduction of 5G, IoT, and cloud computing is expected to propel the OSS/BSS market to $109 billion by 2030, with cloud-based deployments accounting for 64.5 percent of the market. Telecom operators recognize the problem. The challenge is solving it without massive disruption to existing operations.
Before exploring solutions, understand specifically why legacy OSS/BSS creates bottlenecks in the 5G era.
Traditional telecommunications systems are notoriously inflexible. Making changes requires lengthy development cycles, extensive testing, and risky deployments. If launching a new 5G service takes six months of IT work, you've already lost competitive advantage.
5G opportunities emerge quickly. Enterprise customers want solutions now, not next quarter. Competitors move fast. If your systems can't keep pace, you're leaving revenue on the table while watching others capture the market.
Modern telecom environments are complex ecosystems. Legacy networks, cloud infrastructure, third-party services, partner systems. Everything needs to work together seamlessly.
Legacy OSS/BSS systems weren't designed for this level of integration. They're monolithic, tightly coupled, and difficult to connect with modern cloud-native architectures. Every integration becomes a custom project requiring specialized development work.
Automation should be the norm in 2025. But many telecom operators still rely heavily on manual processes for service provisioning, order management, and customer care. This doesn't scale. It creates errors. It frustrates customers.
5G services demand automation. Network slicing needs dynamic provisioning. IoT deployments require managing millions of devices. Edge computing services need rapid deployment. You can't do any of this manually at scale.
This is where low-code platforms provide a pragmatic alternative to complete OSS/BSS replacement. Instead of ripping out everything and starting over (years of work, massive risk), you can modernize incrementally while maintaining operational continuity.
The primary value of low-code in telecom is speed. Build new service offerings in weeks instead of months. Create customer-facing portals without extensive custom development. Deploy operational dashboards that give teams real-time visibility.
Consider enterprise 5G services. Your business customers want customized solutions: dedicated network slices, specific SLAs, tailored pricing models. Traditional development approaches mean long sales cycles while custom solutions get built. Low-code platforms let you create service packages quickly, test with customers, iterate based on feedback, and deploy faster than competitors.
Customer-facing business support systems are prime candidates for low-code modernization. Customer portals, self-service capabilities, order management, billing inquiries. These interfaces directly impact customer experience but are often neglected because they're difficult and expensive to update.
Low-code platforms excel at building modern interfaces on top of existing backend systems. Connect to your legacy billing system through APIs. Create a modern web and mobile experience. Customers get better service. You avoid replacing your entire BSS stack.
Operational support systems handle network management, service provisioning, fault resolution. These processes are critical but often highly manual or dependent on rigid workflows that can't adapt to new 5G service models.
Use low-code platforms to build automation workflows that bridge legacy OSS capabilities and modern requirements. Automate service provisioning for 5G network slices. Create intelligent fault management workflows that integrate with multiple systems. Build dashboards that give operations teams visibility across complex hybrid environments.
Perhaps the biggest value of low-code in telecommunications is simplifying integration. Telecom operators have dozens or hundreds of systems that need to work together. Legacy integration approaches using custom code or expensive middleware products are slow and costly.
Modern low-code platforms include robust integration capabilities. Connect systems using pre-built connectors where available. Build custom integrations visually for proprietary systems. Create orchestration workflows that coordinate processes across multiple platforms. All without extensive custom coding.
Based on what leading operators are actually doing, here are implementation patterns that deliver results.
Your first low-code projects should focus on visible customer impact. Build or modernize customer portals. Create self-service capabilities. Improve digital channels. These projects deliver measurable value quickly and demonstrate platform capabilities.
Success here builds organizational confidence. When business stakeholders see customer-facing improvements deployed in weeks, support for broader adoption increases.
Don't replace your core OSS/BSS immediately. That's high risk and unnecessary for many capabilities. Instead, build new layers on top using low-code platforms.
Create modern interfaces that call APIs from legacy systems. Build workflow automation that orchestrates processes across multiple platforms. Implement analytics and reporting that pull data from various sources. These enhancements deliver value while minimizing disruption.
5G services often don't fit well into legacy systems. Rather than forcing them into old models or waiting for complete system replacements, use low-code to build 5G-specific capabilities.
Create dedicated service management systems for network slicing. Build customer portals specifically for enterprise 5G services. Develop operational dashboards for edge computing deployments. These focused applications can coexist with legacy systems while serving new requirements.
Telecommunications operations teams understand service delivery better than anyone. But they're typically dependent on IT for any system changes or new capabilities. Low-code platforms can change this dynamic.
Train operations team members to build their own dashboards, reports, and workflow automations within governed frameworks. They get the tools they need faster. IT focuses on complex systems rather than every reporting request. Everyone wins.
Telecommunications has unique requirements that generic low-code platforms may not address adequately. Understanding these requirements ensures you choose appropriate solutions.
Telecom services can't go down. Your supporting systems need similar reliability. Low-code applications supporting critical operations must be architected for high availability, fault tolerance, and rapid recovery.
This doesn't mean avoiding low-code. It means deploying on enterprise-grade infrastructure, implementing proper redundancy, and ensuring your architecture supports operational requirements.
Telecom operators face extensive regulatory requirements around data privacy, service quality, accessibility, emergency services, and more. Any new systems must comply.
Choose low-code platforms with built-in compliance capabilities: audit trails, data encryption, access controls, regulatory reporting. Ensure governance processes validate compliance before production deployment.
Telecommunications operates at massive scale. Millions of customers, billions of transactions, continuous operations. Low-code applications supporting these operations must handle appropriate loads.
This requires proper architecture, as discussed in our performance optimization article. But it's achievable. Modern low-code platforms can support telecom-scale workloads when properly designed.
Telecommunications infrastructure is critical. Security isn't optional. Low-code platforms must provide enterprise-grade security capabilities: encryption, authentication, authorization, threat detection, security monitoring.
Implement security best practices from the start. Treat low-code applications with the same security rigor as traditional development. The visual development interface doesn't change security requirements.
Here's the strategic reality: while traditional telecom operators debate whether to modernize their OSS/BSS, newer competitors and cloud-native players are already delivering next-generation services using modern platforms.
Delay has costs beyond lost revenue. You're training customers to look elsewhere for innovative services. You're reinforcing perceptions that traditional operators can't move quickly. You're ceding market leadership to more agile competitors.
By 2024, 5G connections globally surpassed 1.5 billion, making it the fastest-growing mobile generation. The infrastructure is deployed. The devices are in market. The question is who will capture the services revenue.
Low-code platforms provide a practical path to move faster without betting everything on massive transformation projects. You can deliver new capabilities quickly, learn what works, and scale successful services while competitors are still planning.
Technology platforms are tools. Success requires organizational capability to use them effectively. For telecom operators adopting low-code approaches, this means several focus areas.
Cross-functional collaboration becomes critical. Low-code breaks down silos between business, operations, and IT. Product managers, network engineers, customer service teams, and developers need to work together on solutions. This requires new collaboration models and shared understanding.
Training and enablement matter enormously. Low-code is accessible but not effortless. Teams need training on platforms, best practices, architecture patterns, and governance requirements. Invest in comprehensive enablement programs.
Governance without bureaucracy. Telecom operators are accustomed to heavy governance processes. Low-code requires lighter-weight governance that maintains control without killing agility. Define standards, require review, but don't turn every workflow into a six-month approval process.
Start small, scale systematically. Don't try to transform everything simultaneously. Choose focused projects with clear business value. Prove the approach. Build internal capability. Then expand to more complex or critical applications.
The telecommunications industry is at an inflection point. 5G represents massive opportunity and massive investment. Operators who can actually deliver innovative services quickly will capture outsized value. Those stuck with legacy systems watching competitors move faster will struggle.
Low-code platforms provide a practical mechanism to bridge the gap between legacy constraints and modern requirements. They're not magic. They require thoughtful implementation, proper architecture, and organizational commitment. But they offer a way to accelerate service delivery without the cost and risk of complete OSS/BSS replacement.
The question isn't whether to modernize your telecommunications systems. Market forces make that inevitable. The question is whether you'll do it incrementally and practically using modern platforms, or wait for catastrophic failure to force wholesale replacement under pressure.
5G networks are live. The competitive race is underway. Your systems either enable you to compete or hold you back. Choose wisely. Move quickly. The market won't wait.
Kissflow's low-code platform helps telecommunications operators modernize operations without the risk and cost of complete system replacement. Build customer-facing portals that integrate with legacy BSS systems. Create automated workflows for service provisioning across OSS platforms. Develop operational dashboards that provide real-time visibility into complex network operations. With enterprise-grade security, robust integration capabilities, and the flexibility to handle telecommunications-specific requirements, Kissflow enables rapid service innovation while maintaining the reliability your operations demand. Bridge the gap between 5G network capabilities and the business systems needed to monetize them.