Foreword partners must be reconfigured. An integrated, eBusiness world will prove even more dynamic. To manage the waves of change to come, we must develop the OSS craft into a science without losing our creativity. We must be able to overcome more easily the challenges we expect SO that we can focus on the challenges that surprise us. In the spirit of collaborative initiatives such as BusinessEdge Solutions' velOSSity, comes "Broadband Infrastructure - The Ultimate Guide to Building and Delivering OSS/BSS." This is the first book of its kind, looking at not only the "what's what" of all things OSS, but tackling real world approaches to developing strategy, implementing applications, integrating systems, and interacting with trading partners. It examines the Internet infrastructure supply chain and the demands it will place on OSS. Most importantly, it gathers in one place the fundamental knowledge Internet infrastructure companies need to build innovative, differentiated, business- ready OSS platforms at the speed our market demands. Rick Hildebrandt President Concert Network and Systems Acknowledgement BusinessEdge Solutions would like to acknowledge and thank Deborah Strong and Edward J. Finegold for their significant contributions to this book. Additional thanks go to Peter Gibson, Sean Hickey, and Melissa Alvis for editorial support; with acknowledgements to Elaine M. Nowak and David Bilotto for layout and graphic design. Chapter 1 Introduction to IICs and OSS It is easy to take technology for granted. Many revolutionary inventions, such as the wheel or the transistor, have become such an integral part of our daily lives that most of us no longer ponder how they work, or if they will work - we simply expect them to fill our needs and meet our expectations. Though as much a phenomenon as it is an invention, the Internet now shapes the way many view and interact with the world. Whether it will succeed in changing everything from one's daily routine to the ways global corporations conduct business is no longer 