11). For the IICs that use their services, these companies provide critical pieces of the OSS and supply chains. WHOLESALE-RETAIL: THE DSL EXAMPLE The wholesale relationships among IICs create some of the biggest opportunities for eBusiness. Deregulation has introduced new wholesale and Chapter 3 - Automating the Internet Infrastructure Supply Chain retail relationships to the IIC realm. When we talk about the importance of OSS and interconnection linking IICs together, we're talking about the support structures for retail-wholesale, buyer-supplier, and partner-customer relationships. Though the trend among large IICs has been to consolidate in order to offer more services, many IICs are highly specialized and rely on complementary IICs to supply various pieces of their service offerings. DSL services happen to provide a clear picture of a specialized supply- chain in action, with multiple wholesalers, resellers and retailers, each providing a specific piece of an overall service. In the following example, we will assume the IICs operate in an integrated OSS environment with a high level of flow-through and process automation. Though such environments are just beginning to develop, this model will provide a picture of where the industry is trying to go. Let's say a regional, small business ISP partners with a large DSL wholesaler in order to resell DSL services. The ISP buys its high-speed Internet access wholesale from a large NSP and maintains its equipment in the NSP's switching office. The ISP's rack contains servers and routers that link it to the Internet and provide various functions, such as user authentication and e-mail. Co-locating in the NSP's office provides physical proximity and easier access to other IICs' networks. A number of interactions must occur between the various IICs to deliver service. When the ISP sells a DSL line, it must order service from the DSL wholesaler. The DSL wholesaler must order access to the local loop from the ILEC, provision its DSLAM in the ILEC end office and make sure 