Telco Services Platform Dropped

The Connected Services Framework, Microsoft’s services delivery platform for telcos and other service providers, has been discontinued. The move suggests that Microsoft is reducing development on products specifically for service providers, but it will continue to develop products for service providers that are also applicable to other kinds of customers.

The Connected Services Framework, first released in 2005, is a service delivery platform, a software platform for hosting services such as Web-based e-mail, Voice over IP (VoIP), and presence. It provides a Web services bus for integrating the hosted services with one another and with billing systems and other operations and business support systems (OSS/BSS). The Framework also provides modules for tasks such as user session management, user provisioning, and coordinating workflows that cut across services and support systems.

Microsoft Consulting Services and partners such as Accenture, Artillium, and Logica have built custom solutions on the platform for roughly 30 customers, including AT&T, Bell Canada, BT, and France Telecom. Microsoft will continue to work with these partners and support the customers but will not take new customers and will not develop the Framework further. The most recent version, 3.0, was released in June 2006 and will have full (Mainstream) support through Dec. 7, 2011, with paid support available through Dec. 7, 2016.