The evolution of NaaS: from standardization to monetization

The rise of NaaS

Network-as-a-Service (NaaS) saw early adoption from communications service providers (CSPs) looking to deliver services on-demand, and it continues to gain momentum as operators seek to tap into the monetization opportunities afforded by network APIs. This unique ability to modernize operations and support new business models positions NaaS as the foundation for strategic ‘telco to techco’ transformation initiatives.

Let’s take a deeper look at how NaaS has evolved over time.

NaaS was initially developed to overcome the deficiencies of legacy operations support systems (OSS)—the collection of IT systems that CSPs use to create, deliver, and monitor network services.

Legacy OSS consists of highly custom software that has often been developed over many years and relies on proprietary interfaces to communicate with customer-facing northbound business support systems (BSS) and the southbound network domains. Among other shortcomings, the siloed nature of these integrations makes end-to-end service provisioning challenging, while the tight coupling of service-related operations with the network layer via a patchwork of one-off interfaces—what I like to call ‘spaghetti integrations’—results in vendor lock-in and reduced agility.

NaaS replaces this legacy approach with a layered operational framework that has clearly defined demarcation points between the BSS, the OSS or services automation layer, and the underlying network domains. And it uses TM Forum (TMF) Open APIs between these layers to eliminate operational silos and proprietary integration.

Figure 1. NaaS provides a standardized framework that CSPs are adopting to modernize their operations and evolve their business model by leveraging open APIs to automate the end-to-end delivery of on-demand services.

The benefits? As I discussed in a recent interview with Mark Newman, Chief Analyst at the TM Forum, NaaS improves operational scale and lowers OPEX while eliminating vendor lock-in. Perhaps most importantly, it also improves customer satisfaction and enables CSP business model evolution by permitting the delivery of programmable on-demand services.

Why is NaaS so important now?

NaaS lets CSPs maximize their network investments with dynamic, real-time services, including complex services that span multiple network domains and incorporate virtualized resources.

Dynamic network slicing is a great example. An end-to-end 5G network slice spans RAN, transport, and packet core domains and may need to support high-scale and latency-sensitive use cases like the Internet of things (IoT). This demands a services management layer that can design and provision an end-to-end path across domains in near real-time, without any human intervention.

NaaS also permits on-demand activation of multi-layer services (bandwidth on demand), and by abstracting vendor-specific complexity, it also lets CSPs easily create and deliver multi-vendor SD-WAN/SASE services that would be extremely difficult to operationalize using a traditional OSS.

What’s next for NaaS?

Building on the TMF’s efforts, the MEF, GSMA, and the Linux Foundation have extended NaaS concepts across market segments and even digital ecosystems. Just as NaaS uses TMF Open APIs for north/south communications between the OSS and BSS, MEF LSO APIs and GSMA network APIs permit east/west communications between the OSS and third parties in the CSPs digital ecosystem, such as hyperscalers, systems integrators, and application developers.

By exposing the network’s capabilities to ecosystem partners and applications, CSPs promote the development of innovative services that can increase customer satisfaction, open new market opportunities, and create new revenue streams. This platform model places CSPs at the center of the value chain and is an important milestone on the ‘telco to techco’ journey.

Blue Planet and NaaS

Blue Planet is a long-time NaaS leader and we've developed a NaaS reference architecture that brings together productized inventory, orchestration, and assurance software and a state-of-the-art AI Studio, all running on the industry's first Cloud Native OSS Platform.

Blue Planet provides the multi-vendor, end-to-end services automation layer in the NaaS hierarchy and incorporates all the building blocks of a modern NaaS-optimized OSS, chiefly:

• A dynamic inventory that offers real-time visibility into all network resources and services.
• TMF Open APIs for standardized communications with the OSS and BSS layer.
• A modular, cloud-native design that easily integrates with network APIs.
• Service order management and declarative orchestration that translates order intent into an automation workflow for zero-touch resource provisioning and service activation.
• The ability to integrate AI into all phases of the service lifecycle, from AI-assisted network order entry through AI-guided assurance in a closed loop.

Using these building blocks, we’ve created pre-packaged solutions for critical NaaS use cases such as 5G network slicing, Bandwidth on Demand (BoD), and SD-WAN automation that are deployed with multiple customers.

Figure 2. Several EPL service options are displayed on a CSP's self-service portal. Blue Planet’s NaaS-powered Bandwidth on Demand solution—which includes AI-assisted ordering and service visualization—is integrated with the portal and will orchestrate and activate the service based on the customer's selection.

Choosing the best partner for your NaaS journey

It is important that CSPs select suppliers that have proven NaaS technology as well as real-world NaaS experience. Blue Planet’s broad portfolio of NaaS-centric products and solutions, coupled with extensive experience gained from participation in the earliest NaaS Catalysts through cutting-edge deployments at industry-leading CSPs, make us an ideal partner for your NaaS journey.

Be sure to visit Blue Planet at the upcoming MPLS & SRv6 AI Net World Congress 2025 and at FutureNet World 2025 to meet our experts and see a NaaS demonstration. You can also contact us to set up some time to discuss how NaaS can help you achieve your digital transformation goals.