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Comarch & Cerillion

Comarch & Cerillion: European-Strength BSS/OSS

Comarch and Cerillion represent a different approach to the BSS/OSS market compared to giants like Amdocs and Ericsson. Both are European-headquartered vendors that have carved out strong positions by offering capable, cost-effective alternatives to the market leaders, with particular strength in catalog-driven architecture and modern deployment models.

While neither matches the raw scale or breadth of Amdocs, both have genuine strengths that make them compelling options for a wide range of operators. This section provides a factual assessment of each vendor and a direct comparison.

Comarch BSS/OSS

Comarch at a Glance

Comarch is a Polish technology company with a diversified portfolio spanning telecom, financial services, healthcare, and ERP. The telecom division provides a comprehensive BSS/OSS suite that has been deployed at operators across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific.

Comarch's telecom portfolio is often branded as Comarch BSS/OSS Suite or more recently Comarch Smart BSS. The suite covers a wide range of domains with a strong emphasis on catalog-driven architecture and TM Forum alignment.

Comarch Product Portfolio

Comarch CRM — Customer and account management with telco-specific features
Comarch Product Catalog — Catalog-driven product and offer management; supports complex bundling and decomposition
Comarch Order Management — Commercial order capture, validation, and orchestration
Comarch Billing — Convergent billing, rating, invoicing, and revenue management
Comarch Self-Service Portal — Digital channels for B2C and B2B self-service
Comarch Loyalty Management — Customer loyalty and rewards programmes

The BSS suite is relatively mature and well-integrated since it was largely built organically rather than through acquisitions. This gives Comarch BSS a more consistent data model and user experience across modules compared to acquisition-assembled suites.

Comarch Strengths

Catalog-Driven Architecture: One of the strongest catalog-driven implementations; genuine support for product-to-service-to-resource decomposition in the catalog
Cost-Effectiveness: Significantly lower total cost of ownership compared to Amdocs or Ericsson/Netcracker; competitive pricing for mid-market operators
Organic Integration: Most modules built in-house rather than acquired, resulting in more consistent integration and data models
European Market Expertise: Deep understanding of European regulatory requirements, GDPR compliance, and European operator needs
Breadth: Covers both BSS and OSS with reasonable depth across domains
TM Forum Alignment: Active TM Forum participant with growing API conformance
Network Planning: Genuine network planning and design capabilities that many BSS vendors lack
Flexible Deployment: Supports on-premises, private cloud, and managed service deployment models

Comarch Limitations

Cloud-Native Maturity: While cloud-deployable, Comarch's platform is not fully cloud-native in the same way as purpose-built SaaS platforms; the modernisation is ongoing
Scale Ceiling: Less proven at Tier 1 scale (100M+ subscribers) compared to Amdocs; strongest in Tier 2-3 operator segment
Geographic Concentration: Primary strength is in Central/Eastern Europe; thinner reference base in North America and parts of Asia
Digital Experience: Self-service and digital commerce capabilities, while present, may not match purpose-built digital platforms
Ecosystem Size: Smaller partner and systems integration ecosystem than Amdocs or Ericsson; fewer independent SI firms with Comarch expertise
Brand Recognition: Less globally recognised than Amdocs or Ericsson, which can be a factor in conservative vendor selection processes
AI/ML Maturity: AI capabilities are present but less advanced than vendors investing heavily in this area

Comarch Sweet Spot

Comarch is often most competitive for Tier 2-3 operators in Europe and the Middle East seeking a comprehensive BSS/OSS suite with genuine catalog-driven architecture at a lower cost point than Amdocs or Ericsson. Operators who value organic product integration over best-of-breed depth often find Comarch compelling.

Comarch TM Forum Conformance

Comarch TM Forum Engagement

Comarch holds conformance certifications for 10+ TMF Open APIs and actively participates in TM Forum Catalyst projects. The Product Catalog aligns with TMF620, Order Management with TMF622, and the service/resource domains with TMF633, TMF638, TMF639, and TMF641.

Cerillion

Cerillion at a Glance

Cerillion is a UK-based BSS/OSS vendor that has built a strong reputation for modern architecture, SaaS delivery, and rapid time-to-market. While significantly smaller than Amdocs or Comarch, Cerillion has grown steadily and consistently, serving over 80 operators globally.

Cerillion's platform is a unified BSS/OSS suite covering CRM, catalog, order management, billing, self-service, service fulfillment, network inventory, and mediation. The core BSS was built from the ground up as a modern, integrated platform rather than assembled from acquisitions. In 2015, Cerillion acquired the netSolutions business from Ubisense, adding a genuine network inventory capability and extending the platform into OSS territory.

Cerillion BSS/OSS Suite

The core BSS modules share a single, unified data model with no integration seams between CRM, catalog, order management, and billing:

CRM Plus — Omni-channel CRM for customer and account lifecycle management
Enterprise Product Catalogue — AI-powered catalog for products, services, tariffs, and packages
Service Manager — Order management and service fulfilment across fixed, mobile, cable, and convergent services
Revenue Manager — Convergent billing, rating, invoicing, and collections
Convergent Charging System (CCS) — 3GPP-compliant real-time charging; supports Nchf (5G), Diameter, and SS7/CAMEL interfaces

All core BSS modules were built organically as one platform. The CCS supports both online and offline charging, enabling real-time 5G monetisation alongside traditional billing.

Cerillion Strengths

Modern Architecture: Core BSS built as a single, integrated platform rather than assembled from acquisitions; consistent data model across BSS modules
SaaS-First: One of the few BSS/OSS vendors offering genuine SaaS delivery with multi-tenant architecture and regular managed upgrades
Rapid Deployment: Typical SaaS deployments in 6-12 months; pre-configured for common telco scenarios
Cost-Effectiveness: Competitive pricing, especially in the SaaS model; lower TCO than Amdocs or Ericsson/Netcracker
Unified Data Model: No integration seams between CRM, catalog, billing, and order management; data consistency by design
BSS-to-OSS Coverage: Genuine service fulfilment, activation, network inventory, and mediation capabilities — not just BSS
TM Forum Leadership: Platinum-level Open API conformance with 21+ certified APIs and 25 "Real World" certifications; CRM Plus and Enterprise Product Catalogue achieved "Ready for ODA" status (January 2025)
Steady Growth: Consistent revenue and customer growth; financially stable (publicly listed on AIM). Secured GBP 42.5M Omantel contract (January 2026) — largest ever
Mid-Market Focus: Right-sized for Tier 2-3 operators and MVNOs that do not need Tier 1 vendor complexity
AI Integration: AI Hub with generative AI across the suite, including MCP Server and AI Agents (Cerillion 25.2)

Cerillion Limitations

Scale Ceiling: Not proven at Tier 1 scale (50M+ subscribers); best suited for small-to-mid-sized operators
OSS Depth Limitations: While Cerillion covers service fulfilment, activation, and physical network inventory, it does not offer deep-network OSS functions: no MANO/NFV orchestration, no SDN control, no TOSCA/YANG model-driven orchestration, no service assurance (fault/performance management), and no virtual/cloud resource management
Network Inventory Orientation: CNI is strong for physical infrastructure (access network, copper, fibre, duct, wireless towers) but is built on GE Smallworld geospatial technology and is not a cloud-native, NFV/SDN-aware resource inventory
Limited SI Ecosystem: Small company with limited professional services capacity; fewer external SI firms with Cerillion expertise
B2B Complexity: While B2B is supported, the depth of complex enterprise CPQ and multi-layered B2B hierarchies may not match Amdocs or dedicated B2B platforms
Geographic Concentration: Strong in UK, Middle East, and Americas but thinner reference base in some Asian and African markets
Customisation Limits: The SaaS model favours configuration over customisation; operators with highly unique requirements may find limits
Company Size: At ~400 employees, Cerillion is significantly smaller than Amdocs (~30,000) or Comarch (~7,000); this creates concentration risk for some buyers

OSS Scope Consideration

Cerillion covers BSS and the BSS-adjacent layers of OSS (service fulfilment, activation, physical network inventory, mediation). However, operators requiring deep-network OSS capabilities — such as MANO/NFV orchestration, SDN automation, virtual resource management, or service assurance — will need to complement Cerillion with dedicated OSS vendors for those functions.

Cerillion TM Forum Conformance

Cerillion TM Forum Engagement

Cerillion holds Platinum-level TM Forum Open API Conformance Certification (achieved December 2023). The platform supports 31 TM Forum Open APIs, with 21 fully certified and 25 validated in live customer deployments ("Real World" certifications). Key certified APIs include TMF620 (Product Catalog), TMF621 (Trouble Ticket), TMF622 (Product Ordering), TMF629 (Customer Management), TMF637 (Product Inventory), TMF641 (Service Ordering), TMF663 (Shopping Cart), TMF676 (Payment), and TMF699 (Sales Management). CRM Plus and Enterprise Product Catalogue achieved TM Forum's "Ready for ODA" certification (January 2025). Cerillion Network Inventory is listed in the TM Forum ODA Component Directory.

Comarch vs Cerillion: Direct Comparison

Comarch and Cerillion are often compared because they occupy a similar market segment: capable, cost-effective alternatives to the Amdocs/Ericsson tier. However, they differ significantly in scope, architecture, and delivery model.

Comarch vs Cerillion — Head-to-Head

Dimension	Comarch	Cerillion
Company Size	~7,000 employees (group)	~400 employees
Revenue	~EUR 500M (group)	~GBP 40M
BSS Coverage	Full BSS suite	Full BSS suite
OSS Coverage	Yes — Service/Resource/Assurance	Partial — Fulfilment, activation, physical network inventory, mediation
Catalog Maturity	High — Strong CFS/RFS support	Good — Product catalog + Service Catalogue for provisioning logic
Billing Maturity	High — Convergent billing	High — Convergent billing + 3GPP real-time charging (CCS)
Cloud-Native	Partial — Cloud-deployable, modernising	Stronger — SaaS-first architecture
SaaS Delivery	Available but not primary model	Primary delivery model
Deployment Speed	Medium — 12-24 months typical	Fast — 6-12 months (SaaS)
Target Market	Tier 2-3, some Tier 1	Tier 2-3, MVNOs, greenfield
Geographic Strength	Central/Eastern Europe, Middle East	UK, Middle East, Americas
TMF API Conformance	10+ APIs certified	Platinum — 21+ APIs certified, 25 Real World
B2B Depth	Good — Complex B2B supported	Good — Improving B2B
Network Planning	Yes — Genuine capability	No
Network Inventory	Yes — Physical and logical	Yes — Physical and logical (CNI, GE Smallworld-based)
Service Assurance	Yes — Fault and performance mgmt	No
Cost Position	Cost-effective vs Tier 1 vendors	Cost-effective; SaaS model reduces TCO further

When to Choose Which

You need comprehensive BSS and OSS from a single vendor, including service assurance
You require network planning and fault/performance management capabilities
Your deployment is on-premises or private cloud and SaaS is not a priority
You need deep CFS/RFS catalog decomposition for complex service portfolios
Your operator is based in Europe or the Middle East with access to Comarch's delivery centres
You have a larger, more complex deployment scope that benefits from Comarch's broader portfolio

Typical Deployment Patterns

Comarch Deployment Patterns

Typical Comarch BSS/OSS Deployment

Requirements & Design

Comarch PS + Operator

Comarch professional services work with the operator to map requirements, design catalog structure, and plan integrations. Duration: 2-4 months.

Platform Configuration

Comarch BSS/OSS Suite

Product catalog, service catalog, and business rules configured. Billing rates and plans set up. CRM customised for operator branding and processes.

Integration Build

Integration Layer

Integration with network elements, mediation, payment gateways, and existing systems. Typically the longest phase.

Testing & Migration

Comarch + Operator QA

End-to-end testing, UAT, performance testing. Data migration from legacy systems. Duration: 3-6 months.

Go-Live & Hypercare

Operations

Phased or big-bang go-live. Hypercare support period with Comarch on-site. Knowledge transfer to operator teams.

Cerillion Deployment Patterns

Typical Cerillion SaaS Deployment

Discovery & Configuration

Cerillion + Operator

Rapid discovery of product portfolio, pricing, service fulfilment, and customer journey requirements. Configuration of Cerillion SaaS instance. Duration: 1-3 months.

Catalog, Pricing & Service Setup

Cerillion Catalog / Service Catalogue / Billing

Product offerings, pricing rules, eligibility, and promotions configured in the Enterprise Product Catalogue. Service Catalogue configured with provisioning logic, command profiles, and network element mappings. Billing rates and invoice templates set up.

Integration & Channels

Cerillion APIs + Operator IT

API-based integration with network elements, external OSS systems, payment gateways, and digital channels. Network Inventory (CNI) loaded with physical plant data. Self-service portal configuration.

Testing & Go-Live

Cerillion + Operator QA

End-to-end testing including order-to-activate flows, UAT, and performance validation in the SaaS environment. Go-live with hypercare support. Duration: 2-4 months.

Architecture Comparison

Think of Comarch as a comprehensive toolkit that can be deployed on your own infrastructure, while Cerillion is a ready-to-use service managed for you in the cloud. Both cover BSS and OSS, but Comarch has deeper OSS breadth (including assurance and network planning), while Cerillion's OSS coverage focuses on fulfilment, activation, and physical network inventory.

Architecture Details

Aspect	Comarch	Cerillion
Architecture Style	Service-oriented; moving to microservices	Integrated platform; API-first design
Deployment	On-premises, private cloud, managed	SaaS (primary), on-premises (available)
Database	Oracle (primary), PostgreSQL	PostgreSQL / Oracle
Integration	REST APIs, SOAP, messaging	REST APIs (primary), TMF Open APIs
Cloud Support	AWS, Azure, private cloud	AWS (primary SaaS), Azure
Multi-Tenancy	Available in managed service	Native SaaS multi-tenancy

Comarch's architecture reflects its history as a comprehensive suite: modular but not fully decomposed into microservices. Individual modules (CRM, Catalog, Billing) are well-defined and communicate through internal APIs, but the deployment unit is typically the full suite or large module groups rather than individual microservices.

Cerillion's architecture, while integrated, benefits from being a newer platform with a single code base. The unified data model eliminates many of the consistency challenges that plague multi-module architectures. The trade-off is less flexibility to deploy or scale individual domains independently.

For operators evaluating both, the key architectural question is: Do you value broader OSS depth (including assurance and network planning) with moderate cloud maturity (Comarch), or a SaaS-first delivery model with BSS/OSS coverage focused on fulfilment and physical inventory (Cerillion)?

Source of Record Mapping

Comarch Source-of-Record Assignments (Full BSS/OSS Deployment)

Entity	System of Record	System of Engagement	System of Reference	Notes
Customer / Account	Comarch CRM	Self-Service Portal	—	Telco-specific customer model
Product Offering	Comarch Product Catalog	CPQ / Storefront	—	Catalog-driven with CFS/RFS support
Commercial Order	Comarch Order Management	Digital / Agent Channels	—	TMF622 aligned
CFS Instance	Comarch Service Inventory	—	—	Service lifecycle tracking
Resource Instance	Comarch Resource Inventory	—	—	Physical and logical resources
Billing / Invoice	Comarch Billing	—	—	Convergent billing engine

Cerillion Source-of-Record Assignments (BSS/OSS Deployment)

Entity	System of Record	System of Engagement	System of Reference	Notes
Customer / Account	CRM Plus	Self-Service / Mobile App	—	Unified data model; ODA-certified component
Product Offering	Enterprise Product Catalogue	Agent Desktop / Storefront	—	AI-powered catalog; ODA-certified component
Commercial / Service Order	Service Manager	Digital Channels	—	Integrated order lifecycle and service fulfilment
Product Inventory	Cerillion (integrated)	—	—	What each customer has subscribed to
Billing / Invoice	Revenue Manager / CCS	—	—	Convergent billing + 3GPP real-time charging
Provisioning Logic	Service Catalogue	—	—	Resource-facing service components and command profiles
Physical Resource Instance	Network Inventory (CNI)	—	—	Physical and logical network assets; GE Smallworld-based
Virtual / Cloud Resources	External OSS Required	—	—	CNI covers physical infrastructure; NFV/SDN resources require dedicated systems
Service Assurance	External OSS Required	—	—	Fault and performance management not covered

Section 7.5 Key Takeaways

Comarch offers a comprehensive BSS/OSS suite with strong catalog-driven architecture, OSS coverage including assurance, primarily serving European and Middle Eastern operators
Cerillion offers a modern, SaaS-first BSS/OSS platform with rapid deployment, covering BSS plus service fulfilment, activation, physical network inventory, and mediation
Both vendors cover BSS and OSS, but differ in OSS depth: Comarch includes assurance and network planning; Cerillion's OSS focuses on fulfilment and physical infrastructure
Cerillion holds Platinum-level TM Forum conformance (21+ certified APIs) — stronger than many larger vendors in API standards maturity
Cerillion is typically faster to deploy (6-12 months SaaS) compared to Comarch (12-24 months)
Both are cost-effective alternatives to Amdocs and Ericsson/Netcracker
Neither is proven at Tier 1 scale (100M+ subscribers); both are strongest in the Tier 2-3 segment
For deep-network OSS (MANO, SDN, NFV, assurance), both may need complementary specialist vendors — though Comarch covers more OSS ground natively