Custom Telecom Software Development for Communication Networks

Custom telecom software development for OSS and BSS systems, billing platforms and network management. This page places the service lines above on the two families of systems that keep an operator running, names the FCC rules and the standards body that reach them, and sets out how the work runs, what moves the cost, and what to ask any firm bidding for it, including us.

On this page

• OSS, BSS and the network: where each service line sits
• The FCC rules and the standards a telecom build answers to
• How a telecom software build runs
• Build, buy or configure, compared
• What drives the cost of telecom software
• What to ask telecom software companies before you hire one
• What you receive
• Case studies, delivered by NeoSOFT
• Frequently asked questions
• Related pages

OSS, BSS and the network: where each service line sits

OSS and BSS are the two families of systems that keep a telecom operator running. OSS, operations support systems, manage the network: provisioning services, monitoring performance, fixing faults. BSS, business support systems, manage the business, like billing and order management. Our OSS/BSS explainer sets out the difference; the figure places this page's five service lines on it.

Put together, that is a telecom platform in the sense the cards use the word: managed service platforms on the business side, infrastructure management on the operations side, and product engineering on the network itself.

The FCC rules and the standards a telecom build answers to

CPNI, customer proprietary network information

Who issues it, and whom it binds. The Federal Communications Commission, at 47 CFR part 64, subpart U: “The purpose of the rules in this subpart is to implement section 222 of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended”. The statute defines CPNI as “information that relates to the quantity, technical configuration, type, destination, location, and amount of use of a telecommunications service subscribed to by any customer of a telecommunications carrier”.

What it asks of the build. Section 64.2009(a): “Telecommunications carriers must implement a system by which the status of a customer's CPNI approval can be clearly established prior to the use of CPNI.” On this page that lands on the business support layer, where revenue, customer service and billing data live.

CALEA, assistance capability for lawful interception

Who issues it, and whom it binds. The FCC, at 47 CFR part 1, subpart Z, implementing the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act “to ensure law enforcement access to authorized wire and electronic communications or call-identifying information”. Section 1.20006(a): “Telecommunications carriers shall provide to a Law Enforcement Agency the assistance capability requirements of CALEA regarding wire and electronic communications and call-identifying information”.

What it asks of the build. Among the carrier's obligations the rules list: “Ensure that any interception of communications or access to call-identifying information effected within its switching premises can be activated only in accordance with appropriate legal authorization”. On this page that is the network layer, the access, core and transport networks the product development card names.

White space devices, 47 CFR part 15, subpart H

Who issues it, and whom it binds. The FCC, at 47 CFR part 15, subpart H: “This subpart sets forth the regulations for unlicensed white space devices.” These are “unlicensed intentional radiators that operate on available TV channels in the broadcast television frequency bands, the 600 MHz band (including the guard bands and duplex gap), and in 608-614 MHz (channel 37).”

What it asks of the build. Section 15.711(a): “White space devices shall rely on a geolocation capability and database access mechanism”. The frequency management and the centralized monitoring and coordination tools on the white space card are where that database access has to be designed in.

3GPP, the specifications behind 5G

Who issues it, and whom it binds. 3GPP, a partnership of seven telecommunications standards development organizations, whose own summary is that “3GPP specifications cover cellular telecommunications technologies, including radio access, core network and service capabilities”. 3GPP's own pages do not say whether the specifications are mandatory.

What it asks of the build. The 5G card's coverage validation, beam testing and network analytics all sit on the radio access and core network capabilities those specifications cover.

How a telecom software build runs

The four steps below condense the stages published on our custom software development page. We work in two week sprints, so working software arrives every two weeks and a first production release typically lands in three to six months, as published on our about page.

1. DiscoveryThe problem, the constraints and the success criteria are mapped before a line of code. It ends with a written scope and a costed roadmap, which is the point at which a fixed price becomes possible.
2. Architecture and designThe data model, where state lives, how the system fails, how it scales, and how a reviewer will later verify its security posture.
3. Build and releaseTwo week sprints that end in something reviewable, then hardening, testing and a controlled release with the rollback path decided before the deployment.
4. Handover and supportThe repository and the cloud accounts in your name, then monitoring, maintenance and a roadmap tied to business outcomes.

Build, buy or configure, compared

Requests that arrive as a need for custom telecom software have three honest answers, and only one of them is a build. The middle answer is the one buyers skip: if you already own the platform, the gap is often configuration, data quality and integration rather than a missing system.

The full comparison, with where each answer goes wrong, is on our custom software development page.

What drives the cost of telecom software

Our rates are $150 to $250 per hour, depending on the seniority and mix of the team, and a typical project runs $50,000 to $200,000. Where the scope is clear we quote a fixed price for a defined outcome, with a costed roadmap before any build starts.

• How many systems it has to talk to. OSS, BSS, cloud-based systems and connected devices across IoT ecosystems are all named on this page, and every integration adds a counterparty whose availability, data quality and release calendar you do not control.
• The control framework the contract names. Work scoped against the CPNI or CALEA obligations above carries evidence, review and documentation the same build would not otherwise need.
• How scarce the technology is. Embedded software for telecom systems narrows the pool of engineers who can be put on it, which shows up in the rate rather than in the hours.
• How settled the scope is. A settled scope can be quoted as a fixed price; an unsettled one priced as though it were settled is where the buffer comes from.
• The seniority and mix of the team. This is the stated reason our own rate band has a range at all.
• What happens after launch. Ongoing product support and maintenance is on the product development card; a quote that stops at go-live is not cheaper, it is shorter.

What to ask telecom software companies before you hire one

Every one of these is already published on this site, so you can put all of them to us as easily as to any other telecom software company.

• Ask what they have integrated with, by name and version. Experience with a platform and a completed integration against it are different claims.
• Ask how the design establishes a customer's CPNI approval status before any use of CPNI, since that is the test section 64.2009(a) sets.
• Ask which certifications are audited and which are self declared, then ask for the report date.
• Ask for named engineers on the contract, and a notice clause if they change.
• Ask where the engineers physically are. Data residency, contract terms and your own compliance review all depend on the answer.
• Ask what they would not build.

What you receive

• The repository and the cloud accounts, in your name from the first commit, with no licence back to us.
• A written scope and a costed roadmap, before any build starts.
• Working software every two weeks, not a status report about software.
• Architecture and a security posture you can put in front of a reviewer.
• Infrastructure your own engineers can run once we hand it over.
• Monitoring, maintenance and a roadmap after launch, priced up front.

Case studies, delivered by NeoSOFT

The two case studies in the carousel above were delivered by NeoSOFT: the enterprise digital platform built for Saudi Arabia's largest communications infrastructure and services company, enhancing system performance, accessibility and cross-department collaboration through a unified digital platform, and the enterprise-scale ETL engine built for a major global wireless telecommunications provider, transforming scattered data into insight through an ETL and analytics platform.

Frequently asked questions

What is OSS/BSS in telecom?

OSS, operations support systems, run the network and its operations: provisioning services, monitoring performance, fixing faults. BSS, business support systems, run the customer and revenue side, like billing and order management. Nearly every service and every bill passes through them.

What is CPNI?

Customer proprietary network information. The statute defines it as information that relates to the quantity, technical configuration, type, destination, location, and amount of use of a telecommunications service subscribed to by any customer of a telecommunications carrier, and the FCC's rules in 47 CFR part 64, subpart U implement it.

Do white space devices need a database?

Yes. Under 47 CFR 15.711(a), white space devices shall rely on a geolocation capability and database access mechanism, and channel availability for a device is determined by that geolocation and database access method.

What does telecom software development cost?

Our rates are $150 to $250 per hour, depending on the seniority and mix of the team, and a typical project runs $50,000 to $200,000. Where the scope is clear we quote a fixed price for a defined outcome, with a costed roadmap before any build starts.

Does Sthenos hold a SOC 2 report or an ISO 27001 certificate?

No. As of September 2026 Sthenos holds no SOC 1 or SOC 2 report, PCI DSS attestation or ISO 27001 certificate of its own. We build to the controls a contract names and hand over the evidence; formal certifications and audits are the institution's to hold.

How do you work with NeoSOFT?

A senior Sthenos team stays accountable on every engagement, and through our partner NeoSOFT we add delivery capacity. Where enterprise-scale certifications matter, we reference NeoSOFT accurately rather than claiming them as Sthenos's own. The commercial relationship stays with Sthenos.

Related pages

• What is OSS/BSS in telecom?, the definitions this page builds on.
• Internet of things, for connected devices and IoT ecosystems.
• Infrastructure management services, for the operations layer.
• Big data and analytics, for ETL and network analytics.
• Managed services, so the system has an owner after go live.

Talk to an engineer. We are happy to answer any questions you may have and help you determine which of our services best fit your needs. Talk to our engineers.