Taifun is Ergon’s integrated BSS solution for telecoms and service providers that need to manage complex products, orders and billing models reliably. The platform connects the product catalogue, customer and contract management, order management, service fulfilment, inventory and billing in one end-to-end system. Taifun has been in productive use in business-critical environments for more than 20 years and continues to be developed.
Who is Taifun built for?
- Regional carriers: Run a classic telco portfolio of telephony, mobile, internet, TV and leased lines efficiently.
- Cable network operators: Adapt tariffs and products yourself within predefined product classes, without a software project.
- Municipal utilities and multi-utility companies with a telecoms division: Run the telecoms division reliably with a small IT team and modernise it step by step.
- Resellers and wholesale partners: Capture orders directly via customer and order portals while provisioning and billing are handled centrally.
How you benefit
Launch products faster
Your business users configure tariffs, products and terms themselves within predefined product classes. New offerings reach the market without a software project.
Execute orders reliably
Orders are captured and processed with workflow support and connected to internal and external provisioning and service processes.
Automate processes
Workflow-supported order processing and integrated provisioning automate standard processes.
Bill any business model
Convergent billing, invoice generation and dispatch, and structured e-invoices in current formats, for end customers, resellers and wholesale partners.
Configure rather than code
Ergon implements new product classes and extensions efficiently; your business users configure everything within the product classes themselves. This keeps you in control of products, processes and dependencies.
From offer to invoice
Product catalogue, customers, orders, fulfilment and billing work together in one integrated BSS solution, reducing interfaces and manual work.
Built for complexity, proven in practice
Taifun has been in productive use in business-critical environments for more than 20 years and continues to be developed, both technically and functionally.
Open to existing systems
Taifun fits into established system landscapes via open interfaces; existing systems remain in use.
Swiss made
Architecture, development, implementation and long-term evolution are all in Ergon’s hands.Your BSS: proven today, ready for the next step We will show you how Taifun supports your processes and what a step-by-step start looks like.
“What I particularly appreciate is their reliability – the things that are promised are then actually delivered.”
Dr. Alexander Vilbig
Head of IT, M-net Telekommunikations GmbH
One platform from offer to invoice
Six modules from offer to invoice, on a shared foundation.
1. Product & Offer Management
Products, services, prices, terms and offers are modelled centrally and used consistently in order management and billing. Predefined product classes for telephony, mobile, internet, TV and leased lines speed up configuration.
Typical features:
- Products and services
- Prices and terms
- Offers
- Product classes for telephony, mobile, internet, TV and leased lines
2. Customer & Account Management
Customer, offer and contract data form the basis for end-to-end B2C, B2B, wholesale and partner processes.
Typical features:
- Customer data
- Offers and contracts
- B2C, B2B, wholesale and partner processes
3. Sales & Order Management
Orders are captured and processed with workflow support. You handle technology changes, such as the move from copper to fibre, and tariff migrations as scheduled changes.
Typical features:
- Workflow-supported order processing
- Scheduled changes for technology switches and tariff migrations
- Number porting
4. Service Fulfillment & Orchestration
Orders are connected to internal and external provisioning and service processes. Taifun triggers provisioning and monitors its completion.
Typical features:
- Internal and external provisioning processes
- Service processes
5. Resource & Inventory Management
End devices and stock are managed in the commercial inventory and integrated into operational processes.
Typical features:
- End devices
- Stock
6. Rating & Billing
Taifun supports convergent billing, invoice generation and dispatch, and structured e-invoices in current formats.
Typical features:
- Convergent billing
- Invoice generation and dispatch
- Structured e-invoices
Partner & Reseller Services
Customer and order portals for resellers and wholesale partners are integrated directly into operational processes.
Typical features:
- Customer portals for resellers
- Order portals for wholesale partners
Integration & Evolution
REST and SOAP interfaces connect network provisioning, finance, logistics and portals; the platform’s technology is continuously kept up to date.
Typical features:
- REST and SOAP interfaces
- Network provisioning
- Finance and logistics
- Portals
- Ongoing technical development
Flexible in operation, transparent in licensing
The standard product as a foundationExisting product functions and configuration cover many business requirements. Your business users adapt tariffs, products and terms themselves within predefined product classes.
Targeted extensions
Ergon adds customer-specific extensions and new product classes where they create value and integrates them into the existing platform.
Step-by-step introduction
Evolution, not big bang: you introduce new products, integrations and regulatory requirements in a controlled way without putting ongoing operations at risk. Introduction and modernisation take place step by step, so that production operations and further development can run in parallel.
Licensing and collaboration
Taifun can be adapted to different operating and organisational models. We agree licensing, operation and further development to suit your scope, system landscape and target architecture.
Our references
FAQ
Taifun has been in productive use at telecoms and service providers for more than 20 years. These FAQs explain who Taifun is suited to, how it differs from Tango, how it is developed further during ongoing operations, how business users configure products themselves and how Taifun supports technology changes and regulatory requirements. Basic questions about business support systems are answered on the Ergon BSS page.
What is Taifun and who is it suited to?
Taifun is Ergon’s integrated BSS solution for telecoms and service providers. It connects the product catalogue, customer and contract management, order management, service fulfilment, inventory and billing in one system. Taifun is particularly suited to regional carriers, cable network operators, municipal utilities with a telecoms division and resellers with a classic telco portfolio who value rapid changes and stable operations.
How do Taifun and Tango differ?
Taifun and Tango both cover the product-to-cash process. Taifun works with predefined product classes for telephony, mobile, internet, TV and leased lines and lets business users configure tariffs and products within these classes themselves. Tango relies on a generic product model aligned with TM Forum and suits providers with complex product, brand and partner structures that standard BSS categories cannot represent. We work out with you which solution fits, based on your portfolio and target architecture.
How is Taifun developed further during ongoing operations?
Ergon develops Taifun technically and functionally, release by release, while production operations continue. Ergon introduces new products, interfaces and regulatory requirements, such as structured e-invoices, into the existing platform in a controlled way. Automated tests and a coordinated release process reduce the risk to production operations. This keeps the solution up to date without the need for a disruptive reimplementation.
How do business users configure tariffs and products in Taifun?
In Taifun, business users configure tariffs, products and terms themselves within predefined product classes for telephony, mobile, internet, TV and leased lines, without any software development. Ergon implements new product classes or extensions and integrates them into the existing platform. Tariff changes and new offerings can therefore be implemented quickly and in a controlled way.
How does Taifun support technology changes and regulatory requirements?
Taifun handles technology changes such as the switch from copper to fibre as scheduled product and tariff changes and links them to the provisioning processes. Regulatory requirements, such as structured e-invoices in current formats, data protection or anonymisation rules under the GDPR, or number porting requirements, are introduced into the platform through regular releases.
We look forward to hearing from you
We are pleased that you are interested in our services. Do you have any questions or a specific project idea? Tell us about it – with no commitment on your part. Our experts will contact you as soon as possible.
Glossary
Taifun manages a telecoms provider’s customer-facing processes from offer to invoice. This glossary explains terms that play a role in a provider’s day-to-day work and in collaboration with network, reseller and wholesale partners. Basic terms are explained in the glossary on the Ergon BSS page.
Convergent billing
Convergent billing refers to billing different services, such as fixed line, mobile, internet and TV, together on a single invoice. Customers get an overall view, and the provider reduces the effort of running parallel billing systems.
Provisioning
Provisioning refers to setting up an ordered service technically in the network and in the systems involved, for example activating a connection or a SIM card. The BSS triggers provisioning during service fulfilment and monitors its completion.
Wholesale
Wholesale refers to business with other providers rather than with end customers: a network operator provides wholesale services such as fibre connections or mobile capacity to third parties. The BSS handles separate catalogues, prices, ordering processes and billing for each partner.
Reseller
A reseller sells a network operator’s services to end customers under its own name or on the provider’s behalf. Customer and order portals for resellers allow orders to be captured directly and their status to be viewed, while provisioning and billing are handled centrally.
Number porting
Number porting allows customers to keep their phone number when they switch provider. In a BSS, it is a process with defined deadlines, coordination between providers and reliable management of the number inventory.
E-invoice
An e-invoice is an invoice in a structured, machine-readable format that recipient systems can process automatically. It complements or replaces the PDF or paper invoice and is increasingly expected, particularly in business-to-business transactions.
Commercial inventory
Commercial inventory records which products, services, devices and resources a customer uses. It forms the basis for changes, cancellations and correct billing and is reconciled with the networks’ technical inventories.
