“What is holding back adoption is not technology but a lack of clarity.” – John Abraham

This Appledore Research Note examines the shift from catalogue-driven to intent-driven BSS — architectures built around declared outcomes rather than pre-configured workflows. Intent has been discussed in OSS for years, but on the customer-facing side it changes how commercial systems are designed, governed and held to account.

We set out why intent-driven BSS is architecturally more demanding than intent-driven networking, and why order management, not the catalogue, becomes the decisive domain once the transition is underway. We assess the adoption sequence operators are likely to follow, the role agentic AI plays in accelerating it, and the governance and data obstacles that will pace it.

Written for CSP strategy teams, BSS architects and vendors positioning against this shift, the note offers an objective view of where to begin and how far along the industry actually is.