Telecommunication networks of the past — and the companies that operated them — delivered services determined by the capabilities of the network resources they controlled. With the migration to IP-based networks, it is possible to view the network as an open platform for service delivery. The term "soft service provider" recognizes this trend and the accompanying shift to software as the means of creating innovative services. Soft service providers now look to Web 2.0 and next-generation network technologies to redefine the customer experience.

The Emergence of the Soft Service Provider will provide readers with a framework to examine the impact of software as it becomes the driving element in next-generation carrier networks, in network operations and management, in provisioning of unique software-based applications and services, in increasing speed to market of new services, and in enhancing the customer experience. Wireline and wireless technologies, architectures, and systems will be addressed as they relate to reshaping the way the world views communications.