LilaConnect Cuts Onboarding Time to 4 Minutes with Gaiia’s API-Driven OSS/BSS
According to Fiber Broadband Association, LilaConnect has successfully migrated its operations system to Gaiia’s API-driven OSS/BSS platform in just 16 weeks. The retail subsidiary of The Freedom Fibre Group reduced customer onboarding time from 19 minutes to an astonishing 4 minutes by eliminating manual processes and creating a cohesive, automated system. This move marks a significant milestone in their mission to improve efficiency while scaling their full-fibre broadband operations across the UK’s North West region.
How LilaConnect Revolutionized Operations with Gaiia
LilaConnect’s decision to adopt Gaiia’s platform came after their previous in-house system hit scalability limits and a failed migration attempt with another platform. Gaiia’s solution, known for its open, modular architecture, enabled LilaConnect to fully integrate their customer onboarding and management workflows with their network operator’s systems. This allowed them to include critical processes like activation, suspension, speed changes, and deactivation—all streamlined through Gaiia’s configurable workflow editor.
The migration also involved prioritizing five key workflows that powered 90% of their operations, an approach dubbed the “Fab 5.” Notably, LilaConnect implemented integrations with major services such as Stripe and GoCardless (payments), HubSpot for CRM, Twilio for communications, and Sonalake PivOTS for service switching. By adopting this minimal viable process strategy, LilaConnect achieved early value while setting a foundation for future scalability.
Tom Ives, Head of Sales Operations at LilaConnect, noted, “The new checkout and automated workflows have significantly reduced the manual effort required to onboard customers and manage service changes.” For perspective, their fastest customer onboarding time fell from 19 minutes to just 4 minutes.
Industry Implications: Why LilaConnect’s Move Matters
As competition within the UK telecom sector heats up, particularly in the fiber broadband space, LilaConnect’s operational overhaul underscores the urgency for ISPs to modernize their platforms. The UK has been pushing for full-fiber deployment to reach 85% by 2025, and local providers like LilaConnect are critical players in achieving this goal. LilaConnect’s use of automated workflows and API integrations positions them ahead of rivals still reliant on fragmented or largely manual systems, giving them a scalable advantage in both customer experience and operational efficiency.
Competitors such as Openreach and CityFibre will need to contend with these technological advancements as they vie for market share. Moreover, Gaiia’s role in enabling ISPs to unify and automate complex environments demonstrates the growing significance of API-first platforms in accelerating regional growth for operators.
Analysts predict that such advanced integrations could lead to an industry shift, where smaller ISPs compete more effectively with dominant, incumbent providers by offering faster, more reliable service rollouts. This is a notable example of how emerging technology levels the playing field in a rapidly transforming telecom landscape.
What’s Next? The Future of Automated Telecom Operations
The migration to Gaiia’s API-driven system is just the beginning for LilaConnect. The scalability of the platform will enable them to expand their operations into new towns and regions without the friction previously caused by their legacy system. By focusing on building robust, adaptable processes during the initial rollout, LilaConnect has laid a strong foundation for continued growth and future integrations.
Phil Steed, Head of Platforms at LilaConnect, emphasized, “We needed a partner who could move fast but also give us the structure and flexibility to build the right foundation. Gaiia helped us do both.”
In the long term, experts suggest that other ISPs looking to scale their operations will increasingly adopt Gaiia’s “Minimal Viable Process” approach, focusing on clearly defined workflows while leveraging API integrations to streamline operations. By standardizing data models and using workflows as a single source of truth, ISPs can address scalability and improve transparency, both internally and with customers.
The broader benefits of automated systems may include enhanced customer retention and accelerated service delivery, both of which are critical drivers of growth in an increasingly competitive market.
Conclusion: The Road Ahead for Fiber Broadband
LilaConnect’s transition to Gaiia’s OSS/BSS platform showcases the transformational potential of automation and API-driven solutions in the telecommunications industry. By cutting customer onboarding times so dramatically and eliminating inefficiencies, the company is poised to rapidly scale across multiple regions in the UK. Will other ISPs follow suit and embrace similar technologies to stay competitive?
Let us know what you think: Is automation the key for smaller ISPs to challenge incumbents in the race for full-fiber deployment?
