Telecommunication operators demand open interfaces on network equipment so that they can create their own custom services that interact with this equipment. The goal of the operator is differentiation from competitors by creating their own customized services with short market introduction times. The Parlay application programming interface (API) was designed to meet this need. However, the Parlay API alone is not sufficient to enable fast creation of customized services. To meet the operator's need, a comprehensive service framework is needed that supports the design, development, and deployment of services, and that takes the end user, service developer, service provider, and network equipment API into account. This paper describes the Octavia platform, which supports next-generation services that are a combination of both Internet services and traditional telecommunication services. The vision underlying the platform is the autonomy of the following key roles, service providers, service developers, end users, and network resource providers. Uncoupling these roles leads to flexibility in the many aspects of a telecommunication service, guaranteeing a smooth evaluation path for the future. The Octavia platform integrates the FRIENDS platform and network equipment that provides the Parlay API, such as the Lucent Technologies Softswitch (LSS).