TeleSciences, a pioneer in Mediation systems and MetaSwitch(R), a leading vendor of next-generation carrier switching and applications solutions, today announced a partnership designed to ease the transition to multiservice converged networks based on the emerging IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) standard. Proven interoperability between the TeleSciences 600i Mediation Platform and MetaSwitch’s multimedia- enhanced telephony solutions enables operators of IMS networks to maximize revenues and increase customer satisfaction with accurate, blended billing across wireless, mobile and cable services.

“The ability to collect and correlate chargeable events from multiple network elements is a key aspect of the IMS architecture,” said Martin Taylor, MetaSwitch vice president of product management and technology strategy. “Our partnership with TeleSciences shows that we are responding to carriers’ needs to drive greater revenue from service innovations as they migrate to more flexible and distributed next-generation networks.”

With the introduction of multimedia-enhanced services in an IMS architecture, there is a need to acknowledge the additional sources of billing records, all of which require mediation before the records can be sent to the OSS/BSS. With its flexibility, the 600i brings the future needs of network data collection in focus. The 600i integrates easily with existing legacy networks yet fits in as a critical component of IMS networks. The 600i is capable of support for RADIUS and DIAMETER protocols, collection of SIP and QoS records and supports multiple security requirements including SSH2 and SFTP. Real-time capabilities push individual records to OSS downstream, and open APIs support today’s need for Prepaid and Interactive account control. (more…)

NTG Clarity Networks Inc., (TSX VENTURE:NCI) a leader in delivering network, IT and infrastructure solutions, today announced that it will supply PPL Telcom, a regional facilities-based carrier offering transport services to carriers, ISPs and large enterprise customers, its integrated operations support system (OSS) software. The OSS will manage customer orders, network inventory, service provisioning and trouble ticketing.

“NTG is proud to add PPL Telcom to its list of customers,” said NTG Clarity CEO Ashraf Zaghloul. “NTG’s software solutions have been developed to meet the needs of next generation service providers and new wire and mobile carriers. Our software and services enable customers to achieve increased productivity, faster execution and innovative capability, making us an excellent fit with the new breed of telecom service provider.”

The latest version of NTG Clarity’s OSS product, NTS, utilizes the latest technology and provides an integrated suite of applications to enable customer information management, order management, network inventory maintenance, capacity management, service provisioning, service management, billing and customer relation management (CRM) and trouble ticketing. (more…)

Intec Telecom Systems PLC (“Intec” or “the Company”), a supplier of software solutions to the global telecoms industry, announces its unaudited results for the six months ended 31 March 2006 (“H1 2006”), prepared under IFRS1. The company has demonstrated excellent organic growth resulting from solid trading across all aspects of the business, as well as good cash generation. Increased momentum, in both new business wins and sales into our existing customer base, particularly with multi-product deals, has been a feature of the period. Intec has maintained its policy of investing in both products and delivery capability to meet demand, resulting in a solid earnings performance. (more…)

BSG Clearing Solutions GmbH (BSG), the communications service industry’s clearing and settlement provider, today announced its systems are well prepared to deal with the heavy increase in capacity for roaming clearing that will result from the growth in mobile call volume during the weeks of the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

“This will be the biggest sporting event in the world and mobile communications will have an unprecedented role in spectator enjoyment this year,” said Roland J. Bopp, CEO of BSG. “As the exclusive roaming partner for virtually all wireless operators in Germany, BSG will be on hand to ensure there are no ‘own goals’ behind the scenes.”

An estimated 5 million fans from all continents around the globe, supporting the 32 nationalities taking part, are expected to visit Germany during the four-week World Cup competition. Mobile phones will be used to relay messages, download content, send pictures and texts to friends and family, as well as to record goals and highlights. Companies are already promoting World Cup related content, such as player photos, historic video clips, ring tones and games, and operators are expecting intense traffic volumes in largely unpredictable spikes. (more…)

The joint application of Magyar Telekom’s T-Com business line and Allround has been short-listed as Finalist for the World Billing Awards 2006 in the Best Revenue Assurance/Management Project category. The common project is an excellent example of proven billing accuracy, targeting efficient revenue assurance and legal compliance at the same time. The winners will be announced at the Billing and Information Management Systems 2006 Gala Dinner in London, on 8th June 2006.

László Harsányi, Director at Billing and CRM Directorate of T-Com stated: “it is our pleasure that the successful project with Allround was short-listed as finalist for the prestigious World Billing Awards. This nomination acknowledges the innovative ideas and the strong co-operation between the two companies to customize and implement this new methodology.“

The methodology behind this revenue assurance project was stability testing – time-based regression testing – which is a focused, efficient and cost-effective method to ensure that the tested system preserves its quality level over time. The backbone of this methodology is Allround’s flagship product – CeDaR. CeDaR introduces high-level of automation and the improvement of testing efficiency and meets the highest quality standards as the world’s first billing system testing solution attested by the British Approvals Board for Telecommunications (BABT). (more…)

According to Research and Markets, the Japanese telecom market faces fiercer competition and a broadened spectrum of services–and the market will experience even faster convergence with other industries. Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c37504) has announced the addition of Fast Dynamics of Japanese Telecom Market to their offering.

In the report, the author identified ten most noticeable topics of Japanese mobile communication market, which is leading mobile convergence in the world. For that, the author analyzed the emerging trends in policies, players, technologies and services. As the leader of the mobile industry, Japanese market will serve as an indicator to help all mobile service providers and related companies around the world to predict future directions of the industry. (more…)

Comverse Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: CMVT), has announced that its subsidiary, Comverse Ltd., completed its acquisition of privately-held Netcentrex S.A., for approximately $159 million in cash, subject to certain post-closing adjustments and a contingent earn out of up to $16 million based upon achievement of certain financial targets by the Netcentrex business.

The combination of Netcentrex, a leader in network-based software enabling IP-based voice-video-data (“triple-play”) and FMC (fixed-mobile convergence) solutions, with Comverse’s portfolio of value-added services and billing solutions, is expected to benefit operators deploying services in the VoIP (Voice-over-Internet Protocol) and IMS (IP Multimedia Subsystem) domains. (more…)

Telarix™, a leading provider of Interconnect Business Optimization (IBO) and settlement solutions for content providers, IP service providers and global fixed and mobile operators, today announced that General Post and Telecommunications Company (GPTC), the main telecom operator in Libya, has selected Telarix’s iXTools™ as part of a strategic effort to expand its international carrier business and enhance the overall performance of its interconnect systems. The contract also marks Telarix’s expansion into Africa and the Middle East and solidifies the company’s position as the market leader among providers of interconnect business optimization and settlement solutions to the international telecommunications industry.

“GPTC has an ambitious plan to play a major and strategic role in the voice termination market worldwide and specifically in the Pan-African area,” said Kamal Farhat, Director of International Carrier Business at GPTC.

GPTC will leverage Telarix’s next generation routing optimization solutions, iXRoute™
and iXTranslateâ„¢, to further streamline and automate the carrier’s routing processes. These solutions eliminate the limitations associated with legacy Least Cost Routing (LCR) products by allowing carriers to define business and network requirements to financially optimize their network routing. (more…)

Intec Centralized Error Management System (Intec CEMS) was named “Best New Product” by US-based TeleStrategies as part of the Billing & OSS World 2006 Excellence Awards, which recognise the best vendors in the billing and operations support system ( OSS ) segment of the telecommunications industry.

Ed Finegold, Billing World & OSS Today editor-in-chief, said, “There were more than 100 submissions for the Excellence Awards this year. Intec CEMS was chosen to win the award for best new product due to its practicality for all types of carriers and its ability to impact and improve the bottom line, particularly for carriers undergoing significant change and consolidation with their large IT environments.”

This new product from Intec, which is already in volume production at a major US carrier, has also been shortlisted for two awards at the forthcoming World Billing Awards in London , June 8. Using Intec CEMS, service providers can cut revenue losses by dramatically reducing error volumes, lowering the costs of managing errors, and recovering revenue from unbilled usage and service order errors. Intec has also been shortlisted for a third World Billing Award for its mediation solution under “Best Billing Implementation”. (more…)

Openet Telecom, a world leader in real-time charging, advanced mediation, and network-edge rating, today announced that Apollo Guy has been appointed Vice President of Sales for the Americas. Apollo is responsible for sales of Openet’s product and professional services, both direct and indirect, in North America, Central America and Latin America.

“I am excited in joining Openet at the cusp of IMS taking hold. Openet’s product suite provides proven and scalable solutions in a marketplace that is fast converging”, commented Guy. “Openet is playing a leadership position in changing the old commodity role of rating, charging, and mediation in the evolving communications sector, and redefining the concept of real-time performance”, added Guy.

Apollo joins Openet from CSG Systems, which acquired Telution, where he served as Vice President and General Manager, Broadband and Telco Business Unit. Prior to that, Apollo was Vice President of Marketing and Business Development at Lemur Networks. Apollo has over 20 years experience in the Telecommunications and Cable industries focused on finance, sales, marketing, business development and technologies, working for Rogers Cablesystems, Bell Canada, and Futureway Communications. (more…)

A new research report from the analysis firm Berg Insight forecasts that shipments of handset based personal navigation solutions in Europe and the US will reach 12 million units by 2009. The year 2005 marked the first successful marriage of cellular and navigation technologies, resulting in shipments of around 1 million on-board and off-board systems, mainly in the fourth quarter. Supported by the phenomenal growth recorded in the PND segment, handset based personal navigation solutions are expected to grow by 86 percent year-on-year. (more…)

Allround, a leading supplier in the global roaming market is pleased to announce another major client of its Roaming Management system - Vee Networks Limited, trading as Vmobile Nigeria, one of the fastest growing operators in the country. In this highly competitive market Allround’s uniquely competitive price structure and close operator cooperation were vital to winning the tender.

“The tender was awarded to Allround based on the company’s reputation, high quality software, competitive pricing and many implementations both in the region and globally. Vendors had to demonstrate excellence in all categories, including system functionality, scalability, implementation and support. The awarding of the tender demonstrates Allround’s ability to excel in all these areas,” says Ayodele Adeboye, Vmobile’s Chief Billing Officer.

Nigeria represents a new addition to the expanding list of African countries, where Allround’s highly reliable TAP Solution allows Vmobile to introduce new services quickly to the market to get ahead of its competitors. It enables the management of all roaming aspects with unlimited operator connections and ensures Vmobile is always “TAP-to-date”. (more…)

telSPACE , an innovative provider of multi-service billing, rating, and customer care software solutions for the MVNO industry, today announced its selection of the SmartPathTM solution by Trilibis Mobile. This choice will accelerate telSPACE’s plan to offer data services that will dramatically enhance the customer’s experience with their mobile phones. These applications will work hand in hand with its data strategy launch powered by Wireless Services Corporation.

Paris Holt, telSPACE’s Chief Executive says, “The final piece to the puzzle has been put in place and we have now started development on what we believe will be the most comprehensive suite of cellular phone applications ever assembled. Each of our 27 MVNO clients will be able to customize this phone based application to fit their exact target demographic. Our goal is to revolutionize the way our MVNOs are positioned in the marketplace and provide customers with so much more functionality and utility than they have today.”

telSPACE has created a system that allows any company to add communications to their product line and become an MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator). The system comprises a comprehensive back office network, including all operations functions such as customer activation, carrier procurement, fulfillment, billing and rating, MIS reporting, customer service and soon data all integrated into one ubiquitous operating platform. telSPACE effectively uses the internet to automate the complex customer acquisition process, thereby allowing its clients to instantly penetrate new markets or expand service offerings. (more…)

Azure Solutions, the revenue assurance company, has been named as a finalist in three categories for the World Billing Awards 2006. The categories that Azure has been short-listed for are: ‘Overall Best Contribution to Billing’, ‘Most Innovative Billing Product’ and ‘Best Revenue Assurance/ Management Project’.

Azure’s Certo 2 product, the latest version of its automated revenue assurance solution, was nominated as a finalist in the ‘Most Innovative Billing Product’ category. Certo 2 helps operators detect, analyse and correct revenue-leakage problems in real-time and has already been implemented by several customers since its launch in January 2006. (more…)

Convergys Corporation (NYSE: CVG), a global leader in customer care, human resources, and billing services, announced today that its Chief Financial Officer, Earl Shanks, will be presenting at the UBS Enterprise & Technology Service Conference in New York. (more…)

LHS, a provider for telecommunications and billing software, announces that mobile operator COSMOTE Romania, member of the COSMOTE Group, selected LHS’ billing and customer care BSCS 8 system to replace its previous legacy system, on the basis of its proven marketing and pricing capabilities. The new billing system was installed to support COSMOTE Romania’s dynamic growth plans.

Christos Christopoulos, COSMOTE Romania IT Director stated: “COSMOTE is pleased to once again collaborate with LHS for the BSCS brand, which has a track record of excellent performance and proven reliability. Through LHS’ software, COSMOTE Romania is able to effectively implement promotional campaigns and promote its services to all its prepaid and postpaid customers”.

COSMOTE Romania, member of the COSMOTE Group, began commercial operations in December 2005 with the aim to make mobile telephony accessible to all. To this end, the company continuously expands its advanced products and services portfolio, introducing new voice, data and content value added services. (more…)

Portal Software, Inc. (Pink Sheets:PRSF), the premier provider of billing and Revenue Management solutions for the global communications and media markets, today announced preliminary, unaudited business results for its fiscal 2007 first quarter ended April 28, 2006. (more…)

Axiom Systems, a leader in Service Fulfilment software for telecommunications, today announced that its AXIOSS® for IP Services solution is now integrated with the Alcatel 5620 Service Aware Manager (SAM). This integration will allow Alcatel and Axiom Systems customers to automate the service fulfilment of mass volume orders whilst reducing the cost of ownership of those new service products and their variants from component design to rapid service creation and product launch. All of these benefits occur whilst service revenues increase.

As an Alcatel Connected Partner, Axiom Systems participates in a rigorous certification process to ensure that its products are integrated with Alcatel’s IP service routing portfolio in order to simplify introduction of the solution within customer networks, and thus speed implementation of carrier-grade service provisioning. (more…)

ACE*COMM Corporation (NASDAQ:ACEC), a global provider of advanced OSS, value-added services, and network business intelligence solutions, announced today that it has received the ‘Best Customer Success’ award from TeleStrategies, the publisher of Billing World & OSS Today magazine, at the Sixth Annual Excellence Awards reception on May 3 at the Billing & OSS World 2006 Conference in Miami. Published 12 times per year, Billing World & OSS Today is the most widely read magazine by the back-office software decision makers in the telecommunications industry.

“Billing World & OSS Today magazine is proud to present the 2006 Excellence Awards to the companies who are driving innovation and positive ROI in the billing and OSS/BSS industries,” said Jill Morgan, publisher of Billing World & OSS Today magazine. “The Best Customer Success category is self explanatory, but it should be noted that it was the single most competitive category in this year’s competition. This year’s winner - ACE*COMM - is a company we have seen go through many changes and challenges over the years in the industry. It is a company that has re-invented itself and thrived, but without ever abandoning its core expertise. What impressed us the most about ACE*COMM was the innovative way in which it has taken technology that is traditionally buried behind the scenes and given it relevance on the front lines.”

The Best Customer Success award recognizes outstanding industry achievement for real-life benefits achieved as part of a customer deployment. ACE*COMM’s Market Maker(TM) product - part of the ACE*COMM Network Business Intelligence(TM) (NBI) suite - was recognized for dramatically improving a Tier 1 cable operator’s ability to position its marketing resources to achieve higher quality upsell opportunities and close new customers. At the same time the operator was able to develop the information required to match marketing efforts with available network capacity. (more…)

Atos Origin, an international IT service provider and Comptel Corporation, a leading OSS software vendor for convergent mediation, charging, provisioning and network inventory announced today that they had been selected by Maroc Telecom, Morocco’s leading telecoms operator to automate DSL services across Morocco. Maroc Telecom provides fixed, broadband internet and mobile services across all regions in Morocco.

The Comptel® Fulfilment solution will be integrated into Maroc Telecom’s OSS by Atos Origin to automate the activation of DSL services to Maroc Telecom’s customers. This will meet the rapid growth in demand for broadband in Morocco. (more…)