Amdocs (NYSE: DOX - News), a leading provider of software and services to enable integrated customer management and the intentional customer experience(TM), and Rogers Communications, a diversified Canadian communications and media company today announced that Rogers will implement Amdocs CRM across cable, wireless and telecom lines of business. This implementation is part of Rogers’ integrated customer management (ICM) strategy rollout which is designed to provide a consistent customer experience to its more than 10 million subscribers.

“Rogers recognizes that it is important to deliver a consistent and rewarding experience across all channels,” said Stephen Graham, chief marketing officer at Rogers Communications Inc. “After an extensive review of potential solutions, Amdocs was the natural choice to help us achieve this goal. The company understands our challenges and has the proven solutions we need to address them.”

Customers receive a variety of communications services from Rogers, including cable TV, high-speed Internet, wireline and wireless. Rogers strives to ensure a consistent customer experience across all those services. Providing a single view of the customer is part of an ICM strategy, which helps achieve that. ICM provides a framework to organize a company’s infrastructure and resources around customer needs and the customer experience. (more…)

Axiom Systems, a leader in Service Fulfilment software for communications service providers, has announced a strategic partnership with a leading North American Operations Support System (OSS) consultancy and systems integrator, TierOne OSS Technologies. The partnership will result in the seamless integration of AXIOSS with TierOne™ enSEMBLE, to create the industry’s first integrated Service Fulfillment solution to simultaneously address provisioning and activation requirements across Layer 1 (Optical, Photonic), Layer 2 (Carrier Ethernet, DSL, Broadband) and Layer 3 (VoIP, IPTV) networks.

“Service Providers are under real pressure to address the demands that new converged services are placing on their underlying transport network infrastructure and OSS systems,” said Brad Niven, Axiom System’s Regional Director for the Americas.

AXIOSS is a unique component-based platform that enables Service Provider’s to design, create and deliver next generation services such as IPTV and VoIP over agnostic broadband and IP networks. TierOneâ„¢ enSEMBLE is the telecommunications industry’s leading integrated solution suite for comprehensive transport network management supporting last-gen, this-gen and next-generation services. (more…)

Convergys Corporation (NYSE: CVG), a global leader in providing customer care, human resources, and billing services, today announced the continued expansion of its Human Resources Business Process Outsourcing (HR BPO) business in the Asia Pacific region.

“Asia Pacific has garnered a strong reputation as an offshoring location of choice, and having these service centers is an important step in the expansion of Convergys’ presence in this rapidly growing market,” said Nalin Singh, Vice President and Managing Director of Asia Pacific Operations for Convergys. “As part of our strategic expansion efforts, we operate in high-tech locations with a highly skilled talent pool to grow our client base and meet the needs of our clients. Convergys is committed to the Asia Pacific region and we are leveraging the local expertise of our service centers to benefit our clients worldwide.”

Convergys has added to its global HR BPO capacity by opening new or expanding existing service centers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Bangalore, India; Dalian, China; and Singapore. These service centers provide high quality, world-class HR business process outsourcing (BPO) services to more than 150 global and regional Convergys clients. (more…)

Berg Insight has launched a new media site at www.lbsinsight.com. This new site covers the worldwide location-based services market. The editorial team is drawn from the leading Nordic wireless analyst firm Berg Insight.

The LBS Insight web site, with its continuous news feed and links to leaders in the LBS marketplace, will keep the visitors up to date and plugged in. (more…)

The joint application of Magyar Telekom’s T-Com business line and Allround has won the World Billing Awards 2006 in the Best Revenue Assurance/Management Project category. The winners have been announced at the Billing and Information Management Systems 2006 Gala Dinner in London, on 8th June 2006.

“We are delighted to acknowledge the T-Com / Magyar Telekom / Allround project as winner in the ‘Best Revenue Assurance / Revenue Management’ category. All of us were impressed by the proactive approach based on stability testing that was adopted, and also by the honesty demonstrated in both relationships and reporting structures that is clearly important for real long term benefits to accrue.” said Hugh Roberts, Chairman of the Awards Judging Panel and Consultant Director for IIR’s BSS/OSS and RM events.

László Harsányi, Director at Billing and CRM Directorate of T-Com Wireline Services of Magyar Telekom stated: “it is an honour that the T-Com / Magyar Telekom / Allround project won the prestigious World Billing Awards. This achievement acknowledges the innovative ideas and the strong co-operation between the two companies to customize and implement this new methodology.” (more…)

ACE*COMM Corporation (NASDAQ:ACEC), a provider of advanced OSS, value-added services, and network business intelligence solutions, today announced it has signed its first customer in North America for the deployment of its industry-leading Parent Patrol(TM) wireless access control application. The customer, an undisclosed Tier One North American service provider, is expected to commence rollout for the new service in one of its regional divisions in the third quarter of 2006.

“Selling dynamic, value-added service applications like Parent Patrol(TM) into the Tier-1 customer space is a breakthrough achievement for ACE*COMM and a positive indicator of the market potential for this class of product,” said George Jimenez, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of ACE*COMM.

Parent Patrol(TM) gives parents the ability to supervise their children’s use of mobile phones. Parents use an intuitive web-based interface to the service provider’s network, through which they set allowance limits on parameters such as time of day, numbers called or received, minutes used, and services accessed. (more…)

Veramark Technologies, Inc. (OTCBB: VERA) has announced the signing of a new 3-year managed services contract with a large beverage and bottling company. Veramark’s ASP (Application Service Provider) model allows its customers easy web browser access to the full functionality of the VeraSMART suite of applications including Call Accounting, Allocation, Invoice Management, Online Directory, and Work Order; without the need to install, host, and maintain a premise-based solution. The client will utilize Veramark’s services primarily for security reporting within their facilities.

Veramark president and CEO David Mazzella said, “For companies that recognize the benefits of telemanagement solutions, but would rather not manage a system themselves, Veramark’s Managed Services offers application hosting in a variety of arrangements from full-service to Applications Service Provider (ASP) models. We’re pleased to provide our new client with solely dedicated and optimized servers maintained in a secure environment; end-to-end Web access; industry-leading service delivery and dedicated account support; and knowledgeable technical support.”

The client’s security reporting activities will be supported by VeraSMART’s Call Accounting module to track and document communication between management and personnel. The service will be used initially to manage 6,000 extensions at seven sites, with expansion to additional sites expected. (more…)

A new suite of software testing solutions from Convergys Corporation (NYSE: CVG) combining consulting services with automated testing software is now available to businesses seeking to strengthen their software testing capabilities. Convergys Testing Solutions combine professional services offerings with Convergys Easy Test, an automated software application testing tool. Businesses using Convergys Testing Solutions can enhance the quality of their products and services by thoroughly testing and verifying changes to mission-critical systems such as billing and customer care.

“Reducing the time and cost of introducing new price plans to market, while improving plan accuracy with the help of Convergys Easy Test, helps us deliver on our strategy to be a leading value-priced wireless carrier,” said Emilio Echave, senior vice president of operations for SunCom Wireless.

Under a contract signed recently with Convergys, SunCom Wireless is using Convergys Testing Solutions to bring complex voice and data pricing plans to market quickly. Convergys is providing testing consulting services in the form of software configuration, customization, project management, and system testing. (more…)

Telcordia (www.telcordia.com) has announced that the UAE’s Emirates Telecommunications orporation- etisalat- is the first to deploy the latest release of Telcordia(R) Network Engineer to drive operational efficiencies and lower total cost of ownership, supporting its goal of aggressively deploying new technologies and services to its customers in the region. This highly sophisticated, award-winning solution is helping etisalat optimize its fibre network in order to quickly roll-out services, such as IPTV, and streamline its operations with Network Engineer’s automated processes.

“etisalat is continually working to offer new and exciting products and services to our customers, and Telcordia has always delivered first-rate, state-of-the-art solutions that help us deal with today’s operational challenges with an eye on tomorrow’s network,” said Nasser Salim, General Manager- Converged Networks, etisalat. “The evolution of Telcordia’s Network Engineer supports our overall OSS transformation plan, optimizing our network and helping us continue to provide leading edge services in the Middle East.”

etisalat, the incumbent service provider in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), has been utilizing Telcordia(R) Network Engineer for several years and recognized that with network convergence a reality, now was the critical time to reap the benefits that the enhanced solution provides. Network Engineer, an end-to-end geospatial network planning and engineering solution for the management of telecommunications networks, helps to simplify network operations, increase customer satisfaction and paves the way for the creation and deployment of new revenue generating advanced services. (more…)

Subex Systems Limited, a Bangalore-headquartered telecom software product company and UK-headquartered Azure Solutions Limited today announced the completion of their previously announced merger. The new entity is called Subex Azure Limited and it enjoys a global leadership position in telecom fraud management and revenue assurance. (more…)

Coastal Technologies Group Inc. (CTGi), a leader in call detail processing, back-office accounting process and OSS support for the telecommunications industry, has introduced its WorkFlow Proâ„¢, a business process automation (BPA) tool that enables carriers to improve order processing and back-office telecom management.

“The CMP and OSS Connect suites have always given telecom carriers and service providers a single source for managing the fixed and variable costs of operating a network,” said Richard Kane, president and CEO for Coastal Technologies Group. “By introducing WorkFlow Pro, and enabling CMP, OSS Connect and WorkFlow Pro to work together seamlessly, we can now give service providers an automatic way of detecting and addressing network anomalies, such as phantom traffic or fraud, in a matter of hours as opposed to weeks or months. We have taken what used to be a difficult manual process, and given service providers a seamless way to reduce their service order error rate, mitigate fraud and capture unaccounted for revenue.”

CTGi has also added enhanced capabilities to its current ASP Call Management Program (CMP) and OSS Connect product lines in order to provide more detailed network snapshots and call management. Ultimately, these new tools and capabilities give service providers a 360-degree view of their network and the costs associated with provisioning, delivering and managing valuable triple play services easier, faster and more cost effectively. (more…)

HP has recently announced numerous upgrades to its OpenView portfolio of OSS solutions for next generation networks (NGN) and services. The upgrades will help service providers reduce opex and improve the customer experience.

“The new enhanced integration between HP OpenView TeMIP and HP OpenView Network Node Manager, which we are now trialing, allows us to manage both our IP and telecom infrastructure from our preferred single console while still having the best in class telecom and IP management tools,” said Gaute Elvenes, chief of the Marienborg network operations center, Jernbaneverket. “This combination will save our operations staff time in localizing and responding to all kinds of problems - critical in our highly reliable network.”

The most notable is the completed integration between HP OpenView TeMIP and HP OpenView Network Node Manager. Together, they increase operations efficiency across heterogeneous networks - and offer service providers proven IP network management as part of the industry’s most broadly deployed OSS platform. (more…)

Info Directions, a developer of net-centric billing, rating, order management, workflow and selling solutions for the telecommunications industry, is pleased to announce that Toronto-based service provider, Roadpost Inc., has selected its CostGuard(R) XG back office solution to help manage the launch of new services to the company’s international business clients.

“Our six-year partnership with Info Directions has delivered value to our organization and to the customers we serve,” said Roadpost’s Director of IT Louis Chang. “CostGuard XG will give us the flexibility to provide additional products and services to our customers and adapt to the changes taking place in the communications marketplace. We are focused on leveraging our strengths as a service provider to simplify the lives of our clients when they travel abroad and CostGuard XG is a key part of our efforts.”

Launched in 1991, Roadpost provides customized global communications to individuals and corporations, offering subscriptions and short-term rental of cellular, satellite and personal digital assistant communications services. The company’s portfolio includes International Cellular, Global Satellite, International BlackBerry and Worldwide Internet services providing complete global coverage. Roadpost has alliances with industry leaders such as 02(UK)Ltd, Transatel, Swisscom, Telecom Italia Mobile, Vodafone, Bell Mobility, TELUS Mobility, Iridium, France Telecom Mobile Services, iPass, Research in Motion, Motorola and Nokia which allow it to deliver reliable and secure communications. (more…)

JacobsRimell, a leading provider of customer-centric IP service fulfillment solutions, today announced at the SCTE conference the availability of APS(tm) ‘QuickStart,’ the latest implementation of its innovative Automated Provisioning System (APS).

“We have successfully implemented APS to multi-service cable and telecom service providers around the world, ranging from providers such as Comcast and UPC to Cbeyond and now Bermuda CableVision”, said David Jacobs, co-founder and CTO, JacobsRimell. “The APS QuickStart package will help Bermuda CableVision reach its goal to roll out Point-to-Point Data Services over a short time frame to its large subscriber base and also easily scale new services to new subscribers.”

Bermuda CableVision, the leading cable operator in Bermuda, will use APS QuickStart to more rapidly launch their High Speed Data (HSD) service. This solution will give Bermuda CableVision an automated and integrated platform to manage all of their HSD subscribers and provision all HSD related services, ultimately allowing them to launch new services by evolving rather than replacing their existing infrastructure. (more…)

Berg Insight has recently completed a survey among 200 European location-based services (LBS) professionals in order to take the temperature of this important mobile value added service category. Berg Insight made the survey among LBS professionals at mobile operators, vendors and consultancies in Europe. There were two sets of questions asked to the 200 respondents, one to operators and another set to vendors and consultancies.

Berg Insight asked the operators which LBS applications they already have deployed and got not surprisingly the reply that the most common services today are information services such as yellow pages near you and local weather information. On second and third place came navigation services and tracking. (more…)

Lucent Technologies (NYSE: LU) has been selected by Telefonica of Spain to maximize the availability and responsiveness of Telefonica’s application servers and end-to-end performance of all network traffic (WiFi, LAN, etc.) using Lucent’s VitalSuite(R) Application Performance Management software.

“We chose Lucent’s VitalSuite(R) Application Performance Management software to significantly increase our overall network and application performance,” said Olegario Mendez, corporate network operations manager at Telefonica de Espana.

Lucent will provide Telefonica Sistemas — Telefonica’s IT department, which is responsible for managing Telefonica’s worldwide network — with VitalSuite(R) performance management agents that monitor key applications and system resources, which are key for millions of Telefonica’s business and consumer customers worldwide. Using software agents and scripts, Telefonica’s IT group will be able to increase the performance of its application servers and systems resources throughout its entire, global network. (more…)

Redknee Inc., a provider of innovative infrastructure software that monetizes and personalizes services and content for mobile users, today announced it has received The Canadian Advanced Technology Alliance (CATA Alliance) award for Outstanding Product Achievement in Information Communications Telecom (ICT).

“Redknee exemplifies Canadian technology success,” said John Reid, President of the CATA Alliance. “The company’s strong focus on technology innovation has led them to become one of the leading forces of innovation in the wireless communication service provider industry, and this is the result of drive, energy and vision.”

Redknee empowers mobile network operators to maximize their differentiation and revenue with products and solutions for converged billing, IP charging, policy decision making and enhanced location, presence, profile, messaging and mCommerce services. The subscriber experience is improved through Redknee’s self-care, loyalty and analytics that deliver the content and services subscribers want, when they want them. (more…)

First Hop has announced the launch of the mobile value added services (VAS) Business Intelligence Solution at CommunicAsia. The new solution gives the operator a complete view across their portfolio of in-house and external content provider services, subscriber usage patterns, as well as the revenue that each service brings in.

Timo Laaksonen, the Chief Executive Officer of First Hop, remarked: “The operators are like supermarkets, they want the shelves to be stacked full of goods for people to buy. Unlike supermarkets they are not aware of customer preference and real purchasing behaviour, and don’t fully exploit mapping CRM details. Real-life traffic paints a different picture compared to market surveys.”

The solution is the latest addition in the First Hop Wireless Broker suite of products, introducing the ability to accurately monitor the business performance of VAS. The solution comprises of a data warehouse and reporting system targeted and optimised for VAS usage analysis and business management. The market intelligence is based on the transaction data retrieved from the traffic and service management modules of the product suite. (more…)

IBS, a leader in the Russian IT and consultancy Market, has become the first Russian IT company to gain a high assessment for its work from TeleManagement Forum (TM Forum). TM Forum is an international institution, which establishes new standards and methodologies for OSS/BSS design and development for the telecommunications market.

According to Sergei Alexandrov, the Director of IBS’s Telecommunications Solutions Center, “we have carried out a tremendous work, with its outcome being submitted for evaluation; on the part of TM Forum, a group of experts was formed to analyze our proposal for compliance with their internal criteria. The high opinion of experts has become an important international acknowledgment of our performance quality and a significant contribution to future development of the practice”.

TM Forum has evaluated a number of IBS’s solutions, utilizing the results and techniques proposed by the TM Forum experts. Particular interest was attracted by the IBS-developed SRFAL product (the System of Revealing Fraud and Analysing Operator’s Profit Losses), presented as an international best practice. (more…)

ACM Group, a technology consulting and development company, and IntraISP, a premier business management software company, today announced a partnership to meet the business and IT needs of Latin America and the Caribbean telecommunications-related service providers. ACM brings systems integration and consulting expertise, while IntraISP offers a comprehensive CRM, billing and operations support systems (OSS) platform, allowing the two companies to fill a significant market need in Latin America and the Caribbean for solutions for telecommunications-related companies.

“By combining our capabilities, we bring a comprehensive solution that will enable South American service providers to provision complete customer-facing and back-office solutions to meet their current and emerging needs,” said Peter Esparrago, CEO of IntraISP. “Customers will be able to leverage not just software, but the expertise of integrators to address the market needs for triple-play (data/voice/video) services.”

IntraISP’s comprehensive CRM, billing and business management software is built on the latest technology platforms, allowing service providers to implement their own solutions more rapidly, and with a lower total cost of ownership. Effectively, this allows small to mid-size service providers to meet customer needs more quickly and accelerate revenue. (more…)