Interactive Enterprise Limited (IE) has launched a new service provisioning and management solution supporting online payments. As part of its industry leading provisioning and management solution, Conexon, IE now enables service providers activate and manage both pre-paid and post-paid services for broadband data, voice wireless and video services.

This solution is ideal for service providers looking to consolidate and extend their market position by offering an extensive and flexible range of payment options to their subscriber base.

Pre-paid services are becoming an important tool for service providers as they look for creative ways to increase market share and maximize revenue generation in an ever competitive and crowded market. They complement existing post-pay models and offer an attractive way to tap into new market segments in addition to offering subscribers the ability to try new services before committing to a long-term contract. Under the Conexon platform, service providers can provide pre-paid services using a combination of different payment technologies including credit card and smart card technology. Services can also be customized and tailored to the specific needs of each operator taking into account their unique market and pricing requirements. They can also be managed via a simple web based portal where subscribers can activate and manage services themselves.

Paul McBride, CEO, Interactive Enterprise said, ”With greater competition in the cable and broadband markets, pre-paid services offer an innovative way for providers to penetrate new customer markets and generate new revenue streams. With Conexon’s extensive ability to support both post-paid and pre-paid services, we are confident that operators will reap significant advantages by offering more choice and flexibility to their subscribers. ”

IE’s pre-paid service platform is currently being used by StarHub in Singapore. As the largest cable TV operator in the Singapore market, StarHub offers pre-paid broadband, voice and cable TV services under the respective brand names of FlexiSurf, FlexiTalk and FlexiWatch. Additionally, StarHub also offers on-demand gaming services on a pre-paid basis. These innovative services can be activated through using either pre-paid card or credit card technology. Users only pay for what they need and can purchase usage time for these services based on their own particular requirements. New users simply logon to StarHub’s web site and activate their new subscription either using their own credit card or pre-paid cards, which can be purchased from a number of different locations throughout Singapore. Conexon manages all interactions with the relevant payment modules and network and access devices. It also manages the authentication and authorisation of prepaid subscribers. Subscriptions to FlexiSurf, FlexiTalk and FlexiWatch services are managed based on specific criteria set within Conexon. Services are activated/deactivated according to the specific date/time and duration purchased by each subscriber.

“StarHub sees technology support as a critical component in ensuring that our overall service attributes are of a high quality. The ability to provide both pre- and post-paid services to our customers is critical as we continue with our drive to be the leading residential broadband provider in the Singapore market,” said Thomas Ee, Senior Vice President, Cable, Fixed and IP Services, StarHub. “With our strong relationship with IE, we look forward to extending our leadership position by providing a host of payment options to our customers so as to maximise the value of our services.”

Conexon enables operators to provision, activate and manage the delivery of multiple services including data, voice, video and wireless. Designed on an open architecture, Conexon encompasses a high-performance provisioning engine and a set of industry standard interfaces that can be combined to create a comprehensive solution that meets the individual business and technical needs of each broadband operator. With support for leading industry broadband standards and technologies, Conexon allows for the rapid activation of services across the operator’s customer base helping to maximize revenue and market share.

Conexon not only enables broadband operators to rapidly provision services but also offers a suite of add-on management modules that helps operators effectively manage how subscribers use these services. Conexon’s integrated modules primarily focus on managing the customer experience so that operators can maximize revenue generation and customer loyalty.

About Interactive Enterprise
Founded in 1998, Interactive Enterprise Ltd. (IE) develops and markets broadband service management solutions to operators throughout North America, Latin America, EMEA and Asia. Through its modular and flexible service activation and management solution, Conexon, IE enables operators to rapidly deploy voice, video, data and wireless (quad-play) services to their subscribers across multiple broadband platforms.

A suite of integrated management modules provides operators with the ability to enhance the customer broadband experience by delivering feature-rich applications that enable self-provisioning/self-care, pre-paid services, content management and guaranteed quality of service. With headquarters in Dublin, Ireland, the company delivers an integrated end-to-end broadband solution working with a host of industry partners including Motorola and Comverse. More information on Interactive Enterprise and Conexon can be found at www.interactive-enterprise.com .

About StarHub
StarHub is Singapore’s second largest info-communications company and the sole operator delivering a full range of information, communications and entertainment services over fixed, cable, mobile and Internet platforms. StarHub operates a 3G mobile network in addition to its GSM network and is the exclusive provider of i-mode mobile Internet service over its 2.5G and 3G networks. StarHub also operates its own nation-wide HFC network that delivers multi-channel cable TV services (inlcuding Digital Cable and High Definition Television), voice and Internet access (including ultra-high residential broadband access of up to 100 Mbps) for both consumer and corporate markets. StarHub is listed on the SGX-ST.

Driven by a passion for listening and providing what customers want, StarHub endeavours to bring affordable and premium quality services with innovative and useful features to all its customers. StarHub raises the level of competition in Singapore, challenging others as well as itself, to constantly introduce new world-class services at competitive prices. This unwavering commitment will further strengthen Singapore’s position as a leading info-communications hub in the region. Visit www.starhub.com for your info- communications needs.