The TeleManagement Forum, the 500 member-company industry association dedicated to Operational Support Systems (OSS) and Business Support Systems (BSS), will be holding ongoing educational sessions and hosting five exhibitors at their pavilion in Booth 1727 on the TelecomNEXT exhibit floor. The TM Forum will highlight how operational innovation can be used as a key competitive differentiator in the converging market environment of today.

“Competition in the world of communications is the name of the game for the future, as traditional phone and wireless providers stake their ground in video,” said John Abel, Senior Vice President – Membership, Marketing & Business Development for USTelecom. “In today’s dynamic communications market, integrated service providers must find new ways to increase their profitability while staying ahead of the competition. The TeleManagement Forum’s exhibit floor pavilion and compelling sessions are critical stops for every telecom executive at TelecomNEXT.”

TeleManagement Forum members and teams will feature their solutions dedicated to the task of business transformation via operational innovation. Exhibitors including Convergys, Nexagent, Syndesis, the TM Forum and TM Forum Revenue Assurance Team will showcase a new generation of management systems, software and processes that enhance profitability, competitiveness and success in the market.

The sessions, titled: “Profitability in the Competitive Market: Turning Operations from Obstacle to Advantage,” will offer strategic guidance and demonstrate practical solutions for how companies can improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their operations through automation, systems integration, new software and other services. Areas of focus include billing, revenue assurance, multi-vendor and multi-network management, customer service, and regulatory compliance. Featured speakers include Mark Nicholson, CTO & Senior Vice President, PLM, Syndesis; Jeffrey S. Gordon, Senior Vice President, Advanced Development and New Markets, Information Management Group, Convergys Corporation; Charlie Muirhead, President and Founder, Nexagent Ltd.; as well as members of the TeleManagement Forum Revenue Assurance project and staff.

In addition to the TeleManagement Forum Theater, the TelecomNEXT exhibit floor offers technical decision makers, designers, engineers, network developers, and other stakeholders the information they need to make smart purchasing decisions. Products featured on the exhibit floor will give buyers a hands-on look at newly available items on the market spanning a range of traditional and emerging technologies.

TelecomNEXT will be held at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, March 19-23, 2006. The exhibit floor will be open Tuesday, March 21 and Wednesday, March 22. For more information on TelecomNEXT, go to www.telecom-next.com.

About the TeleManagement Forum
For more than 16 years, the TeleManagement Forum (TM Forum) has provided leadership, strategic guidance and practical solutions to improve the management and operation of information and communications services. Through its “Lean Operator” initiative and flagship New Generation Operations Systems and Software (NGOSS) program for developing, procuring and deploying operational and business support systems, the TM Forum creates collaboratively developed, industry standard solutions. These solutions, delivered through a set of guidelines and specifications, define the direction and specific roadmap to achieve business efficiency and operational flexibility – the hallmarks of the Lean Operator.

The TM Forum has 500 members in 60 countries, including incumbent and new-entrant service providers, equipment suppliers, software solution suppliers and systems integrators. For further information regarding the TM Forum, related programs and TeleManagement World, please visit www.tmforum.org.

TelecomNEXT is the only place where the business and technology of communications and entertainment meet. Recognizing the dramatic changes in today’s integrated communications market, the TelecomNEXT exhibit floor and conference program fully reflect the industry’s continuing evolution and will bring together the most dynamic, talented and innovative players of the digital age.