ECtel, a leading global provider of Integrated Revenue Management(TM) (IRM(TM)) solutions, announced today the signing of a definitive agreement to acquire Elron Telesoft, a prominent revenue assurance solution provider. With the acquisition, which is expected to be closed at the end of the month, ECtel enhances its position in the revenue assurance market, and expands its comprehensive IRM(TM) offerings.

At the closing of the transaction, ECtel will purchase all of the outstanding share capital of Elron Telesoft Ltd. and Elron Telesoft Export Ltd. from their parent company, Elron Electronic Industries Ltd. (Nasdaq:ELRN), in consideration for US$2.1 million in cash. The seller will be entitled to receive an additional US$400,000 if certain milestones are achieved by Telesoft during 2006. The acquisition is subject to customary approvals and closing conditions.

Telesoft brings to ECtel its flagship RAP product, a cutting-edge solution that manages all revenue-related business processes for communications service providers (CSPs). RAP effectively complements CashView(R), ECtel’s best-in-class cost and revenue assurance solution for interconnect, CDR and SS7 reconciliation. This combination will allow ECtel to provide CSPs with a flexible, end-to-end solution that addresses all of their revenue assurance needs.

“Operators are facing growing revenue leakage that affects both their top and bottom line. As a result, they have made revenue assurance a top priority,” said Eitan Naor, ECtel’s President and CEO. “We are committed to offering CSPs the very best in revenue assurance solutions. As part of our long-term strategy, we are expanding our recently-launched IRM(TM) product framework with Telesoft’s RAP, an excellent product that audits and controls end-to-end revenue-related processes. We have selected Telesoft since it provides outstanding value to operators, addressing their growing revenue assurance needs.”

The acquisition strengthens ECtel’s global sales presence and tier-one customer base in the US, Western Europe, and Asia Pacific. It also significantly expands ECtel’s revenue assurance domain expertise through the addition of Telesoft’s vast industry experience.

“We are proud of our success in building a winning product that serves tier-one operators,” said Benny Yehezkel, Elron Telesoft’s CEO. “Telesoft is delighted to become an integral part of ECtel, a leading revenue assurance player. By joining forces with ECtel, we believe we are well positioned to provide the industry’s leading revenue assurance offering.”

Comptel Corporation, a leading convergent mediation, charging, provisioning and network inventory software solution vendor has been granted Innovative Product of the Year 2005 -award for its Comptel InstantLink® provisioning solution. The award was granted in Decemberat Billing IT Telecom Forum organised by Automatics and Telecommunications Association. The event was organised for the sixth year and it is considered to be the only great event in Russia and the CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) that gathers competent industry leaders. Annually about 1000 experts from all Russian regions, the CIS and European countries participate in the Forum.

Comptel’s provisioning solution was considered to move towards all-around enabler software solutions for operators from the basic cost and time saver product. The latest developments have seen provisioning take an increasingly important role when rolling out new multimedia services, organizing wholesale business and auto-configuring customer handsets. This means that the strategic value of provisioning has also increased: it has become a key enabler for competitiveness, new revenue strategies and a high-quality customer experience.

“We are proud to receive this award. The Russian telecom market has fast become one of Europe’s leading markets. Russian operators are among the largest players in the industry, and now they focus on providing advanced services and raising ARPU. This sets new challenges and requires new business models with higher complexity of processes. In order to support this development and operators’ new businesses Comptel has developed its offering to meet these needs with new innovative solutions based on provisioning, mediation and network inventory solutions,” said Antti Jukarainen, Vice President of Sales in Europe, Comptel Corporation.

The trend of providing telecommunication applications and services independent of the access network through fixed-mobile convergence (FMC) is gaining significant momentum and initiating changes across the value chain from the end users to the core network infrastructure. Intensifying competition both within the fixed and mobile markets and between them is also prompting the adoption of FMC and fixed-to-mobile substitution strategies aimed at fostering customer loyalty and combating the high costs of customer acquisition and retention.

“FMC is a gradual trend, but it is a fundamental shift with wide-reaching implications on all carrier types”, says Jennifer Fruehauf, ICT Research Manager at Frost and Sullivan (http://wireless.frost.com). “FMC is possible at many different levels, from core network infrastructure, business support, operations and access networks to different applications and services. Hence, operators must adopt clear, long-term strategies that prepare these different elements for the changes to come.”

To successfully exploit the growth opportunities in the fixed-mobile convergence market, carriers and service providers will benefit by devising effective strategies at various levels such as the application, service, device and network levels. Carriers enabling end-users to access a range of core services irrespective of the device or access network and service providers that offer value-added services are entering into agreements, partnerships or acquisitions to capture greater market share. The penetration of the wireless local area Network (WLAN) technology into the telecommunications market through its integration into broadband and cellular data and the development of voice over WLAN products and solutions will further spur FMC. Fundamental changes in the core network levels of various carriers following the implementation of the IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) will lead to savings in operations and capital expenditure and will further underline the appeal of FMC.

Application-level strategies will assume importance with the deployment of IMS, which will facilitate the implementation of a single application platform that can be offered as services for fixed and mobile access. This will encourage the telecommunications industry to shift form a vertical structure based on access technologies to a horizontal one that emphasises applications and services.

To avail of the opportunities that FMC offers, carriers will do well to offer complete service bundles, which will enable cross-selling, by which additional services can be sold to existing customers to avoid the high costs of customer acquisition. However, carriers providing value-added services such as unified messaging or communication must ensure that legacy infrastructure and billing systems are capable of charging for such services.

Moreover, carriers can significantly reduce capital expenditure (CAPEX) and operational expenditure (OPEX) by integrating core networks and sharing back-end functions such as customer service, network operations and maintenance, customer relationship management (CRM) and other administrative functions. In addition, the IMS architecture, which breaks down barriers between fixed and mobile networks, will also encourage carriers to develop new applications and services with lower investment requirements.

The emerging trend of several users replacing their fixed lines, offers opportunities for carriers to develop an integrated device and eliminate the need for multiple address books, passwords and message portals. However, despite these benefits, the market for integrated devices is still at a nascent stage due to limitations such as short battery life and the high costs associated with integrated devices.

Fixed carriers in the market, such as cable operators, Internet/DSL service providers, fixed network operators and wireless hotspot network operators/(VoIP) service providers can also avail of the increasing opportunities to offer converged solutions due to the well-developed support systems they possess. Moreover, their understanding of enterprise requirements is likely to induce enterprise mobile data solutions, which promises tremendous potential. Integrated carriers (with their own cellular and fixed networks) are also likely to benefit from the integration of core networks and offering converged solutions will be viable for such carriers due to their strong market positions.

Mobile carriers such as Vodafone, O2 and Bouygues are making efforts to increase fixed-mobile substitution and there are others who are also aiming at inducing clients to scrap their fixed lines altogether. Additionally, most mobile operators are offering converged services by integrating WLAN into their cellular networks. While partnerships with fixed carriers to develop converged solutions will be advantageous, mobile operators must ensure that the new services do not compete with their existing ones.

“Uncertainty in the market is driven by the development of various technologies, especially voice-over-IP, wireless LAN, the emergence of WiMAX (and similar) technologies, dual mode handsets and higher speed cellular capabilities”, cautions Ms. Fruehauf. However, despite the presence of some challenges (essentially supply-related), operators which succeed in creating attractive value propositions and providing adequate customer support, can expect to gain from FMC.

Globecomm Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: GCOM), a global provider of end-to-end value-added satellite-based communications solutions, announced today that the Company’s wholly owned subsidiary, Globecomm Network Services Corporation (“GNSC”), has signed a one-year contract extension with Afghan Telecom.

Afghan Telecom, a newly formed company, has taken on responsibility for all telecommunications services throughout Afghanistan. GNSC has been providing teleport services, in support of international voice and Internet connectivity, to Afghan Telecom since the District Communications Network (“DCN”), which was built by Globecomm Systems, went live. The DCN provides telecommunication connections between districts, central and provincial organizations.

Ken Miller, President of Globecomm Systems Inc., said: “Globecomm looks forward to a long term relationship with Afghan Telecom as we work together to re-build the country’s telecommunication infrastructure.”

NetCracker Technology, the global Solution Leader enabling service providers to deliver and manage converged services, today announced that its Service Inventory module won the prestigious “Product of the Year” award at BILLING. IT Telecom. NetCracker’s Service Inventory module accelerates Communications Service Providers’ (CSPs’) ability to create and provision existing and next generation services across all layers.

The Service Inventory’s robust and flexible Service Catalog enables the CSP to rapidly define and introduce new converged services. It allows the CSPs to mix and match components to create a unique service bundle in real time. By decoupling the network and IT infrastructure from the service components, CSPs are able to create and deliver services faster without having to make wholesale changes to the physical infrastructure.

NetCracker’s inventory of service configurations, combined with its ability to work across siloed inventories at the network and service layers, accelerates the time to market for new services, which is a competitive advantage that CSPs across the globe are looking to achieve.

BILLING. IT Telecom, which took place December 7 to 9 in Moscow, gathered industry leaders to examine innovative operation and business approaches of telecom operators and service-providers.

“This award highlights the strength of our product offerings and remarkable commitment and talent of our team,” said Andrew Feinberg, president and CEO, NetCracker Technology. “Successful communications service providers are those that can effectively deploy and manage converged services. NetCracker gives them the means to do this.”

Alcatel today announced that it has been selected by Zhejiang Telecom, a provincial subsidiary of China Telecom, to upgrade and expand its customer service centre with Alcatel’s Business/Operation Support System (B/OSS) solution across the province.

Alcatel is the integrator and coordinator of the project. Under the contract, Alcatel will integrate its industry-leading Genesys contact center software, access switching and other equipment and will upgrade its recording system, database/application server system and digital switching system. The entire project is expected to be completed in July 2006.

With this project, Zhejiang Telecom is able to extend in a reliable and efficient way its customer service to rural areas in the province. In addition, Zhejiang Telecom can deliver a series of value added services like business customer hotline, voice mail, secretary service, travelling inquiry hotline to meet end-users’ demands.

Frederic Rose, President of Alcatel’s integration and services activities, said, “B/OSS has become an increasingly hot investment for carriers to improve the operation efficiency. And the deployment of 3G, NGN and IPTV will request a powerful B/OSS system to ensure service quality here in China. With our leading technology and wide experience, I believe Alcatel is an ideal and reliable partner. ”

Alcatel is a leading B/OSS solution integrator in the world. To date, Alcatel has successfully deployed B/OSS solutions for over 80 carriers globally.

LogicaCMG today announces that it has formally joined Bridge Mobile Alliance as one of its technology associate members under the alliance’s associate membership scheme. The scheme was initiated by Bridge Mobile to act as an extension of the alliance membership structure to include major global players with technology leadership across the mobile industry value chain, such as handsets, network and platform solutions, and SIM card technologies. The purpose is to promote knowledge exchange and joint collaboration between mobile operators and technology solutions providers across the mobile service development value chain – so as to develop next-generation mobile technologies that are customised for the Asia Pacific mobile markets.

The alliance comprises eight top-tier mobile operators – Airtel (India), CSL (Hong Kong), Globe Telecom (Philippines), Maxis (Malaysia), SingTel Mobile (Singapore), SingTel Optus (Australia), Taiwan Mobile (Taiwan) and Telkomsel (Indonesia), serving over 70 million subscribers.

By joining the alliance as a technology associate member, LogicaCMG will have access to regular planning and dialogue sessions, will actively contribute and exchange ideas in order to generate collaborative opportunities with Bridge Mobile’s other technology members such as Axalto, Gemplus, Ericsson, Hewlett Packard, Motorola, Nokia, QUALCOMM and ZTE. The sessions will support a service incubation programme which aims to enable both member operators and technology associate members to test and co-develop solution models for next-generation mobile technologies and services in Asia Pacific.

“With the extension of the alliance community, member operators will be able to partner with global technology players to pioneer the development of Asian-centric mobile technologies and services. This will lead to the creation of more seamless and innovative mobile services for our 70 million subscribers across Asia Pacific,” said Dr. Patrick Sim, CEO of Bridge Mobile. “I am pleased to welcome LogicaCMG to this alliance, and look forward to tapping into its expertise in rolling out mobile solutions customised to the Asia Pacific mobile markets.”

Boudewijn Pesch, managing director, LogicaCMG global telecoms in Asia added: “The Bridge Mobile Alliance provides the eight member operators a universal platform to seamlessly integrate and deploy innovative mobile offerings. We recognise the need for operators to identify and secure new revenue streams, and are excited at the prospect of supporting these alliance members with mobile applications and systems integration expertise to make innovative solutions a reality.”

LogicaCMG was previously selected to set up part of Bridge Mobile’s core infrastructure with a Common Access Gateway and a Wholesale Billing and Settlement System, as well as enabling the initial Bridge Prepaid service. Bridge Prepaid for the first time enables the alliance member operators’ pre-paid subscribers to conveniently and quickly top-up their pre-paid account while roaming in any of the member countries.

Recently LogicaCMG had provided its systems integration expertise to support Bridge Mobile’s roll-out of the World Cyber Games (WCG) Mobile Asian Championship.

Atos Origin, an international IT services company, and CDRator, a provider of an integrated Business Support System (BSS) for telecom companies, have partnered to offer hosted BSS services to telecoms service providers. The global partnership means that Atos Origin will offer CDRator’s integrated BSS – an all-in-one package for billing, customer care and business management – as a hosted service to its clients and prospects, particularly those in the emerging Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) market.

Atos Origin and CDRator have collaborated together before, most recently on a Netherlands-based project for KPN Mobile – Simyo* – launched in September to the Dutch market. Simyo is KPN’s mobile brand with a ‘no nonsense’ concept aimed at people that would like to call and SMS at low tariffs without any obligations of subscriptions fee. Atos Origin, as KPN’s preferred IT partner, managed the complete IT project for which it chose CDRator’s hosted solution. Atos Origin’s services included: consulting services, business analysis and process modeling, design and integration of IT architecture and process architecture.

Cees de Jong, Senior Vice President, Global Telecom Market at Atos Origin said: “The Simyo project showed us the potential of a partnership with CDRator. Simyo was implemented in record time of three months thanks to the effective work of flexible CDRator and Atos Origin team members, to the complete satisfaction of KPN Mobile. CDRator is an innovative organization with an excellent track record in the European MVNO industry and together we will offer our existing and new customers a competitive proposition.”

Jesper Philipp, CEO of CDRator, concluded: “We believe Atos Origin has excellent in-depth knowledge of the European telecoms market and its consult-build-operate approach and geographical reach complements our specialist knowledge of this market. We feel that this partnership will prove to be highly productive and reinforces our market presence in the MVNO and Service Provider domain. MVNO’s that are already using the solution are among others Debitel, EasyMobile and Telmore.”

Atos Origin has a proven record of over 20 years of accomplishment and experience in the Telecoms sector and has the capacity, skills, and capability to provide global services. Atos Origin delivers reliable end-to-end solutions and has a customer base covering major telecom operators in Europe such as France Telecom, KPN, Vodafone, and Telecom Italia. The company’s annual revenue in the telecom industry is close to EUR 1 billion.

Psytechnics, the global leader in voice and video quality assessment software for the telecoms industry, has appointed Nav Chander as director of product management.

In his role, Chander will be responsible for driving the product requirements and market growth for the company’s voice and video quality assessment tools in VoIP, IPTV, and mobile applications as well as ensuring that Psytechnics continues to lead the test and measurement industry for the telecoms market.

For the past 20 years, Chander worked in a variety of senior product management and marketing positions at Motorola, 3Com, Alcatel/Newbridge Networks and SHL Systemhouse. His innovations include the industry’s first frame relay access products for VoIP, the first multiservice router while at Motorola Codex and the first layer 3 switching product while at 3Com.

“I am eager to work with the telecom industry’s top minds and collaborate on a set of exciting and important technologies that will shape the quality of video and voice communications in the future,” said Chander. “Psytechnics’ innovation stems from delivering not only what each customer needs now but also predicting what the customer will experience with the new mobile and triple play services. I look forward to working with the inventive team whose foresight has created the industry standard.”

“Nav Chander is a tremendous asset to Psytechnics,” said CTO Dr. Mike Hollier. “We are fortunate to have someone of his caliber leading our marketing efforts. His experience will ensure that Psytechnics continues to create industry leading technology in the future. Mr. Chander will be instrumental in Psytechnics’ continued success as the company continues to grow.”

appliedlogx, a leading provider of communication infrastructure engineering, procurement and installation services to the telecommunications industry, has launched Virtual Operations Services (VOS), a web-based operations support platform designed to help telecommunications, cable and VoIP service providers deliver comprehensive services to the residential and business marketplace.

“Installation services have primarily been delivered by the internal staff of service providers due to operational and logistical challenges,” says Rob Cash, CEO, appliedlogx (www.appliedlogx.com). “VOS overcomes those challenges through a robust, web-enabled application that manages the entire process, from initial order processing to equipment ordering and tracking through installation and turn-up to ongoing customer service.”

Because traditional last-mile support typically required a physical presence to handle installation, trouble-shooting and ongoing customer service, outsourced installation providers were limited by their geographic scope. However, today’s advanced telecommunication technologies mean installation and repairs can often be handled remotely. VOS manages that process and, when on-site work is required, provides immediate access to a nationwide network of highly qualified technicians.

The VOS core engine is comprised of four key components:

• Order Management, a web-based ticketing program that creates service orders, provides auto-cost calculations and instant dispatch visibility, as well as manages in-process orders. The Order Management tool tracks items serviced and parts/labor used on an order, tracks exchanges for customer inventory and manages quality control.
• Equipment Fulfillment, which provides online ordering capabilities, order tracking, multiple location tracking and purchase order status, and manages existing vendor relationships. The Equipment tool records automatic transfer per location, tracks serial numbers and MAC addresses, tracks login and passwords and delivery assemblies and kits.
• Installation/Deployment, which captures all user information, manages parent-child relationships, provides quick information for deployment and manages a delivery flow based on FOC dates and CPE delivery. Through the Installation tool, users can quickly dispatch experienced technicians who possess all the current certifications and who have committed to following the appliedlogx Scorecard System, which measures and monitors each process and provides the feedback that is essential to successes.
• Customer Service, which provides Tier One and Tier Two customer support, including the ability to conduct remote configurations and remotely capture call information on demand for analysis and repair. The Customer Service module also manages billing and finance, inside sales and quality control.

VOS installation service offers flat rate pricing to its customers – a telecommunication industry first. It also provides a knowledge base to improve troubleshooting and decrease truck rolls. VOS service components can be purchased individually or as a complete operations platform.

“VOS users benefit from increased efficiency in responding to customer issues as well as the quality of service derived from our nationwide coverage ability,” says Cash. “It’s a turnkey solution for any traditional and non-traditional telecommunication service provider wishing to reduce operating costs, increase geographic reach and enhance the quality of their customer service.”

Verso Technologies, Inc. VRSO(Nasdaq: VRSO), a leading provider of packet based solutions, announced today that Splendor Telecom, an international carrier, has selected the Verso I-Master(R) solution to expand its suite of local and wholesale services in the Middle East, Europe, and Africa (EMEA) regions.

Splendor will utilize the Verso solution to strengthen its position in the EMEA wholesale pre-paid market in addition offering to VoIP services. Splendor chose the I-Master system after considering several incumbent products, as Verso’s robust solution offered the highest level of stability and reliability, while streamlining revenue and billing issues.

Verso’s I-Master solution provides a superior feature and services platform for service providers seeking to deliver voice and data services that increase revenues and promote customer loyalty, without sacrificing the revenue assurance of the pre-paid model. With a unique and intuitive interface, the Verso solution allows service providers such as Splendor to easily manage complex rating schemes required in a dynamic market like the EMEA Region. The I-Master solution uses an Oracle database running on the Solaris operating system to deliver maximum performance and reliability to service provider networks.

“The I-Master platform’s unique features and services, as well as its ability to preserve the revenue assurance model, were key in Splendor’s selection,” said Monty Bannerman, chief executive officer, Verso Technologies. “Splendor recognized a unique opportunity to deploy in-demand services that will facilitate greater market share,” added Bannerman. “The Middle East is a key emerging market for Verso that will increasingly require complete and bundled solutions.”

“The I-Master solution will streamline our sales process by providing a single price solution, which is particularly important as we work across many countries and currencies,” said Omar Onsi chairman and chief executive officer, Splendor Telecom. “In addition, the solution offers a vast variety of services within the same architecture.”

Telcordia Technologies, Inc. continues to lead the transformation of the telecommunications industry by delivering software innovations that meet carrier demands in a dynamic business environment. The company today announced that Hydro One Telecom Inc., a provider of broadband telecommunications services to carriers, large enterprises and Internet Service Providers (ISPs), has selected Discovery, a new module of Telcordia(R) Granite Inventory, to perform network asset discovery and reconciliation to their existing Granite Inventory database.

“Our goal is to have a synchronized database that matches the equipment as it is actually deployed in our network. Deploying the new Discovery Module in our Telcordia Granite Inventory system will provide an immediate payback by enabling us to fulfill new services faster and with greater accuracy,” said Aaron Cheng, Director of IT Systems, Hydro One Telecom. “We looked at several options and Granite was a clear solution that offered truly integrated Discovery and reconciliation. With this new functionality plus Granite Inventory’s open and flexible architecture, complex IP services are even easier to design and implement.”

Hydro One Telecom is an innovative carrier that currently offers Transparent LAN, Private Line, and Internet Transit Services to its customers. Discovery will “talk” to the IP, and SONET networks that provide the foundation for these services by supporting 12 different types of equipment provided by five different vendors. In addition, Granite Inventory with Discovery will help Hydro One Telecom easily scale to accommodate over 1,000 network devices.

“The complexity of today’s sophisticated telecom networks makes it increasingly difficult for carriers to manage and reconcile network assets and drive revenue through the quick and accurate turn-up of new services,” said Don Wadas, Corporate Vice President of Sales, Telcordia. “The addition of Discovery in Granite Inventory was inspired by the need for absolute and real-time accuracy of the inventory in order for carriers such as Hydro One Telecom to successfully provision advanced IP services and ensure a superior customer experience, exceptional flow through, and expeditious order to cash process.”

Telcordia Granite Inventory is an award-winning, fully J2EE compliant solution that provides an open and flexible data model that stores the entire multi-vendor, multi-technology network image of sites, equipment, configurations & services, and automates service & network provisioning. The Discovery module (Discovery), now available as an integral component of the Telcordia(R) Granite Inventory system, provides discovery with reconciliation to the Granite Inventory database for next generation technologies and services, including optical, SONET/SDH, ATM, Frame Relay, DSL, Ethernet, IP, 3G, GPRS, MPLS, GSM, UMTS, CDMA, and WCDMA.

Discovery sits on the Granite application framework (GAF), providing a tight integration of the discovery software with the entire Granite Inventory product suite. This allows customers to deploy the discovery capability without paying an up-front “integration tax”. In contrast, other vendor solutions require costly and time-consuming development work before launch, thus indefinitely extending ROI and payback periods. Telcordia Granite Inventory has proven performance and production ready credentials in Tier 1 operators around the world. More information on Telcordia Granite Inventory and other Telcordia solutions can be found on the web at www.telcordia.com.

Comverse Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: CMVT) today announced that Comverse Inc. completed its acquisition of the GSS division and certain related assets of CSG Systems International, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSGS), for approximately $249 million in cash, subject to certain post closing adjustments. The combination of GSS, a leader in software-based billing solutions, with Comverse’s Real-Time Billing group is expected to expand significantly Comverse’s addressable market, and enhance its leadership position in the emerging converged billing market, serving wireless, wireline, cable, satellite, and Internet-based service providers.

GSS brings to Comverse a broad suite of software-based billing solutions, supporting the voice, data, video, and e-commerce offerings of approximately 150 service providers, including wireless, wireline, cable, satellite, and Internet-based companies. GSS customers include, among others, Bharti, British Sky Broadcasting, BSNL, BT, China Telecom, eBay, France Telecom, O2, Telecom Italia and certain Vodafone entities.

Kobi Alexander, Chairman and CEO of Comverse Technology, said, “We believe the emerging converged billing market is approaching an inflection point, and that a significant growth opportunity is at hand. Converged billing is expected to be among the fast growing, and ultimately one of the largest, segments of the overall billing market. This combination is projected to enhance our leadership position as a supplier of converged billing solutions, and to open up cross-selling growth opportunities for data, messaging, content, and billing solutions into our respective customer bases.”

Zeev Bregman, CEO of Comverse, the company’s network systems unit, said, “GSS complements our product portfolio, technology, customer footprint, and strategic direction. Most service providers today rely on disparate solutions for billing, including highly customized, inflexible systems serving specific customer and application segments, including prepaid, post-paid, fixed, and wireless. As services and networks converge, so too will billing solutions, addressing the different types of convergence, such as prepaid/post-paid, fixed/mobile, and data/voice. We believe that flexible, software-centric product modules, such as those provided by GSS and Comverse, are best suited to meet the needs of service providers going forward. In addition, we believe service providers will appreciate the advantages of having both value-added services and billing solutions provided by the same supplier. The advantages include faster time-to-market for new services, greater flexibility in service segmentation, modification, and targeted marketing campaigns, and lower total cost of ownership. This growth-driven initiative is expected to position Comverse for long-term leadership in the emerging and expanding converged billing market, expand our customer base and scale, enhance the leadership position of both GSS and Comverse in their respective domains, and introduce new cross-selling growth opportunities into both customer bases.”

The combination of GSS and Comverse’s Real-Time Billing group is expected to result in the creation of a leading supplier of converged billing solutions, and one of the leading overall suppliers of billing solutions for wireless and fixed service providers.

Emblaze Ltd (“Emblaze or “the Group”) (LSE:BLZ) announces that its Group company, Adamind Ltd (“Adamind” or “the Company”) (LSE:ADA), a leading global supplier of media adaptation software in the Mobile Messaging (MMS), Content and Convergence Services markets, together with LogicaCMG and Optus, a multi-million dollar contract for the deployment of a world-first end-to-end content management solution.

Optus, a leading telecommunications operator in Australia, has deployed a state-of-the-art content management solution that includes search, digital rights management (DRM) and transcoding.

LogicaCMG has been appointed the prime contractor of this new solution, delivering solution design, project management, software implementation, systems integration, migration, and ongoing support for a consortium of global partners.

Adamind’s MediaSpire software which sits at the heart of LogicaCMG’s MMSC will be adapting all content to be delivered to any handset within Australia.

Allen Lew, Managing Director Optus Consumer said, “With the launch of 3G this year, we see content as strategically important to our mobile business. The solution LogicaCMG has designed will allow us to launch some very exciting services.”

LogicaCMG’s extensive industry expertise made it an ideal supplier for Optus. Its systems deliver two out of every three text messages and its messaging and billing solutions are deployed by 300 of the world’s top operators in over 130 countries.

LogicaCMG’s end-to-end service works with clients to design robust business models and service infrastructures, harnessing global experience as a leading systems integrator. LogicaCMG’s innovations have been helping to make and shape the global telecoms market for more than 30 years. Having deployed the world’s first and only fully integrated 3G IP-based messaging solution and migrated more than 50 operators to an IP-based messaging environment, LogicaCMG’s expertise enables operators to assure innovation in Next Generation telecoms.

Tango Telecom, the leading provider of convergent charging and intelligent messaging solutions, today announced the successful deployment of the Tango CCN as part of two compact cellular networks Alvarion installed for telecommunications provider, Outremer Telecom. The deployment will provide real-time data services to the islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe and French Guiana.

The Tango CCN was deployed to enable real-time GPRS charging for prepaid and postpaid subscribers. The Tango CCN provides real-time metering and control of GPRS traffic and content for Outremer’s prepaid subscribers, with a seamless integration to the Alvarion IN prepaid system. The CCN also provides billable CDRs for postpaid subscriber activities.

“We’re delighted to work with Alvarion to deliver our charging solution to Outremer Telecom”, said Colm Ward, CEO of Tango. “We expect that this first installation will lead to further joint opportunities on a global basis”, he added.

MobilePro Corporpation (OTC Bulletin Board: MOBL), a wireless technology and broadband telecommunications company, announced today that CEO Jay Wright will be a featured speaker at the Telecom IQ MVNO Summit conference in Miami today, Dec. 7, at 11 a.m. Eastern.

The MVNO Summit will be held at the Radisson Hotel in Miami. For more details, visit http://www.iqpc.com/telecomiq .

About MobilePro Corp.
MobilePro Corp. is one of North America’s leading wireless broadband companies, serving over 20,000 wireless broadband customers through its subsidiaries NeoReach Wireless and Kite Broadband. The company, based in Bethesda, Md., is focused on creating shareholder value by acquiring and growing profitable telecommunications companies, developing innovative wireless technologies and forging strategic alliances with well-positioned companies in complementary product lines and industries. MobilePro serves over 200,000 total customers throughout the United States, primarily through its CloseCall America, American Fiber Network, Kite Broadband and Nationwide Internet subsidiaries.

Narus, Inc. today announced that it has signed an agreement with VeriSign, Inc. that allows VeriSign to offer the entire suite of Narus products to its global customer base as managed services or licensed software. This includes capabilities for security, traffic analysis and lawful interception.

The first Narus product being offered by VeriSign is Narus LI for IP lawful intercept, one of the industry’s most comprehensive IP lawful intercept products for carrier-grade networks. The product has been integrated into the VeriSign NetDiscovery(TM) service — which is a cost-effective alternative to building an in-house proprietary lawful interception solution — that meets the legal, technical and operational requirements needed to support end-to-end compliance for circuit-switched or IP-based technologies. The service helps providers that are responding to requests for collection of subscriber information, historical billing, call detail records and real-time lawful interception.

“VeriSign is the leader in delivering intelligent infrastructure services that enable and protect interactions across voice and data networks,” said Raj Puri, vice president, Communications Business Development, VeriSign. “This agreement with Narus allows us to leverage the Narus highly scalable carrier-grade platform to extend our leadership in IP security and compliance management.”

NarusSecure, Narus LI, NarusAnalyze and NarusMediate are part of the industry’s only complete, high-performance IP security and monitoring system that can be implemented at the network core to analyze and correlate traffic in real-time. The Narus system gives customers the power to dynamically secure their entire network, while managing critical next-generation IP services such as VoIP, IMS and IPTV. Narus enables the flexibility for carriers to quickly adjust to market trends and changing regulatory mandates while providing the infrastructure to manage, protect, and create new services — all on a single common platform.

“Narus has built a global reputation for providing the industry’s highest performance IP security and monitoring system, protecting many of the world’s largest and most critical networks,” said Greg Oslan, CEO, Narus. “This agreement will marry VeriSign’s unparalleled brand with the scalability and flexibility of the Narus system to create the industry’s most complete suite of managed services for IP networks.”

appliedlogx, a leading provider of communication infrastructure engineering, procurement and installation services to the telecommunications industry, has launched Virtual Operations Services (VOS), a web-based operations support platform designed to help telecommunications, cable and VoIP service providers deliver comprehensive services to the residential and business marketplace.

“Installation services have primarily been delivered by the internal staff of service providers due to operational and logistical challenges,” says Rob Cash, CEO, appliedlogx – http://www.appliedlogx.com – . “VOS overcomes those challenges through a robust, web-enabled application that manages the entire process, from initial order processing to equipment ordering and tracking through installation and turn-up to ongoing customer service.”

Because traditional last-mile support typically required a physical presence to handle installation, trouble-shooting and ongoing customer service, outsourced installation providers were limited by their geographic scope. However, today’s advanced telecommunication technologies mean installation and repairs can often be handled remotely. VOS manages that process and, when on-site work is required, provides immediate access to a nationwide network of highly qualified technicians.

The VOS core engine is comprised of four key components:

— Order Management, a web-based ticketing program that creates service orders, provides auto-cost calculations and instant dispatch visibility, as well as manages in-process orders. The Order Management tool tracks items serviced and parts/labor used on an order, tracks exchanges for customer inventory and manages quality control.

— Equipment Fulfillment, which provides online ordering capabilities, order tracking, multiple location tracking and purchase order status, and manages existing vendor relationships. The Equipment tool records automatic transfer per location, tracks serial numbers and MAC addresses, tracks login and passwords and delivery assemblies and kits.

— Installation/Deployment, which captures all user information, manages parent-child relationships, provides quick information for deployment and manages a delivery flow based on FOC dates and CPE delivery. Through the Installation tool, users can quickly dispatch experienced technicians who possess all the current certifications and who have committed to following the appliedlogx Scorecard System, which measures and monitors each process and provides the feedback that is essential to successes.

— Customer Service, which provides Tier One and Tier Two customer support, including the ability to conduct remote configurations and remotely capture call information on demand for analysis and repair. The Customer Service module also manages billing and finance, inside sales and quality control.

VOS installation service offers flat rate pricing to its customers – a telecommunication industry first. It also provides a knowledge base to improve troubleshooting and decrease truck rolls. VOS service components can be purchased individually or as a complete operations platform.

“VOS users benefit from increased efficiency in responding to customer issues as well as the quality of service derived from our nationwide coverage ability,” says Cash. “It’s a turnkey solution for any traditional and non-traditional telecommunication service provider wishing to reduce operating costs, increase geographic reach and enhance the quality of their customer service.”

About appliedlogx
Based in Tampa, appliedlogx – http://www.appliedlogx.com – provides communication infrastructure engineering, procurement and installation services. The Company’s technical capacity extends from the telecom central office to the final communications infrastructures of end users. Customers include Verizon, Covad and Sprint, as well as end users installation for Starbucks, Dominos Pizza and Target.

The Mobile Telecommunications Company (MTC) Group and Connectiva Systems, a leading provider of revenue assurance solutions to the telecom industry worldwide has won the prestigious World Billing Award – “Best Revenue Assurance / Management Project” — awarded by the Institute for International Research (IIR). Connectiva Systems was awarded this recognition for implementing its ONEREViEW(TM) revenue assurance solution at the MTC Group, and demonstrating a compelling Return on Investment (ROI) for the project while delivering the desired functionality on time and under budget.

Launched in 1997, the World Billing Awards are widely regarded as the highest recognition of billing excellence within the telecom industry. The winners were selected in April 2005 and the award ceremony took place on December 6, 2005 in Madrid. Connectiva Systems was named joint-winner with the MTC Group for the “Best Revenue Assurance Project” for 2005.

Hugh Roberts, presenting the award as chairman of the World Billing Awards judging panel, said, “We introduced the ‘Best Revenue Assurance / Revenue Management Project’ award this year not only as a reflection of the increasing role that revenue assurance is playing in delivering operational effectiveness but also to increase awareness of this amongst the global service provider community. We were delighted that the competition in this new category was so fierce, and the winners are indeed worthy of industry acknowledgement. In the case of the MTC Group deployment, the Judging Panel were particularly impressed by the fact that Connectiva were able to demonstrate some arduous proof of concept requirements and Total Cost of Ownership benefits prior to being awarded the contract, and that the solution was selected and implemented successfully on the basis of scalability, adaptability and with continuous functional change in mind.”

“We are honored to receive this award,” said Mark Trudeau, CEO of Connectiva Systems. “Progressive telecom operators like the MTC Group, who want to maximize the lifetime value of their customers, understand the value of getting visibility over their revenue chain. ONEREViEW(TM)’s unique process-based approach to revenue assurance helps them achieve this objective.”

Venkatesh Jandhyala, Group Revenue Assurance Manager, MTC Group said, “We are delighted to share this winner’s award with Connectiva Systems. Our achievement is a product of the RA philosophy gaining company-wide acceptance and working with a vendor who shares a commitment to our corporate values and objectives. We hope that our success will prompt other operators to take up the challenges of revenue assurance seriously and partner with a good vendor to ensure successful outcomes. This is indicative of our goal to control our revenue cycle and minimize revenue loss, thereby enhancing value for all shareholders in the MTC Group.”

Tekmark Global Solutions LLC, one of the largest privately held providers of information technology, communications and consulting services to companies worldwide, today announced that Bill Wanke has been named to the dual roles of Chief Operating Officer and Chief Technology Officer.

Mr. Wanke fills these responsibilities after a remarkable 25-year career at Telcordia Technologies where he most recently served as the Senior Vice President of Telcordia’s Software Systems Organization. At Telcordia, Mr. Wanke managed a team of 2,000 software professionals, leading the organization to impressive results in productivity, quality and service delivery excellence.

“Bill will help expand our current market share by leveraging his industry experience in technology and operations,” said Guy DelGrande, president of Tekmark Global Solutions. “Bill’s proven leadership ability and his vast experience will help Tekmark to continue to grow as a global provider of information technology and telecom services.”

Previously, Mr. Wanke was the Vice President of several of Telcordia’s OSS business units with responsibility for business and software operations. Under his leadership, Mr. Wanke’s business units realized significant earnings increases. Mr. Wanke began his career as a software engineer and held several engineering and management positions where he directed OSS and network systems platform development.

“Tekmark is a market leader with unmatched capability, outstanding leadership, and a long track record of success and customer delight,” said Wanke, “The chance to leverage these assets in a robust services marketplace is a tremendous opportunity – I’m very excited by the prospects and look forward to helping the company to realize it’s potential.”

Wanke holds a Master’s Degree in Computer Science from the University of Southern California and a Bachelor’s Degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo.