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Management World Middle East 2011 – LESS THAN ONE WEEK TO GO March 22-23, 2011 Hilton Jumeirah, Dubai
The Middle East is a market primed for growth. Opportunities abound: low broadband penetration, significant merger and acquisition activity and new competitors emerging rapidly.
TM Forum’s Management World Middle East 2011 brings together the region’s leading service providers to examine how innovation holds the keys to future growth, and how operational agility is essential in delivering that growth. Visit the Keynote Perspectives and Conference Agenda to learn more.
Volubill and Sandvine combine on Real-Time Policy Management and Policy Enforcement
Real-time policy management and charging solutions provider, Volubill, has announced the completion of interoperability testing with Sandvine, a provider of Network Policy Control solutions for fixed and mobile operators, to create a best-of-breed solution enabling network operators to understand the network traffic required to deliver more dynamic and contextualised data service plans.
The new fully tested and pre-integrated solution, which meets 3GPP Diameter Gx and 3GPP Diameter Gy protocol requirements, allows operators to rapidly put in place a real-time policy enforcement and policy management engine with proven capabilities.
This latest move follows on from successful deployments of Volubill’s online charging system at various Orange subsidiaries and at Movistar Venezuela where it supports prepaid charging models.
John Aalbers, CEO Volubill, explained that the company is focused in delivering solutions that enable network operators to take advantage of the mobile data services revenue opportunity.
“By delivering an interoperable solution that optimises 3GPP standards, we can help network operators to better understand network traffic behaviour and to use that information to improve the personalisation of subscriber services and pricing plans while enhancing customer quality of experience,” he said.
In separate news Sandvine and Comptel announced that they had completed interoperability testing of policy control and charging solutions to enable operators to better manage and monetise mobile broadband services. The tests demonstrated how policy and charging rules managed by Comptel Control and Charge could be enforced in the network by Sandvine’s Policy Traffic Switch based on real-time inspection of the network traffic.
Nearly half of smartphone users are blaming mobile providers for current service issues.
That’s according to a new survey exploring the frequency of service issues experienced by smartphone users when utilising multimedia activities on their phones.
The research, conducted online by Harris Interactive and commissioned by Empirix, reveals that a significant percentage of adults experience service issues on a regular basis when using their smartphone to conduct a myriad of activities, including Internet searches, downloading data and searching for or watching videos.
Perhaps more alarming though is the fact that 30 percent of users in the UK say that they are experiencing issues ‘often’ or ‘always’ when using their smartphones for internet searches.
The survey was conducted online in February 2011 among 2,180 smartphone users who reported having experienced any problems doing any multimedia activity on their smartphones.
The report found that 86 percent of respondents had experienced problems while using multimedia applications in the UK, while more than 60 percent of UK smartphone users overall also reported issues with Internet searches, texting and using other applications.
Bob Hockman, director of product marketing for Empirix, said: “To ensure the highest quality experience for customers, it is imperative for service providers to identify problems and find solutions before they reach the end-user.”
At the same time Empirix announced the introduction of its Unified Communications (UC) Assurance Platform, designed to help service providers and enterprises validate that their communications applications work properly and ensure that consumers and business users have a high-quality experience.
Vodafone Germany selects Amdocs OSS for 4G LTE network rollout
Amdocs has announced that Vodafone Germany has selected its OSS (operational support systems) software to support the rollout of its 4G LTE (long term evolution) mobile network.
Vodafone Germany is the country’s leading integrated communications company, serving more than 40m customers with products and services for mobile communications, fixed network, data and broadband internet.
The Amdocs OSS solution offers Vodafone Germany automated LTE network planning and rollout processes to speed network deployment at reduced operating costs. In addition, the solution offers Vodafone Germany complete and accurate visibility of its network assets. With an accurate view of its network capacity at any given time, as well as future planned network resources, Vodafone Germany will be able to plan for current and future network changes.
F. Grosschmidt, director of network support systems at Vodafone Germany, said, “Demand for new services and data consumption is growing rapidly. With our LTE network we will be able to offer our customers exciting new high-bandwidth services and faster download speeds but we will need to optimise capacity management in order to realise the value of our network investment. Amdocs’ integrated OSS solution will enable us to quickly realise return on investment with faster time to market for new services, while reducing capital expenditure through better utilisation of current and planned network capacity.”
Verizon opts for Tektronix to monitor its LTE network
Verizon Wireless has announced that it has selected Tektronix Communications’ Iris suite of solutions to support the monitoring of its next-generation LTE network.
Following a rigorous selection process for solutions that demonstrated versatility and scalability while providing deep, end-to-end visibility into LTE network and service performance, the Iris suite of products was chosen to provide real-time and historical information for service troubleshooting and performance monitoring needs.
Verizon will also use the Iris LTE solution to increase visibility into IP service uptake, usage and quality, and the network’s ability to deliver these IP services.
Nicola Palmer, vice president of network for Verizon Wireless, said, “As we maintain and deploy America’s most advanced 4G LTE network, we knew we needed a monitoring solution that helps assure that our services perform seamlessly for our customers. Tektronix Communications’ customer driven innovation approach resulted in a solution uniquely capable of meeting our business and operational requirements.”
Mark Driedger, vice president and general manager of network management for Tektronix Communications, added that the company was proud to work with Verizon to help ensure its mobile broadband solutions meet the demands of the market.
“We believe strongly that the capabilities of the Iris Performance Intelligence application and its ability to transform data into actionable intelligence uniquely ties subscriber experience directly to network performance and will provide Verizon Wireless with both the business and network intelligence insight required to ensure a successful return on investment,” he said.
Redknee working with DST of Brunei to transform billing
Redknee has announced it is working with DST of Brunei to transform its billing and customer care capabilities in a deal which sees the company continue its growth and expansion into the Asia Pacific region with Brunei’s leading wireless provider.
Redknee is supplying its market-leading Turnkey Converged Billing (TCB) solution to DST, allowing the provider to replace its existing wireless postpaid billing platform with Redknee’s real-time converged billing and customer care solution.
DST will now be able to enhance its subscriber offering and end-user experience to its postpaid subscribers by offering real-time promotions, enhanced customer care and the delivery of hybrid payment options, such as family or group account plans, faster to the market.
With DST holding more than 85 percent of the mobile market share, it has selected Redknee to help it enhance its customer experience, drive customer loyalty and improve revenue management. The agreement sees Redknee deliver not only real-time billing and customer care solutions, but also empowering DST with retail inventory and point-of-sale management, mediation, roaming billing and settlement, and web self-care options.
Idris T Vasi, CEO of DST Group, said: “DST is committed to providing excellence in customer service. Redknee’s TCB solution will allow us to carry out this mission by offering new and innovative services to our customers, whilst empowering them to have control over their accounts. With Redknee’s support, we will have the tools to ensure that we maintain our leadership in the market by delivering a world-class mobile experience for our customers.”
Tribold and Practiv reveal partnership for Enterprise Product Management delivery in APAC
In response to the increasing demand for Enterprise Product Management (EPM) for Communication Service Providers (CSPs) in the Asia Pacific region, Tribold and Practiv have formed a partnership which will bring Tribold’s industry-leading EPM solution to the region.
Charles Shrimpton, chief executive, Practiv, said that EPM was playing a key role for CSPs in achieving and maintaining market position and increasing efficiency in the areas of marketing, operations, network and finance.
“Tribold was an obvious partner for Practiv because of their Tier-1 customer base, their presence in the region, maturity of the Tribold EPM product, and particularly the leadership in the CSP community demonstrated through Tribold’s activities in the TM Forum standards and specification processes,” he explained.
Simon Muderack, Tribold CEO and founder, added, “This partnership provides CSPs in the region the unique opportunity to access the recognised global leader in Enterprise Product Management software through a local partner with leading implementation and hosting capabilities as well as an intimate knowledge of the regional market.”
AIRCOM International, a leading independent network planning and optimisation solutions provider, has been announced as one of the first users of NetEvidence’s new Highlight Flow Support solution.
Through its online portal, Highlight Flow Support provides AIRCOM with full visibility into valuable flow data about its network users and applications, peak usage times, and traffic routing.
The pair have been working together for almost three years, with AIRCOM already using the Highlight tool as the monitoring solution across its MPLS network, linking seven global sites to provide a real time view of traffic levels, health, availability and protocol usage.
However, when AIRCOM introduced Wide Area Network (WAN) compression devices into its network, reporting became disjointed. Since the new compression devices support Netflow AIRCOM decided to add Highlight Flow Support to take advantage of the deeper level of performance information.
Craig Ellis, Infrastructure Manager at AIRCOM International, explained that the company was now able to track usage down to individual user conversations and identify exactly when network resources are being consumed and by whom.
“We can see clearly which ports are being used and by how much and even drill down to the exact time of day,” he said. “We can then ensure that resources are being used legitimately as well as report back to the business on why performance is slow, perhaps due to heavy internet usage or large file sharing.”
Ellis added that perhaps most importantly, Highlight Flow Support was helping the business to streamline how it uses its current bandwidth, enabling it to plan more effectively for the future.
“We can tune resources more accurately to users’ needs by having a more thorough understanding of network usage,” he said.
JDSU has released three wavelength selective switch (WSS) products for 50 GHz applications.
The low-port-count (LPC) WSS, the Nano WSS, and the Mini WSS with monitoring capability further extend the company’s portfolio and are based on the successful Mini 50 GHz WSS platform that provides network equipment manufacturers (NEM) and service providers additional solutions to optimise networks as consumers continue to use more bandwidth-intensive applications.
WSS and remote optical add/drop modules (ROADM) products make it possible for operators to adjust and direct network capacity to effectively provide consumers and businesses with on-demand voice, video, and data services.
As networks continue to evolve, they will require multiple, integrated high-port-count (twin) and MxN WSSs, and the simultaneous use of both LCoS and MEMS technologies to achieve the flexibility, scalability, and performance required to support these applications. These technologies will support next-generation, Self Aware Network features such as colourless, directionless, and contentionless capabilities, in addition to the transport requirements for 400 G such as flexible-spectrum WSSs, OPMs, and advanced Raman amplification.
Gurpreet Mand, director of ROADM products at JDSU, said: “This extended portfolio of WSS solutions will support 40/100 G network rollouts that will continue over the next several years. It’s a great milestone.”
Major US Carrier selects Evolving Systems for VoIP Number Management
Evolving Systems, a leading provider of software solutions and services to the wireless, wireline and IP carrier market, has revealed that a major US carrier has selected the company’s number resource management solution, NumeriTrack, to replace its current legacy system.
NumeriTrack will provide the carrier with an open, scalable, centralised system allowing it to store, assign, track and manage all of its VoIP number inventory.
With demand for VoIP services on the rise and the carrier’s plans for growth in this market, it was concerned about its current system’s ability to scale, not just in capacity but flexibility. As a result, the carrier sought a new more flexible solution to support its existing subscriber base and future growth.
Thad Dupper, CEO and chairman at Evolving Systems, said, “We have seen an increasing demand for our NumeriTrack solution over the past 12 months. This order further demonstrates how scalable and flexible the solution is at managing a carrier’s entire number inventory – wireline, wireless and VoIP numbers – for both current and future requirements.”
Cloud.com, a provider of open source cloud computing software, has announced that Tata Communications is using its flagship product, CloudStack, for its public cloud offering, InstaCompute.
Specifically tailored to meet the IT needs of growing businesses, InstaCompute is an innovative new cloud computing service which provides secure and elastic on-demand computing and storage resources.
The emergence of public Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) clouds in the last several years is changing the way that individuals, developers and businesses utilise computing power.
The Cloud.com CloudStack Service Provider Edition offers all of the necessary management software and infrastructure technology for service providers to take advantage of this market demand and host their own public computing cloud. Core to the solution, CloudStack offers management functions that include end-user self-administration, service offering management, cloud administration, billing and reporting.
David Wirt, SVP, global head of Managed Services at Tata Communications, explained that growing businesses the world over are looking towards technology innovation to overcome the lack of IT management bandwidth, tight budgets and the need for quicker time to market.
“Cloud computing is a powerful tool that addresses these challenges quickly and efficiently,” he said. “In selecting our cloud management platform, it was important to find a partner that provided us with a foundation for building a highly reliable and secure cloud service and at the same time, give us the control and flexibility to differentiate and tailor our solution to our customers’ needs.”
Nilsson steps up to become Chief Executive of Acision
Acision has announced that former COO, Jorgen Nilsson has stepped up to become Chief Executive for the mobile data specialist.
In his new role he will focus on the day-to-day leadership of the company, driving innovation and capitalising on the growing opportunities in the mobile data market.
Nilsson brings more than 30 years’ experience in senior executive positions at leading blue chip companies to the role.
Prior to joining Acision as COO, he worked for over 10 years at Ericsson where his most recent position was Executive Vice President and General Manager of Vodafone’s Global Customer Unit.
Nilsson assumes his new position with immediate effect, succeeding Rory Buckley who has stepped down from Acision.
Larry Quinn, chairman, Acision, said, “It gives me great pleasure to announce Jorgen Nilsson’s progression to his new role to head up Acision as it continues to successfully lead the charge in the mobile data market. It was an opportune time to transition Acision’s leadership and Jorgen will now work with the rest of our committed executive team to drive the business to the next level. Jorgen’s passion, industry knowledge, breadth of experience and close senior relationships within the telecom sector will enable us to build on our solid customer base and develop our already strong next generation products portfolio.”
Convergys appoints Payne as Vice President EMEA, Technology Sales & Solutions
Convergys Corporation, a global leader in relationship management, has announced the appointment of Aaron Payne as Vice President EMEA, Technology Sales & Solutions.
Payne will set strategic direction for Technology Sales & Solutions across EMEA and lead both its direct and channel sales teams to drive incremental revenue.
Prior to joining Convergys, Payne held a number of senior roles across a variety of global technology companies including Polycom, Avaya, and Siemens, and has more than 26 years’ experience in technology sales management.
“I am glad to be joining an innovative and expanding company like Convergys,” said Payne. “The investment Convergys is making in the EMEA region is exciting and I look forward to leading the team and identifying new market opportunities – whilst revamping the existing go-to-market strategy to deliver growth into new whitespace markets.”
Cloud service provider blueprint – provisioning and billing Discussing the key components of provisioning, orchestration and billing automation Read here
Outsourcing roaming is about more than business process, or cost re-engineering. It is about business optimisation There is a continuing trend away from trying to own and control every part of the service delivery process – these trends raise an important question – what exactly will constitute a communications service provider in the future? Read here
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Ericsson has joined forces with four of the biggest names in global technology to call on Europe’s policymakers to take urgent action in five key areas to ensure the region
Cybeats Technologies has announced a software as a service (SaaS) agreement for its SBOM Studio product with one of the largest European telecom providers, that has a $30 billion market cap.
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