Growing demand for mobile Internet requires 'smarter' networks

WAKEFIELD, USA: Telecom operators must allocate mobile broadband access according to business priorities and move away from flat-rate pricing plans to accommodate the growing “on-the-go” demand for mobile Internet services, according to two Comverse executives speaking this week at 4G World, a telecom conference about next-generation wireless technologies in Chicago.

“For close to 30 years, Comverse has had the foresight to develop products and solutions for coming waves of technology to ensure long-term operator success,” said John Bunyan, Chief Marketing Officer of Comverse, the world's leading supplier of software and systems enabling value-added messaging and content services, converged billing and active customer management, and IP communications.

“At 4G World, we will continue that tradition by sharing our strategies for smarter networks for mobile data and smarter systems for billing and active customer management,” Bunyan said.

The exponential growth in mobile data traffic growth requires a comprehensive approach to managing and controlling the traffic load, which can also reduce the urgency to expand existing network capacity.

Providing value beyond connectivity, the Comverse Mobile Internet HUB offers smart traffic management that allocates bandwidth based on a network’s real-time load.

The Comverse Mobile Internet HUB also helps network operators boost usage among current customers, as well as attract new ones, by providing flexible pricing plans tailored to individual user lifestyles and preferences and by speeding new services to the market ahead of competitors.

As more advanced applications and services become available on next-generation mobile networks, innovative pricing and billing models are more effective than flat-rate plans to help operators maximize revenues and improve their subscribers’ overall experience.

The Comverse ONE Billing & Active Customer Management solution, the company’s flagship Business Support System (BSS) offering, can support these emerging charging models, including hybrid prepaid/postpaid models, policy-based models and multiple identities. Comverse ONE is a single unified system that presents a consistent real-time 360-degree view of the customer.

”We welcome Comverse’s participation in our 4G World event to present their successful strategies for converged BSS and the mobile Internet,” said Ashvin Vellody, Senior Vice President, Research at Yankee Group. “Comverse’s solutions align well with our vision of the Anywhere Network® and further fuel the 4G communication lifestyle that consumers are striving for.”

Comverse names 10 finalists for fourth annual Innovation Awards

WAKEFIELD, USA: Comverse has announced 10 finalists for its Fourth Annual Innovation Awards. The winners will be announced next week during Comverse EXPO 2009, the telecom industry's leading virtual event.

The awards, organized in association with market research firm Yankee Group, honor service providers that have creatively implemented a Comverse solution to achieve significant business success. Examples include new monetization schemes, exceptional speed and scope of deployments, outstanding launch and business models, unique market penetration approaches, and significant cost reductions.

The 10 finalists are:

Bezeq (Israel): Migrating to IP-based residential and business voice services using Comverse MyCall Broadband IP Telephony, IP Centrex and IP Trunking;

m:tel (Montenegro): Deploying Comverse Converged Billing in an ultra-fast fashion, which allowed the service’s launch to capture roaming traffic during the summer tourist season;

SFR (France): Solving the problem of limited message storage space in handsets by saving text messages on the web using Comverse Messaging Router with Messaging Personalization and MT Interception capabilities;

SingTel (Singapore): Offering ground breaking advertising services to top-tier advertisers, media agencies and small- to mid-sized enterprises using Comverse Mobile Advertising;

Softbank Mobile (Japan): Innovative mobile enterprise telephony solution that integrates mobile phones with PBX-based enterprise telephony using Comverse Converged IP Centrex and IP trunking;

Telecom Italia: Consolidating postpaid billing operations for 22 million accounts using the Comverse Billing Solution;

Telefonica Moviles (Movistar Chile): Implementing a new Comverse Real-Time Billing feature that provides SMS notification to callers trying to reach prepaid subscribers whose service has been temporarily disrupted;

Telstra (Australia): Deploying an online integrated inbox to support unified messaging from multiple devices and platforms using Comverse Messaging Gateway;

Vodafone Group (Global): Driving a leading industry group for mobile communications (Open Mobile Terminal Platform) to recommend industry specifications for visual voicemail, which will support its mass market penetration; and

Vodafone India: Creative prepaid marketing offerings, including Special Tariff Vouchers, using Comverse Real-Time Billing.

“We selected the finalists from a large, diverse group of customers, spanning all regions, tiers and lines of business,” said Urban Gillstrom, Global President of Group Sales at Comverse, the world's leading supplier of software and systems enabling value-added messaging and content services, converged billing and active customer management, and IP communications.

“Their successful and innovative deployments of our Billing, Value-Added Services and IP Communications offerings reflect the great versatility and breadth of Comverse's solutions, which can be easily tailored to the business needs of each operator,” Gillstrom said. “The Innovation Awards are an integral part of this year's highly anticipated Comverse EXPO event.”