Arantech, leading provider of Customer Experience Management (CEM) software, has announced that it has signed an agreement with mobilkom austria, the #1 market leading operator in Austria for wireless services including voice and GPRS. Under the agreement, mobilkom austria will deploy Arantech's CEM platform, Aranassure, enabling it to optimise customer experience across its network of close to 3.3 million subscribers and tap into new revenue gains through increased customer satisfaction and network utilisation.

mobilkom austria adopts a strong customer-centric approach in the delivery of services across its network.  An essential element of this is the ability to monitor in real time, definitive customer experience both at an individual subscriber and aggregate group level.  Having this critical information allows mobilkom austria detect, diagnose and resolve customer issues in a timely manner, ensuring that its customers experience the highest levels of service and network availability at all times. This in turn enables mobilkom austria open up "repressed" sources of revenues, which could be potentially lost to poor network performance and also drive revenues by enabling customer-specific Service Level Agreements (SLAs) that provide accurate and objective measures of actual customer experience.

Fritz Klinger, Head of Division Operations & Maintenance, mobilkom austria said,  "As Austria's market leading wireless operator, we constantly strive to excel in the level of service we deliver to our customer base. Partnering with Arantech, we look forward to having real-time visibility into how our customers actually experience our network services, which will give us the power to respond more effectively in delivering an even higher quality of service across our network, leading to increased gains to our bottom line."

Aranassure provides complete visibility of the actual customer experience in real time both at an individual customer and customer group level. This solution will allow mobilkom austria to differentiate itself in the market by optimising customer satisfaction and by enabling SLAs that provide an objective measure of this satisfaction to corporate clients. It will also empower mobilkom austria to proactively manage unacceptable customer experiences by providing the information needed to correct problems when they occur helping drive an increase use of services, a reduction in overall network operational costs and a rise in revenue.

"With competition intensifying within the global wireless market, there is a need more than ever among operators to deliver a more enhanced customer experience across their service offerings.  With the help of Aranassure, we are confident that mobilkom austria can now drive revenue gains and operational efficiencies by proactively detecting and responding to network problems and delivering customer specific SLAs that can be objectively and accurately measured," said Brendan McDonagh, Chief Executive Officer, Arantech.

All-round tool for daily operation accelerates trouble resolution and makes field visits more efficient

NetTest, a member of the Anritsu Group, announced today the availability of two new options: the Ethernet- and the V-series interface measurements options for its CMA 3000 all-in-one field tester for fixed and mobile networks.

In addition to the full-featured 2 Mbps transmission testing provided by the standard CMA 3000 instrument, operators and equipment manufacturers can now quickly test and measure LAN communication lines as well as V-series data transmission connections and SDH lines.

"For operators and equipment manufacturers, efficiency and cost reductions go hand in hand. With its compact, scalable platform, the CMA 3000 meets these demands through an unrivalled upgrade path as needs and network technologies develop," says Ole Soerensen, product manager, NetTest. "For the field technicians tasked with the installation and maintenance of today's networks, specific and easy-to-use test instruments capable of handling different technologies, interfaces and tests are vital."

The quality of communication lines during installation and commissioning can easily be tested out-of-service with the powerful CMA 3000 whilst bi-directional monitoring capabilities are well suited for in-service troubleshooting and analyzing live signals.

The new options support test and measurement on Ethernet 10/100 and V-series data interfaces, facilitating the installation and troubleshooting of data services in the access networks. CMA 3000 also offers in-depth trouble analysis of SDH lines by adding scan, pointer movement graph and APS testing. A TCM monitoring option allows operators to supervise SDH line transmission quality through a second operator's network.

The GSM Association (GSMA) and its partners have successfully completed a series of interoperability trials in both Europe and Asia – a major step towards ensuring that the next generation of multimedia services, based on the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) and IMS, will work smoothly across networks right from launch.

Over the past six months, operators and equipment vendors in Europe and Asia have been testing whether their Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystems (IMS) are compatible. These tests are important because many operators around the world are planning to use IMS to handle multimedia services, such as instant messaging, push-to-talk-over-cellular, video-sharing and multiplayer-games and later introduce voice applications.

As well as making networks more efficient and more flexible for operators, IMS enriches the way that people communicate with each other by combining voice, imaging and video within a single experience. IMS, which uses the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) to initiate and manage connections, also allows users to see immediately which of the people in their address book are available before initiating contact. The IMS platform is designed to allow seamless use of IP services across the mobile/fixed boundary while not compromising service quality.

The latest round of GSMA-led tests focused on ensuring the compatibility of systems that handle IPv6, billing, performance management and inter-hub connectivity. They followed on from successful tests of IMS applications, such as voice instant messaging, video sharing and gaming, which were completed in February 2005.

As part of the initiative, initially started in Europe, the GSMA brought together key players from the mobile network operator, GRX carriers and vendor communities.  Those participating in the European trial, led by TeliaSonera, include mobile phone operators Vodafone, Orange, KPN and TeliaSonera itself.

TeliaSonera International Carrier and KPN are also involved as GRX carriers along with Cable & Wireless and France Telecom.

All the GRX carriers have now developed hubs to support IMS inter-working and, as part of the testing, have successfully achieved and demonstrated hub-to-hub connectivity including inter working between IPv6 IMS systems and between IMS IPv6 systems and IMS IPv4 systems. Vendors Ericsson, Nokia and Siemens have been actively involved with the trials. The Nokia 6680 handset was used for video sharing trial applications.

The past six months has also seen the expansion of the GSMA’s IMS testing program into the Asia Pacific Region. The GSMA initiative has attracted major Asian mobile operators such as China Mobile, who have been leading the Asia Pacific testing, CSL, Hutchinson HK, SingTel, Smart, SmarTone-Vodafone and Vodafone KK as well as GRX carriers Aicent, Belgacom and Cable & Wireless.  Like the European trials, these GRX carriers were able to achieve and demonstrate successful IMS inter working and hub-to-hub connectivity.

Trials in the Asia region successfully achieved inter-working between all the operators and those vendors involved in the trials, which included Ericsson, NEC Nokia and Siemens, and. For the tests Nokia’s 6680 handset was used alongside peer-to-peer applications from Nokia and Siemens.

Following the successful testing in Asia and Europe the GSMA IMS trials will continue. Additional test campaigns are planned to look at other significant technologies such as standardised mobile services like OMA Push to Talk.

Going forward it is expected that some more commercially-focused trials will take place on to services like Video streaming and PoC, Instant Messaging, etc.

Siemens supplies network technology to in&phone in Switzerland

in&phone, a new Swiss mobile operator, has commissioned Siemens Communications to set up its central mobile communication systems. The solution installed by Siemens paves the way for innovative mobile telephony services for business customers. Siemens is also responsible for operating and maintaining the systems.

in&phone entered the Swiss market as a new GSM mobile operator in 2004. It concentrates solely on business customers in private industry and public administration, with a clear focus on the growing need for mobile communication at the workplace. The innovative 'campusGSM' offering enables company sites to be provided with the global standard GSM. This increases employee mobility, while cutting telecommunications costs and boosting productivity.

in&phone has entered into a partnership with Siemens for the setup and operation of its central GSM network systems. Siemens supplied the mobile switching center based on the @vantage CMX-5000 platform. It is also responsible for operating and maintaining the system around the clock.

"The development of a solution perfectly tailored to customer requirements was a challenge that we took on and mastered with pleasure. I would like to thank in&phone for the spirit of partnership demonstrated during the cooperation and for the trust they placed in us. We have now achieved a further milestone in our mobile enterprise activities," said Christoph Caselitz, head of Mobile Networks at Siemens Communications.

"With the turnkey solution from Siemens Switzerland we have received a highly professional solution within a very short space of time for a fast start to mobile network operations; Siemens has been an ideal partner," emphasized in&phone CEO Alois Widmann.

Interconnect cost and invoice management solution offers comprehensive billing verification, analysis, and dispute tracking capabilities to reduce revenue leakage

Telarix, provider of Interconnect Business Optimization (IBO) software for telecom carriers, has announced it had extended its portfolio of interconnect business optimization solutions with iXAudit.  The enhanced software module provides telecom carriers an end-to-end audit and dispute management system designed to streamline the validation of interconnect invoices and declarations, reconcile charges and manage settlements.

Legacy invoice systems and costly manual processes which carriers have relied upon in the past to manage invoices and declarations can no longer address the new level of complexity in which carriers now operate.   As the number of service and content providers has increased exponentially in recent years, so has the number of invoices that are both received and delivered.  Higher invoice complexity and volumes, combined with a variety of invoice formats, has created a challenging environment for carriers that must analyze invoices for accuracy and identify and manage disparities that arise among their trading partners. 

"Auditing is one of the most overlooked components of a carrier's cost avoidance strategy despite its ability to increase top-line revenue and improve overall profitability," said Andy Bairsto, Senior Analyst, Yankee Group.  "By deploying interconnect business optimization solutions which can provide real-time intelligence about the traffic moving across a carrier's network as well as track settlement charges, carriers can detect and remedy areas of potential revenue leakage or cost inefficiency."

iXAudit, a critical module in Telarix's cost avoidance and revenue assurance solution, provides carriers with an unparalleled invoice tracking, analysis, and dispute management capability.  iXAudit serves as a data repository for all carrier invoices and offers a flexible workflow process to expedite the identification and management of disputes.  By leveraging VSR, Telarix's unique ability to rate calls based on each vendor's specific numbering plan, iXAudit enables carriers to immediately identify the true costs and associated margins of all their interconnect traffic and reconcile that information with the invoice or payments received from other carriers.

"With overcharges estimated to be as high as 10 percent of total invoice value, carriers need a comprehensive solution that can quickly and accurately identify and track invoice discrepancies," said Amir Yazdanpanah, Chief Executive Officer.  "The enhancements to iXAudit enable carriers to accurately and effectively manage the myriad of invoices they now receive while accounting for any disputed amounts which might arise.  As a result, carriers can minimize their financial risk, reduce the number of invoice disputes and improve their overall cash flow."

iXAudit also offers customizable business logic to meet a carrier's internal reconciliation rules or industry compliance mandates.  Users can define specific financial thresholds to automatically identify and classify invoice discrepancies, quantifying and prioritizing each dispute based on the level of financial risk posed. The system's flexible workflow process also enables carriers to streamline invoice management operations by expediting the identification and management of disputes from the point of identification to resolution, eliminating the costly, manual auditing processes which are prevalent today.

Telarix's iXTools is a powerful suite of software modules that enables carriers to reduce costs and increase profitability across their interconnect networks.  By analyzing both revenue and cost information associated with telecom traffic in near real-time, carriers can optimize network routing and identify capacity opportunities while ensuring that every call is captured, rated and billed accurately.  Three of the world's five largest telecom providers depend on iXTools to optimize their interconnect business.

Navtel Communications Inc. a leading developer of high performance VoIP test solutions, has announced that Newport Networks-Chepstow, UK-a leading manufacturer of carrier class Session Border Controllers, has selected Navtel’s high performance Session Border Controller (SBC) test solution. Navtel’s SBC solution will be used by Newport Networks in product verification and support.

Navtel’s SBC solution is a single chassis capable of emulating hundreds of thousands of diverse SIP endpoints and loading any device with hundreds of calls per second with real-world call holding times. In addition to emulating the signaling component, Navtel’s SBC test solutions can generate up to 128,000 simultaneous RTP streams per chassis with bearer path verification and encoded with most common codecs. The solution also supports the testing of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) implementations with TOS and VLAN tagging and collects numerous QoS statistics. Since Session Border Controllers come in decomposed and integrated configurations, Navtel’s solution provides for generation of combined signaling and RTP on a single IP address or separate signaling and RTP generation on different IP addresses.

“Newport’s future-proof session border controller provides the industry’s highest scalability, and we needed a test solution that matched our capabilities” says Mike Wilkinson, VP Marketing - Newport Networks. “Our technical teams conducted an extensive evaluation and that concluded Navtel had the best solution for our Session Border Controller test needs”

When asked to comment on the win, Alvin Francis, Director of Product Management at Navtel, said “Newport represents an exciting new opportunity for Navtel in testing these critical network elements. By working with Newport, Navtel has developed the strongest Session Border Controller test solution available and have gained invaluable insights into the testing requirements for Session Border Controllers in the emerging IMS technology.”

Sepura has announced the signing of a partnership agreement with Deutsche Telekom, one of the world's leading telecommunications and information technology service providers.

The agreement will enable the two organisations to co-operate on commercial TETRA projects in Germany. This co-operation, covering a wide range of communications initiatives, from transport to utilities and other commercial sectors, will promote the adoption and diffusion of TETRA technology in the German market.

Roger Dowling, Deputy Managing Director for Sepura commented “We are delighted to be partnering with an organisation with such a significant standing in the international communications arena. We look forward to a fruitful co-operation and to the implementation of significant TETRA projects in Germany”.

Colibria AS, the leading international developer of mobile Instant Messaging and Presence Service (IMPS) platforms, has announced that its Colibria Companion server technology is enabling Finland’s Movial Corporation to demonstrate the power of converged IMPS and SIP messaging.  Working in close collaboration, the two companies have proved the success of Colibria's server technology, with Movial also now sending rich media messaging content via the Colibria Companion server, including images, video and voice clips.

As part of the collaborative work between the two companies, Movial has undertaken extensive interoperability testing across its Movial Connect wireless client products, using Colibria's server technology to test its OMA compliance.  Movial joins the ranks of some 100 mobile operators, service providers, applications developers and client vendors that employ Colibria's IMPS test server facilities for product and service trials.  Colibria reports that regular users from over 27 countries are using its facilities for testing new Presence and IMPS-related concepts and applications.

Victor Donselaar, of Movial Corporation, which markets a wide range of wireless handset clients and instant messaging applications, commented:

“Colibria is an extremely responsive and approachable organisation, and we have been working with the company for some time across many aspects of the Open Mobile Alliance standard.  The results of our interoperability testing underline the success of Colibria's OMA 1.2 implementation, and the validity of their instant messaging and presence server technology.  Our joint ability to demonstrate the reality of converged messaging between PC and mobile applications, using IMPS and SIP protocols, greatly empowers the business case for presence and its breadth of usage.  These developments give us the confidence that the performance of our own products is fully reinforced by the capabilities of Colibria's server technology, putting us in a strong position to meet the market shift to IMS.”

The carrier-grade Colibria Companion Instant Messaging (IM) and Presence Server is a scalable, flexible and future-proof solution that supports advanced presence, messaging and multimedia services.  Enabling rapid and economical rollouts, it provides mobile operators with the means to build new ARPU-increasing revenue streams.  The Colibria Companion is a standardised platform that supports seamless, efficient network and service evolution.  A proven solution with an international customer base, including Globe Telecom in the Philippines, the Colibria Companion was recently selected by Saunalahti Group Oyj - the fastest growing MVNO in Finland - for the first Nordic IMPS service.

The Colibria Companion delivers certified OMA WV support for presence, instant messaging, groups, shared content and core features, and comprises the full range of core components.  These include Presence server; Instant Messaging server; Instant Messaging Gateway (MSN, AOL, Yahoo, and ICQ);
Groups server; IMPS PC and Mobile Clients; Communities and Blogs server and clients; and Chat server.  Powerful presence interfaces and APIs can be used to share presence information between multiple applications, over and above core Instant Messaging functionality.  This supports existing and new applications that use presence information more intelligently, enhancing standard telecom services - for example, SMS, MMS, voice calls, games and communities, where the emphasis is on meeting new friends and encouraging group interaction, and on maintaining efficient contact with staff and work colleagues.