Solution Enables New, Multidirectional Revenue Streams via Network Extension

NICE, France, TM Forum Management World – May 8, 2009 – Openet, a provider of Transactional Intelligence solutions for the world’s largest and most innovative service providers, today announced the immediate availability of its Partner Service Controls solution for wireless, wireline and cable service providers.  Based upon Openet’s FusionWorks™ Policy Manager and Convergent Mediation products, Partner Service Controls enables operators to create new, multidirectional business models by partnering with third-party content, application and device manufacturers to deliver customer solutions which bundle access and ensure preferential network speed and quality.  This allows an operator’s commercial partners to optimise their individual customers’ user experience while generating new revenue opportunities.

As demand for IP-based services explodes, networks become increasingly congested. Operators have been addressing this challenge by offering service packages to end users that increase network speed, prioritise their traffic and eliminate volume limits.  However, some consumers are not willing to pay for those increased service levels, which results in reduced performance of their applications and content.  Further, many third-party providers may wish to bundle network access with their devices, applications and content to create a more seamless experience for the end user.

To address these challenges, Openet has developed its Partner Service Controls solution to enable third-party application, content and device providers to forge partnerships with operators to ensure premium service and bundled network access for all end users, regardless of their service level.  Key capabilities of the solution include:

•   Bundling network access with provider offerings to create a seamless experience for the end user.  Examples of this include e-book readers, as well as vertical enterprise solutions.  Openet’s solution enables the operator to govern entitlement by specialised devices and support billing and settlement with the partner.
•   Increasing network speed and traffic priority for content or applications from the third-party partners.  This ensures that voice over IP phone calls do not experience degraded quality, and that multimedia content can be delivered at a higher video and audio quality.
•   Avoiding data volume usage limits that exist for end user service plans for third-party partner applications and content.

“Partner Service Controls is a win for everyone: operators develop new business models and revenues streams, content providers offer new differentiated services to their customers, and subscribers enjoy premium access at lower overall cost,” said Michael Manzo, CMO of Openet.  “This solution is the industry’s first comprehensive enabler of a new business paradigm, and it’s an exciting evolutionary opportunity for business models as we know them.”

Openet’s Partner Service Controls solution delivers these capabilities by enabling operators to granularly track usage for billing and settlement, as well as to govern subscriber access to network resources and dynamic network resource control.

For more information, please visit http://www.openet.com/solutions/cable-and-satellite/network-controls-and-monetization.html