NEW YORK-Several billing and customer-care providers have announced new products in recent weeks, among them, American Management Systems Inc., International Telecommunications Data Systems Inc., Kenan Systems Corp. and Subscriber Computing Inc.
AMS
Tapestry from AMS, Fairfax, Va., is the company’s next-generation platform, which uses object-oriented, client/server technology to support the converging communications market.
“Tapestry allows telecommunications providers to introduce rapidly new products and services. [Its] components can provide an integrated solution across all business functions or can be used individually in a custom solution with existing or third-party software,” AMS said.
ITDS
ITDS, a service bureau provider, said it has introduced a new generation of billing, customer care and management information solutions designed for the HP/Unix server platform environment using an Oracle database. Information is accessible through a graphical user interface provided through a Windows front end.
“Through its scalability, it will more readily accommodate the tremendous growth our clients are experiencing as they continue to add new subscribers, as well as to work better to serve their existing subscribers,” said Peter Bassermann, president and chief executive officer.
“ITDS clients will have the ability to incorporate new and emerging technologies into their corporate business strategies in order to compete more effectively and develop new markets.”
Kenan Systems
Kenan Systems, Cambridge, Mass., introduced Arbor/Mobile, which includes billing, customer care, churn analysis and maintenance and support services. Designed specifically for wireless carriers, Arbor/Mobile “is a highly flexible and scalable … solution, enabling carriers to implement aggressive business plans, grow their customer base and evolve their business model as needed,” the company said.
“A mobile carrier moving to fixed-mobile convergence or other multiservice business models can take advantage of the … system’s ability to support all segments of the communications and online industries.”
In a related development, Kenan announced it entered a marketing and operations agreement with Electronic Data Systems Corp., Plano, Texas, to provide delivery services and billing, customer care and order management products as a total solution to single and multiservice carriers worldwide in all segments of communications, including mobile, wireline and Internet.
Subscriber Computing Inc.
Subscriber Computing’s PrePay Metered Billing 5.x is a WIN-based prepaid solution that offers all the real-time “pre-call” control capabilities that adjunct switching platform solutions do without carrying the voice load. “This eliminates the need for additional voice trunks and allows efficient use of the wireless network as the wireless switch handles all the call routing and control,” the company said.
The solution means carriers don’t need to add any adjunct switching platforms or voice trunks. The only connection from the wireless network to the prepaid platform is SS7/C7 links. Carriers do not need to set aside special number blocks for prepaid service or use special handsets. The system can operate as a stand-alone unit or can function within the existing billing system.
