Virgin Media O2 will be able to leverage a unified 360-degree customer view across all channels
Netcracker Technology, a wholly-owned subsidiary of NEC Corporation, said it has extended its partnership with U.K. telco Virgin Media O2 in an ongoing expansive digital transformation program.
In a release, Netcracker Technology said that this phase of Virgin Media O2’s digital transformation includes the deployment of the Netcracker Digital Platform — including end-to-end Digital BSS as well as Digital OSS functions such as Active Resource Inventory — which will be used to support the operator’s quad-play convergent services across its mobile, fixed line, broadband and cable business. Virgin Media O2 will also implement a number of professional services from Netcracker, including managed services and application development.
Virgin Media O2 expects to achieve a number of business benefits from this upgraded IT environment, including Opex reduction, improved time to market for new services, consolidation onto a single product catalog, higher efficiency in the order-to-cash process and elimination of multiple systems for customer service agents.
In addition, Virgin Media O2 will be able to leverage a unified 360-degree customer view across all channels, which will increase personalized interactions.
“Our multi-year digital transformation program is laying the foundation for our future success in supporting advanced services, higher levels of customer experience and more efficient operations,” said Adrian Di Meo, CIO at Virgin Media O2.
Virgin Media O2 has recently announced a collaboration with Accenture to seek opportunities in the U.K.’s mobile private network market.
Under the terms of the partnership, Virgin Media O2’s 5G private network capabilities will be boosted by Accenture’s expertise in helping enterprises realize the potential of 5G technology with a broad set of applications for multiple industry segments — including computer vision artificial intelligence for product quality control monitoring of equipment to meet factory floor compliance requirements and queue management systems to improve customer experiences.
The pair noted that the solutions are built on Accenture’s Edge Orchestration Platform and will incorporate edge computing, data and AI, and embedded cybersecurity focusing initially on the construction, transportation and logistics, manufacturing, utilities, warehousing and sports venue sectors.
Earlier this year, Virgin Media O2 said its 5G network reached a coverage of 50% of the country’s population as of the end of 2023.
Virgin Media O2 had initially launched services in the U.K. in June 2021. Liberty Global and Telefonica had reached an agreement to merge their U.K. operations in a 50-50 joint venture in May of 2020. That same month, the U.K.’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) decided to allow the proposed merger between mobile operator O2 and Virgin Media.
