Billing World and OSS Today Magazine Articles

Affinity Mobile Is Banking on the Unbanked

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 13:28:29 PDT

Affinity Mobile is about as two-faced a company as you’re likely to find. Right now, they’re both looking pretty. The company is part MVNO, part platform provider. But both business units address the same constituency. They target folks who exist outside the daily fabric of the traditional banking system, folks ...(2598 words)

The Challenge of Managing Multivendor Networks

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 13:28:19 PDT

When Alexander Graham Bell’s second telephone patent expired in 1894, competitive vendors flooded the market. The challenge of managing multivendor networks has been raising its ugly head ever since. And for 114 years, network managers have been finding excuses to ignore it. Everyone knows if you ignore the diet too ...(2292 words)

Understanding the Enterprise Communications Opportunity

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 13:28:07 PDT

Convergence between enterprise computing and communications represents a unique opportunity for service providers to penetrate deeper into the critical business operations of their enterprise customers. Enterprises represent higher-margin business for operators; if operators can better understand their role in enabling enterprises to achieve this transformation, they surely will benefit. Fortunately, ...(1686 words)

ROC On: Creating the Revenue Operations Center to Maximize Profit

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 13:27:51 PDT

Imagine flying a passenger jet. As the pilot responsible for the lives of hundreds of passengers and the safe navigation of a multiton aircraft through congested airspace, you must make a multitude of decisions precisely and quickly. Now imagine performing the same task when you cannot see anything outside the ...(1700 words)

Taking a Stab at Telco 2.0

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 13:27:08 PDT

Say what you will about telecom, but it’s an industry that loves its buzzwords. Despite the prevalent use in any technology conversation of the term “Web 2.0,” I’d argue that there are few people who understand what it actually means. And the latest term du jour is a particularly cryptic ...(593 words)

Standards Watch: TM Forum Readies for Nice

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 13:26:53 PDT

Martin Creaner is president of the TM Forum. His organization will be holding its largest annual event, Management World 2008, next month in Nice, France. Creaner spoke with Billing OSS World about the theme of the event and some of the initiatives being discussed there and addressed throughout the ...(800 words)

Editor's Letter: Welcome to the Dialogue

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 13:26:33 PDT

Some of you are reading this from the Billing OSS World Conference Expo taking place along the glittering southern shore of Lake Michigan in the incomparable City of Chicago. If you’re one of them, welcome and thank you for participating. Some of you are reading this from an ...(445 words)

OSS Observer: Best Days are Ahead for SOA Market

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 11:30:03 PDT

Commercial success is catching up to the high expectations for the service oriented architecture according to a new report from OSS Observer. Over the next four years, the research firm projects the SOA market to enjoy a compound annual growth rate of 27 percent. SOA platform providers such as BEA, ...(589 words)

Focus on Customer Centricity Strong but still a Struggle

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 07:55:47 PDT

If nearly all companies surveyed for a study say they have a strategy for doing something, but less that 15 percent say their strategies are successful, there is a disconnect somewhere. Such were the results of a study conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit and sponsored by Oracle called, “Conquering ...(809 words)

Avoiding Churn-Burn with Next-Gen Self-Care

Tue, 08 Apr 2008 11:11:36 PDT

Service providers want to cut costs from their operations, and a popular place to look for savings has been customer care. After all, pings to the call center get very expensive. But something else should be driving initiatives for customer self-care: loyalty. Loyalty can increase retention and improve the chances ...(792 words)