Openet and OpenCloud launch joint solution for Real-time Charging, Rating and Service Control of voice, messaging and data services

- Partnership delivers cost-savings and flexibility for telecoms operators

DUBLIN and CAMBRIDGE, England, March 26, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Openet, a global leader of telecom business solutions and services, and telecom service-layer innovator OpenCloud today announced the successful integration of Openet Evolved Charging with OpenCloud's Rhino Sentinel service layer. The integrated solution enables operators to migrate from outdated legacy IN service control points (SCPs) to a modern best-of-breed combination for flexible service definition, real time charging, rating and policy control.

Legacy IN replacement is being driven by the need to replace end-of-life products; the high cost of maintaining aging products; and operator frustration at the inflexibility of traditional telecoms equipment.  Driving out costs and enabling more efficient change are essential survival strategies in the increasingly competitive telecoms services market.

Peter Dykes, senior analyst at Informa Telecoms & Media commented, "Following on from the integration of policy control with on-line charging, full integration between policy and charging control and the service layer is the next logical step in developing an architecture capable of supporting next-generation service while delivering a credible replacement for IN."

The integration helps operators accelerate time to market for new services and business models while driving down the costs of telecom service innovation which have historically been associated with IN platforms.

"As operators offer a more diverse and personalized mix of voice, messaging and data services, they require high performance real-time charging and rating systems that provide convergent functionality across all services," said Cyril Dolan, Global Vice President of Alliances at Openet. "We're excited to work with OpenCloud on a joint IN replacement solution that leads the industry in functionality and performance."

"User experience is a combination of the service delivered, the charging model and price-points, and the behavior of the underlying network: that's service control, charging and policy," said Jonathan Bell, VP Product Marketing at OpenCloud.  "The combined OpenCloud and Openet proposition delivers all three collaboratively, and enables operators to make superior customer experience the new competitive axis."

For more information about Openet and OpenCloud's real-time voice charging and rating solution, visit http://www.openet.com/solutions/intelligent-network-replacement

About Openet

Since the introduction of mobile data services in 1998, Openet has helped service providers capitalize on opportunities and overcome challenges. With competitive pressure accelerating, today's service providers rely on Openet software to evolve business models around networking smartphones, M2M devices and third party services. Openet's portfolio combines policy and charging control with device and third party interaction to enable innovative charging models, to control operating cost and to personalize services. More than 80 of the world's largest service providers in 30 countries use Openet's high performance software.

Openet has helped operators worldwide take advantage of growth opportunities by evolving legacy platforms to provide a flexible, real-time charging/OCS capability integrated with policy control (PCC). For more information, please visit www.openet.com.

About OpenCloud

Used by 60+ operators globally, OpenCloud's open, extendable products transform the telecom network service layer to accelerate deployment of competitive solutions and reduce the cost of continual evolution.  OpenCloud's customers include multi-national groups (T-Mobile, Vodafone, for example), large operators (Telkomsel - Indonesia), smaller operators (Free Mobile - France) and MVNOs (AinaCom - Finland), mobile, wireline and converged operators (BT).

Rhino, OpenCloud's next-generation service layer products are deployed within IMS and legacy mobile and wireline networks to solve network evolution challenges and enable service innovation.  Unlike traditional communication network equipment, OpenCloud's products are open for extension and development by its network operator customers and their freely selected developer partners so our customers have more control of the direction, speed and cost of their network and service evolution.

OpenCloud is privately held and VC-backed.  Headquartered in Cambridge UK, OpenCloud also has presence in New Zealand, Spain, Singapore, Indonesia and Brazil. 

For more, please visit www.opencloud.com

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