News release

HP helps telecoms improve customer experience with real-time policy management

PALO ALTO, Calif., Dec. 7, 2009

HP today announced telecom solutions that enable communications service providers to generate real-time customer insights that can lead to a better user experience, greater customer loyalty and higher revenues.

The new solutions, led by HP Subscriber, Network and Application Policy (HP SNAP) , expand the company's business support system (BSS) offerings. This portfolio, which helps communications service providers meet consumer demand for personalized, real-time services is being re-named HP RealTime BSS .

HP SNAP provides wireless, wired and cable companies a real-time policy management solution that applies controls over network bandwidth, charging and customer usage. By offering more precise control of network resources, HP SNAP helps service providers optimize investment in both existing and next-generation networks that include long-term evolution (LTE) technologies.

For their customers, service providers can apply usage policies in areas such as parental control, service access, network congestion and tiered charging. With precise real-time control over policy rules, service providers can deliver highly personalized data services and give customers more flexibility to manage their accounts.

For example, if a customer watching a sports event on his smartphone is about to exceed his data usage cap, HP SNAP could dynamically link the customer's account information with the provider's network resources and application controls to produce, in midsession, an attractive upgrade and payment option – avoiding an unpleasant cutoff.

"China Telecom is growing rapidly in our 3G markets, and HP has been a key part of our success," said Liu Yuelian, IT director, Hubei Telecom. "HP helped us build our online charging system, and today, with real-time capabilities, we can offer – and bill for – the most innovative 3G services for our 3 million prepaid customers of Hubei Province. We expect to continue our cooperation with HP as we evaluate new technologies, like policy management, that can improve our customers' mobile experience."

As data traffic grows rapidly, service providers can use HP SNAP to pursue fast-growing revenue opportunities without being limited to flat-rate pricing.

"Service providers can personalize – and monetize – new services with the HP RealTime BSS portfolio," said Nigel Upton, director, Communications and Media Solutions, HP. "They also can reduce operational cost and complexity because all the HP RealTime BSS solutions use a common foundation."

There are more than 250 implementations of HP RealTime BSS solutions, including Hutchison 3G (Austria), Vodafone Portugal, and Vodafone Spain.

"Mobile operators must have real-time, application-aware policy management," said Vin Costello, vice president and general manager, Allot Communications Inc. "HP SNAP, with Allot policy enforcement and deep packet inspection, is a complete, dynamic policy solution that can help operators enrich the customer experience and optimize revenues."

HP expands real-time features in BSS portfolio

In two other BSS solution groups, HP has added functionality to improve real-time decision making with more detailed customer information.

HP Investigation includes HP Data Retention and Guardian Online (HP DRAGON), which has been enhanced to help service providers respond to requests from law enforcement to combat terrorism and other crimes:

• Lawfully intercept live communications in real time and manage authorities' requests for lawful interception and data retention.
• Better integrate European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) standards for lawful intercept, data retention and open web services.

HP Revenue Intelligence features HP CentralView solutions that transform large volumes of customer data into actionable business insights using near-real-time monitoring and analysis. Advancements are in two cornerstone solutions:

• HP CentralView Fraud Risk Management, which helps control sophisticated fraud tactics, is upgraded with greater detection flexibility, more powerful analysis rules for prioritizing case investigation, and clear tracking of resolution progress.
• HP CentralView Revenue Leakage Control, which improves revenue assurance, is enhanced with user-defined preferences to reduce false alarms, manage incident cases, and configure key performance indicators.

More information on HP RealTime BSS is available at www.hp.com/go/bss.

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