Vodafone taps HP for content billing on GPRS network
Vodafone UK selected the HP Internet Usage Manager (IUM) platform for its flexibility, ease-of-use and growth capabilities to enable the company's General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) network for content billing. HP and Vodafone UK used their expertise in wireless and IP technologies to combine GPRS network equipment, IP services and back-office systems.
"The work between HP and Vodafone UK for GPRS solutions has proven the feasibility of content billing for mobile IP services and has accelerated its availability," said Bill Russell, vice president, HP Software Solutions Organization. "We are very pleased to be a part of Vodafone's advance into mobile e-services."
"Vodafone is keen to deliver to market a full spectrum of mobile IP services in 2001," said Malcolm Dunn, IT executive at Vodafone UK. "HP has been instrumental in helping us to bridge the gaps between emerging network equipment and services, existing network infrastructure and our back-office business support systems."
The HP IUM platform, an HP Netaction product, meters individual customer service usage to provide network operators with greater flexibility to package and sell individual services. It aggregates usage data and correlates among services, producing the Internet Data Records (IDRs) required by billing, marketing analysis and operations management systems.
Vodafone UK now has the ability to process call detail records from various network equipment, allowing operators to solve complex data collection and correlation problems by using the HP IUM solution. In addition, the HP IUM implementation incorporates billing interfaces, error handling and revenue assurance processes that set the stage for telecom-grade service delivery.
About HP Internet Usage Manager
The HP IUM platform offers an open, flexible plug-in architecture that is easily extended to new devices and services such as the GPRS equipment described here, as well as to existing back-office billing systems. Deploying the HP IUM platform to meter wireless networks enables mobile service providers to measure packet data from WAP and IP data services. For more information, visit http://www.hp.com/usage.
About Vodafone UK
Vodafone is the UK's most popular mobile phone network with more than 12.3 million customers, including 7.9 million Pay as You Talk customers. Vodafone UK is part of the Vodafone Group Plc, the world's largest mobile telecommunications company, with interests in 29 countries and more than 83.4 million customers worldwide.
About HP
Hewlett-Packard Company—a leading global provider of computing and imaging solutions and services—is focused on making technology and its benefits accessible to individuals and businesses through simple appliances, useful e-services and solutions for an Internet infrastructure that's always on.
HP had total revenue from continuing operations of $48.8 billion in its 2000 fiscal year. Information about HP and its products can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.hp.com.
Source: Vodafone
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