Posted: 1/2002

BACK OFFICE NEWS

By Kim Sunderland

* Williams Communications Group
selected WebResolve TicketExchange middleware from Vertel Corp. to
exchange trouble tickets with its premium customers and partners. The hosted,
business-to-business WebResolve TicketExchange system is designed to enable the
exchange of trouble tickets between trading partners, even if their internal
customer care or customer relationship management (CRM) systems are not
compatible. Williams called the installation "another example where
Williams Communications continues to enhance its customer self-fulfillment
strategy by extending its systems capabilities directly to the customer."

* Billing management and call
analysis software provider CTI Group (Holdings) Inc. released MagnaFlex,
a next-generation billing system designed to support traditional,
circuit-switched telephony billing requirements and packet-based telephony and
data billing requirements associated with Internet Protocol services. Designed
to support convergent wire line, wireless, broadband, IP voice and data billing,
the "service neutral" MagnaFlex can accommodate billing events ranging
from VoIP to ‘pay-per-view’ content transactions, allowing for rating, branding,
and billing of any or all services in the provider’s portfolio. With a choice of
outsourced or in-house delivery models, MagnaFlex claims a standard
implementation time of 90 days.

* Intec Telecom Systems has
unveiled a new version of its Carrier Access Billing System (CABS) software,
InterconnecT CABS Carrier Grade (CG), featuring a point-and-click application
that tracks system usage to ensure accurate billing for calls that terminate on
a carrier’s network. An optional new Bill Usage Verification Support module can
forward complete call detail records electronically to the billed carrier,
providing evidence to aid in bill dispute resolution. The company claims
"dramatically increased performance," handling 1 million usage records
per minute.

* Newly merged, Dutch-Belgian
telecommunications and Internet services company One.Tel/Scarlet has
implemented the MaxBill Ltd. end-to-end customer care and billing
solution to replace its legacy billing system. MaxBill’s system is intended to
consolidateOne.Tel/Scarlet’s IT infrastructure into a comprehensive platform,
eliminating extensive integration costs and unifying operational activities, the
companies say. The solution includes order management, customer relationship
management, trouble ticketing, rating, billing and general ledger.

* Axiom Systems Ltd., a
U.K.-based provider of Order-to-Service and Inventory Management software, has
entered into a partnership agreement with convergent customer management and
billing software provider Portal Software Inc. The companies will
collaborate to assist service providers with customer fulfillment, joining
systems to support real-time ordering, provisioning and billing of broadband and
value-added services.