LHS Group and Alcatel Announce GPRS Customer Care and Billing Solution
Billing Solution, Based On BSCS, Enables Fully Flexible GPRS Billing
ATLANTA/FRANKFURT--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 1, 2000-- LHS Group Inc. (Nasdaq:LHSG - news; Neuer Markt:LHI) and its global billing partner Alcatel announce the introduction of a GPRS Customer Care and Billing solution that will give mobile carriers the flexibility to choose different billing strategies for GPRS traffic. The solution is based on LHS' BSCS customer care and billing solution to complement Alcatel's leading GPRS infrastructure offering.
This solution allows carriers to distinguish and apply separate billing regimes for GPRS traffic. GPRS, the technology that allows a mobile user to receive and send packet data over a GSM infrastructure, does not lend itself to traditional billing strategies, which are based on call rating. With this innovative solution, mobile carriers will be able to choose a mixture of traffic type and volume-based billing to suit their particular customer profiles.
``This offering is a key component of our complete GPRS equation,'' said Pierre Tournassoud, vice president of Alcatel mobile switching activities. ``The combined capabilities from LHS Group and Alcatel allow customers to take a full 'turn-key' solution for the fast introduction of the GPRS services, with the ready capability to bill easily any type of GPRS services. This is equally applicable as a natural GPRS evolution for the GSM networks of existing Alcatel customers and as a key feature for new customers.''
``The numerous synergies between our two companies will give us a head start in the GPRS market which is a natural key strategic complement to LHS' leading Customer Care and Billing offering in the GSM market,'' commented Per Axelsson, senior vice president, Global Partner Sales, LHS. ``Our partnership with Alcatel is very productive and the co-operation with Alcatel around GPRS, as well as the recently announced co-operation in China, are examples of how we are extracting further leverage from an already successful partnership.''
The Alcatel / LHS solution is based on LHS' industry leader BSCS product. Alcatel will deploy a complete Customer Care and Billing solution, fully integrated with Alcatel's GPRS equipment and allowing for GSM/GPRS convergent billing. As part of its existing longstanding partnership with LHS, Alcatel will provide seamless integration of this solution into the operator's existing information system. LHS and Alcatel will co-ordinate their product roadmap to ensure the full support by the Customer Care and Billing System of the GPRS services offered by the Alcatel equipment.
About LHS
LHS Group is a leading global provider of operating support system software and services to the communications industry. LHS products range from pre- and post-paid billing and customer care to enhanced services and acquisition software. They are installed at more than 300 customer sites worldwide. LHS has 18 global and regional partners (system integrators, international operators and equipment manufacturers) representing one of the largest implementation and support networks in the global customer care and billing market. In addition to its Atlanta headquarters, LHS has major offices in Frankfurt, Germany; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Boston, USA; and Zurich, Switzerland. LHS is listed with NASDAQ (LHSG) and on the Frankfurt Neuer Markt Exchange (LHI). For more information, visit LHS' web site at www.lhsgroup.com.
About Alcatel
Alcatel builds next generation networks, delivering integrated end-to-end voice and data communications solutions to established and new fixed and mobile carriers, as well as enterprises and consumers worldwide. With 120,000 employees and sales of EURO 21.3 billion ($25.0 billion), Alcatel operates in more than 130 countries.
Billing Solution, Based On BSCS, Enables Fully Flexible GPRS Billing
ATLANTA/FRANKFURT--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 1, 2000-- LHS Group Inc. (Nasdaq:LHSG - news; Neuer Markt:LHI) and its global billing partner Alcatel announce the introduction of a GPRS Customer Care and Billing solution that will give mobile carriers the flexibility to choose different billing strategies for GPRS traffic. The solution is based on LHS' BSCS customer care and billing solution to complement Alcatel's leading GPRS infrastructure offering.
This solution allows carriers to distinguish and apply separate billing regimes for GPRS traffic. GPRS, the technology that allows a mobile user to receive and send packet data over a GSM infrastructure, does not lend itself to traditional billing strategies, which are based on call rating. With this innovative solution, mobile carriers will be able to choose a mixture of traffic type and volume-based billing to suit their particular customer profiles.
``This offering is a key component of our complete GPRS equation,'' said Pierre Tournassoud, vice president of Alcatel mobile switching activities. ``The combined capabilities from LHS Group and Alcatel allow customers to take a full 'turn-key' solution for the fast introduction of the GPRS services, with the ready capability to bill easily any type of GPRS services. This is equally applicable as a natural GPRS evolution for the GSM networks of existing Alcatel customers and as a key feature for new customers.''
``The numerous synergies between our two companies will give us a head start in the GPRS market which is a natural key strategic complement to LHS' leading Customer Care and Billing offering in the GSM market,'' commented Per Axelsson, senior vice president, Global Partner Sales, LHS. ``Our partnership with Alcatel is very productive and the co-operation with Alcatel around GPRS, as well as the recently announced co-operation in China, are examples of how we are extracting further leverage from an already successful partnership.''
The Alcatel / LHS solution is based on LHS' industry leader BSCS product. Alcatel will deploy a complete Customer Care and Billing solution, fully integrated with Alcatel's GPRS equipment and allowing for GSM/GPRS convergent billing. As part of its existing longstanding partnership with LHS, Alcatel will provide seamless integration of this solution into the operator's existing information system. LHS and Alcatel will co-ordinate their product roadmap to ensure the full support by the Customer Care and Billing System of the GPRS services offered by the Alcatel equipment.
About LHS
LHS Group is a leading global provider of operating support system software and services to the communications industry. LHS products range from pre- and post-paid billing and customer care to enhanced services and acquisition software. They are installed at more than 300 customer sites worldwide. LHS has 18 global and regional partners (system integrators, international operators and equipment manufacturers) representing one of the largest implementation and support networks in the global customer care and billing market. In addition to its Atlanta headquarters, LHS has major offices in Frankfurt, Germany; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Boston, USA; and Zurich, Switzerland. LHS is listed with NASDAQ (LHSG) and on the Frankfurt Neuer Markt Exchange (LHI). For more information, visit LHS' web site at www.lhsgroup.com.
About Alcatel
Alcatel builds next generation networks, delivering integrated end-to-end voice and data communications solutions to established and new fixed and mobile carriers, as well as enterprises and consumers worldwide. With 120,000 employees and sales of EURO 21.3 billion ($25.0 billion), Alcatel operates in more than 130 countries.
