UAE's leading telecom services operator Etisalat has announced the completion of the first phase of a major business transformation project aimed at simplifying business processes and deploying a converged Business Support Systems (BSS) architecture to enhance customer care, convergent billing, charging, and order management.
    
The project was implemented by Ericsson, global provider of communications technology and services.

During the first phase, Etisalat and Ericsson reengineered the telecom operator’s business processes. Etisalat’s new BSS environment now boasts advantages such as faster response to time-to-market pressures, increased customer-centricity and improved operational efficiency, said the UAE telco giant in a statement.

Etisalat has so far migrated its postpaid mobile consumer subscribers to the new BSCS iX convergent, end-to-end billing and customer care system and integrated other third-party software components.

The next phases of the program will address Etisalat’s enterprise customers, as well as fixed telephony, internet and television sections for both retail consumers and enterprises. In addition, Ericsson will streamline Etisalat’s automated order management capability and deliver a new sales force automation capability and point-of-sale payment system, it stated.

Sabri Ali Yahya, Etisalat’s chief information officer, said: “Increasing competition and rapid technology evolution have put enormous pressure on our BSS landscape. Hence, we decided to transform our BSS systems to increase our speed and agility in addressing the competition and growing market share as well as improving the customer experience and capturing new revenue streams," he added.

The transformation involves process re-engineering and delivery of Ericsson BSCS iX convergent billing and customer care system and Ericsson order management as well as delivery and integration of third party products: point of sale, enterprise service bus, bill presentment and sales force automation.

Paolo Colella, the head of Consulting and Systems Integration at Ericsson, pointed out that it was the first phase of a comprehensive, long-term business transformation project that had been ongoing for four years.

"We have worked with Etisalat for many years in other areas, but this is a real milestone because it is the biggest business transformation project that we have ever been involved in. The benefits will include increased agility on the part of Etisalat and increased service levels for consumers," he added.-TradeArabia News Service