Vodafone Affiliate - Connex (MobiFon S.A.) - Goes Live with Amdocs Enabler for Convergent Voice and Data Billing (email this article)

BUCHAREST, Romania, and ST. LOUIS, Nov. 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Connex (MobiFon S.A.), a Vodafone affiliate and the Romanian market leader in GSM telephony, and Amdocs (NYSE: DOX - News) (Company Profile, Past Stories, Case Studies), the world's leading provider of billing and CRM, today announced that Connex has successfully deployed the Amdocs Enabler product for convergent billing of voice and data services in both wireless and IP environments. Amdocs Enabler was implemented together with pre-integrated complementary products including provisioning, partner relationship management, eCare, resource management, and accounts receivable - - all components of the Amdocs Integrated Customer Management portfolio. These implementations follow the successful deployment of Amdocs ClarifyCRM to provide Connex's call center representatives with a single customer view and instant access to a complete customer history via a central database.

"Amdocs Enabler replaced multiple systems with one, unified platform, driving significant cost of ownership savings while empowering unmatched innovation and customer service," said Vishant Vora, CTO and Vice President of Networks and Systems at Connex. "The combination of an integrated product portfolio with delivery capabilities that are second to none in the industry helps guarantee project success and winning market advantages."

Amdocs Enabler replaced two separate systems for voice and data billing, providing Connex with markedly improved carrier-grade support, enhanced product catalog functionality, and shorter time-to-market capabilities for new services, while helping Connex reduce costs. Amdocs Enabler also provides Connex with convergent billing capabilities across its different lines of business, allowing for differentiating service and price plan bundles, and cross-product discounts and promotions for voice and data offerings.

Building on the Amdocs modular offering architecture and leveraging its investment in Amdocs Enabler, Connex is realizing rapid return on investment and additional cost of ownership savings with the deployment of the Amdocs PRM and Amdocs eCare products. Amdocs PRM replaced manual processes with a centralized, automated system to enable billing and revenue settlements for content and interconnect partnerships. With Amdocs PRM, Connex is able to dramatically improve operational efficiencies and increase customer satisfaction and profitability from emerging content services, such as MMS.

Amdocs eCare provides Connex with a secure online environment for market- leading self-care capabilities, as well as a cost-effective channel for targeted marketing initiatives. Supporting Connex's both residential and corporate customer segments, Amdocs eCare further promotes customer satisfaction and loyalty while saving on expenses. In addition, Connex is able to leverage the Amdocs open product architecture and built-in open APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) and EAI (Enterprise Application Integration) support for simple and cost-effective integration with other current and future systems.

"We're pleased Connex has selected us as its strategic vendor of choice to build stronger customer relationships and facilitate profitable growth," said Michael Mathews, Chief Marketing Officer at Amdocs. "We provide our customers with the choice, flexibility and carrier-grade power to address their immediate business imperatives while leveraging existing investments in a modular fashion. Through our Integrated Customer Management strategy, our customers can quickly and cost- effectively respond to changing market requirements and capitalize on emerging opportunities."

About Amdocs Enabler

Amdocs Enabler provides flexible, real-time rating and billing for all voice, data, content and commerce services. Utilizing an integrated online- offline charging platform, Enabler allows communications service providers to support prepaid-postpaid and wireline-wireless convergence with one product. Enabler is a production-proven, carrier- grade product, pre-configured for rapid, low-risk deployment. The product is designed for seamless, modular extension via pre-integration with a range of complementary Amdocs products, or with third-party applications by utilizing its open, standard architecture. Amdocs Enabler includes ongoing out-of-the-box integration with Amdocs ClarifyCRM, ensuring platform-wide integration is maintained during future product upgrades. Amdocs Enabler has been selected and deployed by leading communications service providers worldwide.

About Amdocs PRM

Amdocs PRM (Partner Relationship Management) manages billing and revenue settlement agreements between partners. Production-proven worldwide, Amdocs PRM allows leading communications service providers to implement innovative business models and maximize profits from partnerships. From the business agreement through rating, invoicing, payment exchange and reconciliation, Amdocs PRM spans the entire lifecycle of partner settlement. Amdocs PRM supports all types of business agreements, enabling convergent support for content, commerce and inter-carrier partners. A highly configurable system architecture ensures rapid deployment and provides the carrier-grade power to support market leaders.

About Amdocs eCare

Amdocs eCare is a pre-integrated, production-proven product that enables residential and corporate customers and equipment dealers to manage accounts and services while online, allowing providers to generate revenue and improve customer loyalty while saving on expenses. Amdocs eCare offers fast and efficient self-service, including multiple bill view and analysis options, secure online payment and dispute capabilities, advanced corporate hierarchies support, robust reporting functionality and the capability to open and track service requests, as well as buy and configure services and products. The ability to supply customers with a powerful Web-based tool to control their communications operations helps providers attract and retain valuable customers.

About Amdocs

Amdocs combines innovative software products and services with deep business knowledge to deliver true integrated customer management to the world's leading services companies. Our best-in-class billing and CRM products seamlessly link all customer-facing business processes - marketing, sales, ordering, delivery, fulfillment, billing, settlement, service, support, and analytics -- resulting in stronger, more profitable customer relationships. Amdocs enables its customers to implement their business strategy with rapid return on investment, lower total cost of ownership and improved operational efficiencies. For more information, visit Amdocs at www.amdocs.com .

About Connex

Connex leads the mobile communications market in Romania with 3 million customers as of October, 2003. On April 15, 2003, Connex marked six years since launching GSM services in Romania. Connex continues to be the largest Internet service provider in Romania, with over 200,000 dial-up users. Our network covers 95% of the Romanian population and offers roaming in 105 countries/areas through 244 operators. The main shareholders of Connex are Telesystem International Wireless (TIW), Canada, and Vodafone, UK.