Nieuwegein, the Netherlands 17 June 2002 - CMG Wireless Data Solutions and VoluBill have joined forces to offer mobile operators a real-time rating and charging solution for services and content accessed over GPRS. With this latest enhancement, CMG's Prepaid mCharger increases operator empowerment to achieve customer loyalty, predicted to be one of the main differentiators in global branded networks over the next few years.
Industry focus is moving away from technology in favour of consumer experience. The first wireless brands that treat today's masses of post and prepaid subscribers as individual consumers will be the catalysts for explosive growth in next generation wireless services. The limitations in existing billing solutions for enhanced data services remain the major bottleneck for operators to achieve customer satisfaction.
The partnership between CMG and VoluBill, provider of content charging and content session control solutions, significantly expands the breadth of the CMG Service Network portfolio. Next to real-time rating and charging of SMS, WAP and MMS services, the solution now also handles content delivered to the consumer over GPRS. Plus, the solution integrates seamlessly with existing pre or post-paid voice accounts.
There are currently more than 120 GPRS network operators globally, with a further 33 GPRS networks under construction. However, operators are limited in the services they can offer prepaid GPRS subscribers due to lack of real-time charging solutions, with the only alternative - hot billing - leaving them vulnerable to financial risk. Another key characteristic of the mCharger solution is that charging is based on content value, rather than content size (e.g. megabytes or kilobytes). This means that subscribers can be billed for GPRS services and content in a familiar and comprehensible way, like consumers in other industries today. The product is expected to be ready for implementation by Q4 this year.
CMG global product manager Ian Deakin commented: "The concept of offering guaranteed quality of next generation services to wireless consumers over GPRS is unique to the CMG/VoluBill proposition. Now operators can add their own brand awareness to the relationship with the customer through promotions and loyalty schemes, whatever the bearer, rewarding consumers and promoting exciting and innovative new services."
André Meyer, VoluBill's president and CEO, commented: "Operators are looking to MMS to fuel further traffic and advanced usage. Being able to offer a differentiated and integrated content billing solution that can address SMS, WAP, MMS and GPRS content is key for operators to implement this strategy. Volubill is extremely proud to be associated with world market leader CMG to offer this new, revolutionary solution."
Most operators, without the ability to check for prepaid credit prior to GPRS service delivery, have preferred to avoid exposing themselves altogether. Real-time charging of prepaid GPRS services means operators can now confidently offer these services, generating further revenues from a significant market segment, while standing out from their competitors. Not only can they offer a broader set of services, but they can rate, charge and bill for these in a way that makes sense to subscribers.
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For more information, please contact:
Renate van Berchum Alain Lefebvre
Press Officer CMG Wireless Data Solutions EVP Sales and Marketing
VoluBill
Tel: +31 30 210 3333 Tel: +33 476 04 37 18
Email: renate.van.berchum@cmg.nl Email:
alain.lefebvre@volubill.com
Walter Hueber Sophie Bomont or Nicola Dobson
Weber Shandwick Mmd Marketing Communications Ltd
Tel: + 31 70 31 21 070 Tel: + 44 20 8380 4912/4902
Email: whueber@webershandwick.com Email:
sophie.bomont@mmd-marcoms.co.uk
About CMG
CMG, established in 1964, works closely alongside its customers in long-term relationships to generate success for them. CMG is a full service provider through management consultancy, systems development & integration and the outsourced management of targeted business processes. Our purpose is to lead in the creation and development of the most advanced IT and telecommunications services (ICT) and wireless data solutions (WDS). The combination of our ICT and WDS capabilities produces a compelling proposition for enterprises seeking to add the mobile channel to their operations and marketing strategies. We are at the heart of our customers' critical activities, combining industry knowledge, technical expertise and practical innovation. With over 13,000 employees, CMG implements and supports applications for customers worldwide from bases in more than 20 countries.
CMG is listed on both the London and Amsterdam Stock Exchanges.
About VoluBill
VoluBill specialises in mobile Internet charging solutions. Its mission is to help telecom service providers move from usage-based billing to more profitable value- and transaction-based charging methods, thus increasing Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) and ultimately profitability. Based in Grenoble, France, Volubill entered the market in November 2001 with an 11 million euro investment from investors Argo Global, Sofinnova Partners and Sofinnova Ventures. VoluBill is a spin-off of Cegetel Group, the second largest operator in France. VoluBill's solution has been developed to directly answer the changing demands of mobile users in the internet market, addressing the need for clear and structured billing for new mobile Internet services.