ERICSSON HEWLETT-PACKARD TELECOMMUNICATIONS LAUNCHES UPGRADED BILLING MEDIATION SYSTEM Stockholm, Sweden, September 17 (UNS-AsiaNet) - Ericsson Hewlett-Packard Telecommunications (EHPT) today launched a new version of its Billing Mediation Platform, BMP 3, designed to give telecom operators a competitive edge. It is aimed at new mobile and fixed operators, operators introducing Intelligent Network (IN) services, and operators who are re-engineering their existing billing environment. BMP 3 provides a flexible, open system that collects and pre-processes usage information from complex, convergent networks before multi-streaming the data to client applications. This enables service providers to take full advantage of their valuable network usage data, using it not just to streamline any billing system, but for strategic applications such as customer behaviour analysis and network planning. BMP 3 is extremely flexible, enabling it to cope with future applications as they are added. BMP 3 is a major step for EHPT, building on the success of BMP2.The enhanced system has been developed in response to market demands for greater flexibility and a need to achieve growth in a rapidly changing, complex environment. BMP 3's new tools and additional processing functions are intended to give network operators a way to rapidly deploy new applications and services, whilst protecting existing applications from change. EHPT's expertise lies in handling converging networks, and BMP 3 can process call details from a mixture of fixed-line and mobile networks, and from multiple vendors. This allows operators to bill for multiple services on one customer bill, as well as speed response to customer enquiries. In addition, BMP 3's inherent scalability allows it to be effectively deployed whatever the size of operator. Fredrik Ljungblom, solutions manager at EHPT, comments, "Billing mediation is a key enabler for the billing process. All too oflen, administration systems become a bottleneck, hindering progress. By introducing BMP 3, we hope to give telecom operators of all sizes a way to support the rapid introduction of new services." "What's so important about this product is its potential to handle new applications that haven't even been thought of yet. With this in mind, we see BMP 3 as a plafform for growth in an increasingly competitive market. Its advantages go far beyond improving the efficiency of the billing system, yet peple don't always realise the value of the data they already have. Through BMP3. we can provide a route for operators to tap into that data and reap the benefits,"he continued. Specifically, BMP 3's new and enhanced features include: :: new flexible processing features, new protocols and interfaces; :: Process Builder -- a tool for creating new and changed processing schemes; :: Format Builder -- a tool for managing new and changed usage data formats; :: a complete complementary development environment, and services ranging from business analysis to deployment and support. BMP 3 is available now through EHPT's solution providers and systems integrators worldwide. Ericsson Hewlett-Packard Telecommunications (EHPT) is an independent, worid-class provider of application software and services to telecom operators and has installed over 340 operation support and business support systems in more than 50 countries. Its success is based on a thorough understanding of the convergence of telecom and computer networks. Founded in 1993 as a joint-venture owned 60% by Ericsson and 40% by Hewlett-Packard, it combines and enhances the strengths of these world-leaders to provide leading edge solutions. EHPT is based in Stockholm, Sweden, and employs 700 staff worldwide. CONTACT: Emma Coop/Christine Medforth, Berkeley PR, Tel: +44 1189 882992, e-mail: [email protected]; or Annika Stedner, EHPT, Tel: +46 31 746-2206, e-mail: [email protected].