MACH Offsets Negative Roaming Revenue Impact From EU Regulation

LUXEMBOURG - EU Compliance Power Pack

MACH, the leading provider of solutions to simplify and accelerate the creation and operation of the mobility supply chain, today announced its EU Compliance Power Pack, a range of solutions which offset the impact on operator roaming revenues of the recent EU pricing regulations.

The solutions will immediately counter the forecast reduction in revenues by implementing smart rating and price optimisation. This allows the mobile operators to reprice certain services such as voice and SMS in order to create new revenue streams offsetting the anticipated effects of the EU regulation. Moreover, MACH also includes in the pack its powerful solution to the ‘bill shock’ problem, by triggering timely customer notification whenever a usage threshold is reached. This solution gives mobile operators the ability to provide customers with timely data usage information while roaming. In addition, thanks to MACH’s leading position in the area of inter-operator administration, it provides operators with a complete set of compliance solutions that eliminate any administrative and compliance burden.

The measures introduced by European regulators impose wide-ranging pricing restrictions and administrative obligations on mobile operators. Voice, SMS and data service prices will be capped with effect from 1st July 2009, with further reductions in caps becoming effective in 2011. Operators will also be required to bill on a per second basis under the new regulations. Further, operators will be required to notify subscribers of high usage to avoid so-called “bill shocks”, requiring real-time usage reporting and notification processes. European officials also said that they will monitor changes to other operator charging structures to ensure that these are not increased to compensate for the impact of the new legislation.

“The regulations approved by the European Parliament, combined with increasing competition both from within the mobile industry and from alternative communications technologies, mean that operators have to continuously monitor and reassess retail and wholesale pricing strategies,” says Lodewijk Cornelis, CMO, MACH. “MACH solutions turn, what seems at first sight to be, a huge obstacle to growth into an opportunity for operators to differentiate their offerings and reduce their operational costs.”

The solutions announced today allow operators to use sophisticated simulation techniques to quickly and dynamically optimise retail and wholesale pricing of non-EU roaming traffic, increasing revenues while at the same time maximising customer value. MACH’s solutions also handle the complex task of rating usage data in real time by reference to regulatory capping, and its applications process all of the administrative changes to inter-operator tariff structures to ensure accurate and timely settlement before and after the regulations come into effect.

MACH clears two out of every three roaming calls on GSM and CDMA networks and settles more than 60% of the inter-operator wholesale invoice amounts, and is thus uniquely positioned to manage both the customer-facing and inter-operator process implications of the developing regulatory landscape.

Editors Notes - related information

MACH’s EU Compliance Power Pack comprises the following solutions:

Billing: TAP file generation and conversion service, lowering time to market for new products

IOT Check: Detecting and handling erroneous charges for accurate invoicing

RAEX Manager: Electronic exchange and management of roaming documentation

Roaming Management System (RMS): Virtual workplace for handling, managing and administering roaming

Smart: The market-leading Business Intelligence tool for accurate analysis

Data Fuse: Eliminating the ‘bill shock’ from subscribers’ invoices

Optimiser: Unique tool that simulates business parameters and eliminates risk

It can also be combined with Re-pricing: Simulation of optimal pricing, end-user routing, strategic tariff plans.

About MACH

MACH unlocks the potential of the mobile business eco-system by providing the core conductor which equips any industry player to enable and handle any tele-application or interaction, on any technology, anywhere in the world.

MACH’s suite of technology platforms simplifies and accelerates the creation and operation of the mobility supply chain. It is the conduit that connects the mobile market community and extends compatibility, quickly and at low cost, through a multi-faceted portfolio of solutions.

Through MACH, any industry player can harness market diversity and complexity to realise innovative business models and unlock consumer-centric services for the end user, regardless of location, device and technology.

Originally founded in 1987, MACH has merged with, and today incorporates the experience and expertise of, market-leaders such as Dan Net, Cibernet, End2End and PROGRATOR|gatetrade. MACH employs 1,000 people serving over 600 customers worldwide.

MACH is a proud member of the GSMA and CIBER industry organisations, the Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA), WiMAX Forum, Rural Cellular Association (RCA), CDMA Development Group (CDG) and CTIA.

Contacts: Sophia B0diker +45-4590-2024 spa@mach.com

www.mach.com

Source: MACH

Contacts: Sophia Bodiker, +45-4590-2024, spa at mach.com