Threat from OTT players on Data Monetization Driving Convergent Charging

Market research firm Infonetics Research released excerpts from its 2013 Convergent Charging Strategies and Vendor Leadership: Global Service Provider Survey, which explores operators’ plans for deploying convergent charging solutions and their perceptions of convergent charging suppliers. The research highlighted that that factors that drive convergent charging investments include better monetization of data services, support of marketing initiatives, and countering competition from over-the-top (OTT) players. 38% of respondents say their convergent charging deployments are or will be replacing existing software-based charging systems with 62% of respondents indicating that the ownership and purchasing decisions may involve multiple departments. Apart from this, Ericsson, Amdocs and Huawei are cited as the top 3 vendors by the respondents. 

“Convergent charging isn’t just about payment anymore. Operators view it as a key tool in shortening the time-to-market for new services and in creating and delivering more innovative products and bundles,” relays Shira Levine, directing analyst for service enablement and subscriber intelligence at Infonetics Research. “And increasingly, service providers are pressuring their vendors to up the ante by building improved reliability, scalability and configurability into their products.”

Source - Infonetics (August 1, 2013)

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