Wataniya Telecom Selects Openet for Convergent Charging and Policy Management Solutions Openet Solutions to Maximize Revenue Streams through Data Charging and Fair Usage

KUWAIT, June, 16 2009 – Wataniya, Kuwait’s Red Carpet Co., has selected Openet, the leading provider of Transactional Intelligence for the world’s largest and most innovative network service providers, for its Fair Usage solution through the deployment of Openet’s FusionWorks™ Convergent Charging and Policy Manager products.

This integrated solution approach will ensure profitability from Wataniya’s data services by enforcing limits on subscriber usage volume, while allowing subscribers to purchase additional volume upon reaching limits.  Wataniya will also deploy products to correlate and track data across all networks, implementing policies to monetize services and content.

With the growing consumption of rich, bandwidth-heavy content and services and the increase in peer-to-peer traffic, operators across the Middle East are struggling to control network capacity while continuing to ensure that all subscribers are provided the network performance they pay for.  By deploying Openet’s Fair Usage solution on top of its Policy Manager and Convergent Charging products, Wataniya is taking the first step to ensure that excessive bandwidth usage generates incremental revenue.

“With more than half of our bandwidth being utilized by only a small percentage of our subscribers, it was clear we needed a bulletproof solution to control and monetize the usage of the network,” said Scott Gegenheimer CEO and GM Wataniya.  “With Openet’s solution in place, we are able to govern excessive usage across all networks to decrease churn rates and network costs, and identify potential lost revenue.  Ultimately we can increase our network performance for customers, while maximizing our revenue from content and services.”

Openet’s solutions will be deployed alongside Wataniya’s deep packet inspection (DPI) solution, which already exists on the provider’s network.  The combined deployment of Openet’s products in conjunction with this product provides optimal speed and flexibility of services for Wataniya’s expected 1.7 million subscribers.  By implementing Openet’s FusionWorks Products, Wataniya will be able to quickly and easily roll out additional applications and services as its customers’ needs and demands evolve. 

“Wataniya’s pain points are consistent with those of Tier 1 operators in its region.  By taking the lead to implement convergent charging and policy management solutions to enable fair usage, Wataniya secures a competitive edge in the Middle East,” said Philip Hogan, Global Sales Vice President at Openet.  “With the scalability and flexibility of Openet’s products, the operator can maximize crucial subscriber data—identifying revenue streams and implementing charging strategies that reflect this information.”  

About Wataniya Wataniya Telecom was commercially launched in 1999 as the first privately owned operator in Kuwait. In March 2007, Qatar Telecom (Qtel) acquired 51% of Wataniya Telecom shares from Kuwait Projects Company Holding KSC (KIPCO) group.
Wataniya is a customer driven company that aims to provide product and service excellence that is leading to a real customer value... The company has been a driving force in increasing the mobile market penetration in Kuwait (over 80%) Wataniya Telecom has grown rapidly through acquisitions and enjoys a remarkable expansion in MENA & ASIA. Driving operations in Kuwait, Maldives, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Algeria and in 2007 in Palestine

About Openet
Openet is a leading worldwide provider of event processing and transaction management solutions.  The Transactional Intelligence of the company’s solutions extracts increased value from diverse service provider networks, enabling rapid introduction of new services and reliable, cost-effective management of existing services.  Openet is focused on delivering best-in-class network edge solutions and specialized engagement processes that create business value from network activity.  A global company, Openet’s implementations include long-running engagements with the world’s leading service providers such as BT, Orange, AT&T and Verizon Wireless.  For more information, visit www.openet.com.

For further information:
Openet
Andrea Kavanagh
Phone: +353 1 620 4600
Email: Andrea.Kavanagh@openet.com

Megan Lane
SHIFT Communications
(617) 779-1854
mlane@shiftcomm.com