Openet parental controls mitigate smartphone risk to children
January 17, 2012 - Openet
Openet, a leading provider of Service Optimization Software (SOS) to tier-one communications service providers, today announced a significant update to the Openet Parental Controls solution. The solution, which leverages Openet’s leading Policy and Charging Controls (PCC) suite, enables parents to protect their children from cyber-bullying and other unsafe behavior by managing their mobile usage and monitoring their mobile activity directly from a smart device.
The ubiquity of smartphones exposes children to a variety of risks. These include cyber-bullying, exposure to inappropriate content, excessive usage and device use unsuitable for a time of day or for an activity. Openet’s Parental Controls solution enables parents to define a variety of boundaries for children's use of a mobile device, which are then enforced by the network.
Available controls include:
• Activity monitoring and blocking for calls, texts and data usage
• Rule definition and enforcement for services and time of day
• Content filtering
• Usage limits
• Spending limits
These capabilities provide peace of mind for parents—no small benefit in a networked world without any means of directly monitoring access and blocking threats to children. Strong demand for these services also benefits carriers through reduced churn and new revenue opportunities.
Openet Parental Controls delivers a comprehensive and flexible solution based on four products from Openet's PCC Suite: Policy Manager, Profile Manager, Balance Manager and the Subscriber Engagement Engine. The ROI for this solution is shown to far surpass traditional offerings, which are complex and expensive at best, and ineffective point solutions at worst.
“Smart devices are everywhere—and that’s a good thing,” said Michael Manzo, CMO of Openet. “But it’s also a significant worry for parents who cannot physically monitor their children’s every action on phones and tablets. Openet's Parental Controls solution represents significant value to parents and is an excellent example of Openet's industry leadership in enabling new business models and revenue streams.”
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