29 June 2004, London: Intec Telecom Systems, a global provider of operations support systems for the telecommunications industry, today announced that it has signed two contracts in Africa and Asia for its real-time charging solution, Intec DCP. Cameroon's Douala1, the country's leading Network Solution Provider (NSP), and WorldCall Telecom Ltd, a major telecoms operator in Pakistan, have purchased the Intec Dynamic Charging Platform (DCP) to assist in their IP billing initiatives. The combined value of the contracts is estimated at nearly $1 million US.

"Intec DCP was selected by WorldCall and Douala1.com for a number of strategic reasons," explains John Aalbers, Director, Next Generation Solutions Business at Intec. "At the top of the list was the versatility of the solution. We showed our new clients that Intec DCP has the flexibility to support any type of business model, including retail and wholesale, as well as different types of payment methods and services. The solution is also easy to install and comes with a pay as you grow licensing model, which provides a limited initial investment, a quick ROI and a reduced long term total cost of ownership."

Intec DCP is a key requirement in the age of advanced IP services, providing a real-time pre/post-paid charging interface between the network and the back office, enabling operators to charge customers for any type of IP based service. Intec DCP ensures that services can be set up between partners, brought into service, recognised on the network, and accurately and securely billed. The solution can also accurately authenticate consumer details in real-time for payment, and determine how content or transactions can be priced, delivered and charged using different business models.

According to George Tuma, Executive Chairman at Douala1.com, Intec DCP will play an integral part in the company's plans to offer Broadband Internet Services using IP Wireless Mobile Technology, a packet data implementation of the international 3GPP Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS) standard.

This technology is an ideal solution for countries such as Cameroon, where landline infrastructure is not sufficient to deliver broadband services based on DSL or cable, as the cost and the time required to connect a new customer are much smaller than with other broadband technologies. It is expected that the Douala1.com wireless initiative will boost the use of broadband Internet in the West African country.

"Intec DCP has been selected for our IP wireless technology initiative for many reasons such as the versatility and flexibility of the solution and its ability to support different payment plans and services," explains Tuma. "Another reason for choosing Intec DCP is its reputation as a proven technology, one that is backed by a highly regarded, experienced company. Intec has an impressive level of knowledge about the IP wireless technology sector which we can directly apply to our business plans."

Intec DCP will be used to control access to Douala1.com's network for pre paid and post paid customers as well as to allocate bandwidth to customers according to their contract and bill for services. During the first phase of the project the company will provide the IP wireless service to its own corporate and residential users. Future initiatives include working with other ISPs to resell its access services to new customers.

Douala1.com will initially roll out its technology in the Cameroonian cities of Douala and Yaoundй this year, with later plans to extend its operations to other countries throughout Africa. Intec will provide maintenance and technical expertise to ensure the successful delivery of its solution, while the network integration of Intec DCP will be managed by AXCERA, a premier provider of equipment and systems for television broadcast and broadband wireless/MMDS industries.

WorldCall Telecom

In Pakistan Intec DCP has been selected by leading local telecoms operator WorldCall Telecom Ltd to support VoIP billing for its long distance international business. This is Intec's first deal in the country, which currently has one of the fastest growing mobile markets in Asia.

Founded in 1995, WorldCALL Telecommunications has become the largest payphone operator in Pakistan, with over 22 per cent market share. The country currently boasts 141,000 payphones nationwide. Over the years WorldCALL has invested in new technologies and new businesses. In 1998 Prepaid Calling Cards were launched by WorldCALL phonecards under the brand name "Hello". In the private sector HELLO has now become the number one card used for international calls. The telecoms company also offers dial-up Internet services through WorldCALL Dot Com.

WorldCall selected IntecDCP as its strategic solution following a comprehensive evaluation and review of available technologies. "Our solution had all the requirements that WorldCall was looking for," explains Intec's Zakir Yussoff. "Of great importance was the fact that Intec DCP is a comprehensive IP service management and billing solution that can manage and account for all the elements of Internet telephony service - from provisioning and deployment through mediation, rating and billing - all within a single platform. From the moment the system goes live, WorldCall will have complete control over its entire IP billing operations to maximize its revenue potential for international call services."

With IntecDCP, WorldCall will gain the capability to quickly define and efficiently manage users via IP addresses, user names, addresses, and departments or payment method. Intec DCP will also enable WorldCall to manage customers by service type. By combining user and service profiles, WorldCall Network administrators will be able to create and deploy common user groups with which they can associate rating schemes. These user/service profiles can also be used to authenticate and manage access to the WorldCall Network and its services, as well as to automate mediation, billing, and collection.

"We are extremely pleased to have won these deals in Cameroon and Pakistan," said Kevin Adams, CEO of Intec. "Our extensive experience in managing IP technology, coupled with our highly-sophisticated, best-of-breed charging platform, will ensure the smooth and successful deployment of Douala1.com and WorldCall's new services."

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