Re Contract
Intec Telecom Systems PLC
11 November 2003
Intec signs Interconnect ITU and Inter-mediatE deal in Africa with SOTELMA in
Mali
• Deal valued at 1.5 million euros
• Solutions to support interconnect activity with recently launched new
GSM mobile operator
• Provide full compliance with ITU standards for international
settlements between telecom operators
• Solutions to support collection and mediation for the existing Retail
Billing System and InterconnecT
London/Bamako, November 11th, 2003: Intec Telecom Systems, a global provider of
Operations Support Systems (OSS) for the communications industry, today
announced it has signed an agreement for its InterconnecTTM ITU billing and
Inter-mediatETM real-time convergent mediation systems with Mali's incumbent
telecommunications operator SOTELMA. Intec's combined solutions will help to
overcome the technical difficulties currently preventing state-owned SOTELMA
from supporting interconnection network activity with Mali's recently launched
new GSM mobile operator.
SOTELMA will use InterconnecT ITU to seamlessly handle domestic interconnect and
international settlements generated from the second operator and future
intercarrier partners in Mali. The solution will also offer full compliance with
the standards imposed by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and
will be used to handle international settlements with all international
operators that SOTELMA is interconnected with around the globe. Inter-mediatE
will enable SOTELMA to acquire information on calls being provided over its
network for use in producing accurate interconnect invoices and traffic
statements. This will be achieved by feeding data into the existing retail and
InterconnecT billing systems.
"With the liberalisation of the market SOTELMA decided to gain the capability to
support interconnectivity between operators through the use of quick and
efficient billing systems," explains Sheik Sidi-Mohamed Nimaga, CEO of SOTELMA.
"At present we do not have the means to manage interconnection fees for calls
generated from customers using the second GSM's mobile services. The only
efficient way to solve this problem is to implement effective OSS systems such
as Intec's InterconnecT ITU and Inter-mediatE. These solutions, which have been
proposed by Intec Telecom Systems, were selected following an Open Request For
Proposal for their performance in supporting Call Detail Records (CDRs),
summarising traffic data and creating accurate billing information for use in
checking accounts between operators-all with total ease and complete serenity."
With the help of InterconnecT ITU and Inter-mediatE, SOTELMA will overcome its
existing issues of invoicing interconnect fees at the domestic and international
level. InterconnecT ITU provides a quick and efficient reference data table
whereby SOTELMA can enter different pre-fix numbers and charging rates so that
the calls of the second GSM operator can be easily processed. ITU standards can
also be entered to ensure that the company complies with international
regulations in dealing with international settlements. Inter-mediatE will allow
SOTELMA to gain more control over the data records being processed by gathering
network usage data and then validating, filtering and checking the data for
errors. Finally, Inter-mediatE, by feeding the existing retail billing system,
will also enable more accurate and more precise retail bill production.
"SOTELMA will benefit from the same level of billing technology that western
operators currently use,"" said Christian Ciupek, Intec's Regional Director. "
InterconnecT ITU and Inter-mediatE will not only support local interconnect fees
with GSM operators like the second operator but also those generated from
international calls. SOTELMA will be able to check the accuracy of the
statements and invoices sent by other operators. SOTELMA already knows that some
operators are under-declaring their traffic in order to reduce the amount it
pays out to SOTELMA. In the near future, SOTELMA will have the means to check
and to prove this kind of fraud. This will lead to an increase in yearly
revenue, thereby giving SOLTEMA an opportunity to invest in network improvements
and new services. This will also be a way to increase exportation from Mali. At
the end of the day this will benefit the country's overall economy.
Intec's commitment to Africa's telecoms growth has led to the company joining
ITU's Telecommunication Development Bureau, which creates programmes and
activities to facilitate connectivity and access in the developing world. Intec
also has a major Research and Development centre in Cape Town, South Africa.
"This agreement increases Intec's customer base in Africa, which already
includes Maroc Telecom, Cell C Mobile, Telkom South Africa, Telecom Egypt, M-Tel
Nigeria, Orange Madagascar, Orange Reunion Island and Senegal's Sonatel," said
Intec's CEO, Kevin Adams. "We are confident that InterconnecT ITU and
Inter-mediatE will prove critical assets in the future success of SOTELMA. These
solutions offer an impressive combination of functionality and flexibility that
ensures rapid deployment can be achieved and present and future requirements are
met."
Press Contacts:
Intec Corp. Andrew Rodaway +44 (0) 7768 808082 andrew.rodaway@intec-telecom-systems.com
EMEA/A-P Georgia Hanias +44 (0) 7812 211 403 georgia.hanias@intec-telecom-systems.com
US/CALA Rosemary Mount +1 770 206 4600 rmount@digiquant.com
US/CALA Kelly Herring +1 404 705 2800 Kelly.herring@intec-telecom-systems.com
About SOTELMA
La Societe des Telecommunications du Mali (SOTELMA) is the government-controlled
incumbent telecommunications operator in Mali, offering fixed, wireless and
Internet services. Its GSM900 mobile wing Malitel provides pre and post-paid
solutions to a growing customer base. Since 1996 SOTELMA has established an
Internet hub, supporting 64 Mbits of broadband and a set of about 20 ISPs which
market internet services to end-users.
For more information visit the website http://mali.viky.net/sotelma
About Intec Telecom Systems
Intec Telecom Systems is an award-winning worldwide Operations Support Systems
("OSS") vendor for fixed, mobile and next-generation networks (ie. WLAN, 3G and
IP) with more than 500 installations of its products worldwide. Founded in
1997, Intec was listed on the London Stock Exchange (Code: ITL.L) in June 2000.
Intec is the market leader in intercarrier billing systems and convergent
mediation software, and a recent winner of the 2003 Global Billing Award - Best
Overall Contribution, and Telestrategies '2003 Mediation Excellence Award'.
Intec's portfolio includes:
• Inter-mediatETM - convergent mediation solution
• InterconnecTTM - intercarrier billing including US CABS and ITU
• Inter-activatETM - flow-through provisioning and activation
• Inter-contenTTM - end-to-end content revenue management
• Intec Dynamic Charging PlatformTM - a real-time pre/post-paid
charging interface between the network and the back office
• Intec Content Partner ManagementTM - content revenue management for
advanced data services
Intec's customer base includes, among others, BellSouth, BellSouth Peru, Brazil
Telecom, Cable & Wireless, Cesky Telecom (Czech Republic), China Unicom, COLT
Telecommunications, EBT (Taiwan), Eircom (Ireland), France Telecom, Hutchison
3G, Maxis (Malaysia), Singtel Optus (Australia), Orange, Telecom Argentina,
Telecom Egypt, Telecom Italia, Tiscali, TPSA (Poland), Swisscom, T-Mobile
International, Telia (Sweden), Telefonica, Telkom South Africa, Telstra, US
Cellular, Westel (Hungary), Vodafone, VimpelCom (Russia) and Verizon. For more
information on Intec Telecom Systems, visit the website at http://
www.intec-telecom-systems.com
This information is provided by RNS
The company news service from the London Stock Exchange