IBM and Amdocs Undertake Russia's Largest Wireline Billing Project
Companies to Modernize and Replace Svyazinvest's 180 Billing Systems in Multiple Regions Across Russia
Moscow, RUSSIA; and ST. LOUIS, MO, January 14, 2005 - IBM and Amdocs, (NYSE: DOX), a leading provider of billing and CRM products and services for true integrated customer management, announced they have begun Svyazinvest's billing modernization project, designed to replace Svyazinvest's existing multiple billing systems supporting more around 40 million Russian wireline telecommunications subscribers. As the prime contractor for Svyazinvest's billing transformation, IBM is working with a joint Amdocs and Svyazinvest implementation team to replace the carrier's 180 billing systems across seven regions with Amdocs products.
As Russia's largest wireline telecommunications provider, Svyazinvest is the holding company that regrouped Russia's seven regional telecom operators and the international/domestic long-distance communications operator, Rostelecom. This new solution allows Svyazinvest to pursue an integrated customer management strategy, providing a single comprehensive view of the customer, allowing the company to focus on service and promotions. The solution also enables Svyazinvest to rapidly introduce new voice and data services to subscribers in the growing Russian marketplace.
"Russia is experiencing extensive subscriber growth and increasing competition. This demanding environment means that profitability lies in an operator's ability to provide a differentiating, intentional customer experience, which can only be achieved by moving toward integrated customer management," said Michael Matthews, chief marketing officer at Amdocs. "The combination of our extensive wireline expertise, our long standing relationship with IBM and our experience with large-scale projects is ideally suited to ensure that Svyazinvest continues its extensive growth and success."
The scope of the project will include IBM providing integration services for the Amdocs Billing, Customer Management, Ordering, Self-Service, and Partner Relationship Management systems, enabling Svyazinvest to improve customer services and increase subscriber growth. IBM and Amdocs are working with Svyazinvest in joint implementation teams throughout the term of the project. The two companies will also provide ongoing maintenance services once the implementation is complete. Using IBM's open standards-based approach, this large-scale roll out will provide Svyazinvest with an effective billing system in multiple regions using various IT platforms and infrastructures.
"IBM has unparalleled experience in the telecommunications industry for business transformation projects" said Stephen Murdoch, Vice President, IBM Communications Sector, EMEA. "Bringing the full strength of the IBM organization from our Research facilities, access to our laboratories across the world, to our Business Consultants and implementation experts, IBM helps its clients achieve enterprise optimization and the necessary business transformation to be competitive."
About Svyazinvest
Telecommunication Investment Joint Stock Company (Svyazinvest) is one of the largest telecom holding companies in the world. Its charter capital was formed by consolidation of shares owned by the federal government in regional telecom operators, set up in the process of telecom sector privatization. Svyazinvest incorporates 7 large mega-regional telecom operators, 4 open joint stock companies, which are not involved in the mega-regional merger, OJSC Giprosvyaz and OJSC Rostelecom, the national domestic long-distance and international operator.
Svyazinvest network covers nearly the whole of Russia and its capacity makes up over 90% of the total country`s capacity. The holding company`s subsidiaries operate public telephone networks which installed capacity is over 32,9 million telephone lines (of January 1, 2004). Subsidiaries have licenses for provision of local, domestic long-distance and international telephone services, data transmission, etc. They also provide ISDN services, wireless subscriber access and GSM, NMT450, AMPS and DAMPS mobile services.
About Amdocs
Amdocs combines innovative software products and services with deep business knowledge to deliver true integrated customer management to the world's leading services companies. Our best-in-class billing and CRM products seamlessly link all customer-facing business processes - marketing, sales, ordering, delivery, fulfillment, billing, settlement, service, support, and analytics - resulting in stronger, more profitable customer relationships. Amdocs enables its customers to implement their business strategy with rapid return on investment, lower total cost of ownership and improved operational efficiencies. A global company, Amdocs employs over 9,500 IT professionals and serves customers in more than 40 countries around the world. Amdocs reported revenue of over$1.77 billion in fiscal 2004. For more information, visit Amdocs at www.amdocs.com
About IBM Business Consulting Services
With consultants and professional staff in more than 160 countries globally, IBM Business Consulting Services is the world's largest consulting services organization. IBM Business Consulting Services provides clients with business process and industry expertise, a deep understanding of technology solutions that address specific industry issues, and the ability to design, build and run those solutions in a way that delivers bottom-line business value. For more information visit www.ibm.com/bcs
Amdocs Forward-Looking Statement
This press release includes information that constitutes forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provision of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements about Amdocs' growth and business results in future quarters. Although we believe the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, we can give no assurance that our expectations will be obtained or that any deviations will not be material. Such statements involve risks and uncertainties that may cause future results to differ from those anticipated. These risks include, but are not limited to, the effects of general economic
conditions, Amdocs' ability to grow in the mobile, wireline and IP business segments, adverse effects of market competition, rapid technological shifts that may render the Company's products and services obsolete, potential loss of a major customer, our ability to develop long-term relationships with our customers, and risks associated with operating businesses in the international market. These and other risks are discussed at greater length in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including in our Annual Report on Form 20-F, filed on December 30, 2004.
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