Comverse closes CSG billing deal
Completes acquisition of CSG Systems' Global Software and Services Division
Comverse, which said in October it intended to acquire the GSS division from CSG, has completed its purchase for $249 million cash. The purchase adds a range of software based billing solutions to Comverse's Total Communication portfolo.
CSG's billing arm brings about 150 service provider customers to Comverse, including O2 and some Vodafone entities in the mobile market. Comverse is making the acquisition to add the convergent billing tools to its existing portfolio, as it sees the convergence of operators' service platforms as creating a crucial demand for convergent billing platforms.
Comverse's focus is in the value added services market, including messaging, content services and call management. It sees the addition of CSG's billing solutions to its current sccount management solutions as instrumental in its drive to address the convergence market.
Zeev Bregman, CEO of Comverse, the company’s network systems unit, said, “Most service providers today rely on disparate solutions for billing, including highly customised, inflexible systems serving specific customer and application segments, including prepaid, post-paid, fixed, and wireless.
"As services and networks converge, so too will billing solutions, addressing the different types of convergence, such as prepaid/post-paid, fixed/mobile, and data/voice. We believe that flexible, software-centric product modules, such as those provided by GSS and Comverse, are best suited to meet the needs of service providers going forward."
Bregmand added that he thought service providers would "appreciate the advantages of having both value-added services and billing solutions provided by the same supplier".
"The advantages include faster time-to-market for new services, greater flexibility in service segmentation, modification, and targeted marketing campaigns, and lower total cost of ownership,” he said.
CSG Systems' ceo Ed Nafus said the disposal of the GSS business would enable the company to "intensify its focus on our core competencies in the cable and DBS markets.”
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