Need to manage change within the network prolongs time to market for new services; tighter link between marketing and network planning functions is essential
ORLANDO (December 08, 2009) –
At Management World Americas 2009, Amdocs (NYSE: DOX), the leading provider of customer experience systems, today announced the results of an independent survey that explores the requirements and challenges for network build and rollout to support next generation services.
According to the global survey conducted by analyst firm Analysys Mason, new approaches to network operational planning and execution are needed. This is due to a technology and process gap between the increasing and changing uptake for next generation services, and the network’s ability to deliver and respond at an optimized and competitive speed. The survey examined network planners’ concerns as they attempt to adjust plans to accommodate rapid changes in service creation and deployment, and identified the technological and operational changes needed to respond to the new challenges.
Survey highlights include:
* # 1 challenge in network planning is “managing change”: Survey respondents ranked “managing change” as their number one challenge. Network planners must respond to changes in budget allocations, assumptions of uptake and usage of new services, equipment specifications and technical or operational problems during the rollout process. With no mechanism in place allowing them to respond quickly and efficiently, planned changes are taking too long and ad-hoc changes are disruptive to service rollout.
* Time to market – Inability to plan efficiently and alter the network prolongs service creation and delivery: Respondents estimate that it takes six – twelve months to launch a ‘simple’ service such as VOIP, and more than twelve months for ‘complex’ services such as IPTV. Nearly all interviewees said that if a service requires more than minor network capacity augmentation, it takes more than one year to plan and launch the new service. As a result, many service providers are increasingly threatened by competitors that can respond more quickly to dynamic customer and service demands.
* Marketing and network planning organizations are siloed; a tighter link is required: Eighty percent of survey respondents said they would prefer to plan for new services using marketing forecast data (top-down view) to set the baseline, and network capacity consumption trends data (bottom-up view) to confirm marketing’s assumptions, plans, forecasts and needs. At present, network planners’ existing tools do not enable them to consolidate and share these views and there is no consistent methodology in place, leaving service providers struggling to ensure that service expectations can be met.
* A time-lined, consolidated view of network usage trends is highly desired, but unavailable: Almost seventy percent stated that stove-pipe solutions and legacy systems can’t deliver visibility of network usage over specific time periods. With no visibility of past, current and future usage trends, service providers are unable to effectively plan, manage and deliver network capacity in real time.
“Today’s survey confirms that the marketing department plays a dominant role in planning new services, with service providers recognizing the need to move from being a technology and network-driven organization, to one that is customer-driven. Service providers need planning and analysis tools that will help them to communicate with each other – and more effectively match supply to demand,” said Dr. Mark H. Mortensen of Analysys Mason.
“Demand for new services and data consumption is increasing. Service providers must manage capacity demand while optimizing the investment in the network,” said Seth Nesbitt, vice president of products and solutions at Amdocs. “Amdocs provides network planners with the technology to trend and forecast, and allows them to see where capacity demand is needed, how much, and at what rate to build it out. As a result, service providers can improve budget and network planning, and deliver next generation services quickly to remain competitive.”
The survey was independently conducted for Amdocs by leading analyst firm Analysys Mason and interviewed Tier 1 and Tier 2 wireline, mobile and cable operators in North America, Central and Latin America, Europe and Asia Pacific.
About Amdocs
Amdocs is the market leader in customer experience systems innovation, enabling world-leading service providers to deliver an integrated, innovative and the intentional customer experienceTM – at every point of service. Amdocs provides solutions that deliver customer experience excellence, combining the software, service and expertise to help its customers execute their strategies and achieve service, operational and financial excellence. A global company with revenue of $2.86 billion in fiscal 2009, Amdocs has approximately 17,000 employees and serves customers in more than 60 countries around the world. For more information, visit Amdocs at www.amdocs.com.
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 business segments it serves, 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. Amdocs may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, however the Company specifically disclaims any obligation to do so. 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 for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2009, filed on December 7, 2009.
Media Contact:
Amdocs
Garland Harwood
Weber Shandwick for Amdocs
Tel: +1-212-445-8373
E-Mail: gharwood@webershandwick.com
Source: Amdocs