Service Provider Information Technology, or SPIT, is Light Reading's term for the evolving set of non-traditional telecom (and data networking) technologies that allow for a greater degree of flexibility in the creation, management, delivery, and monetization of new-generation communications services.Learn More
SPIT Infographic
What exactly is Service Provider IT and how does it relate to the communications ecosystem? Here's a graphic that'll give you a snapshot of what we're talking about and appeal to your inherent aesthetic sensibilities
SPIT Manifesto
What is SPIT, why is it 'hot stuff' and how does it relate to the major challenges facing communications service providers today? The updated SPIT Manifesto answers these questions and achieves the near impossible task of giving a slime green splat a happy home.Learn More
SPIT Video
For operators looking to develop, deliver and monetize new services, run their companies more efficiently and provide an overall better experience for their customers, Service Provider IT, or SPIT, is just as important as the network.Learn More
BT is bolstering its customer experience capabilities with the deployment of additional tools from Alcatel-Lucent's Motive software suite. The British operator has been using the Motive remote management software for some years but has now signed a new four-year deal that includes use of the Motive Data Collection Manager, part of the vendor's Customer Experience Solutions portfolio. BT will use this Service Provider Information Technology (SPIT) tool to identify and gather information about the connected devices in the homes of its broadband and TV/video service customers so that customer relationship representatives can check on the performance of those devices as part of any support request. A recent survey conducted by Heavy Reading showed that operators are set to increase their investments in customer experience management (CEM) systems in 2013. (See CSPs Go Shopping for CEM, AlcaLu Gets Motivated About CEM and BT Deploys AlcaLu's Motive.)
Italian operator FastWeb, part of the Swisscom group, has struck a five-year strategic agreement with Huawei for the joint development of next generation fixed broadband access technologies and applications. The Italian government has valued the deal at US$557 million, according to Reuters. FastWeb is aiming to offer what it calls "ultra-broadband" to 5.5 million homes and businesses by 2014 and intends to develop a network that will ultimately be able to offer downstream speeds of 1 Gbit/s. The operator, which intends to strike similar agreements with other partners, has earmarked €2 billion ($2.6 billion) for "investments in innovation and network development" during the next four years. (See Fastweb Plans €400M FTTx Investment and T Italia, Fastweb Team Up on FTTX.)
Telefónica Digital, the technology innovation and next generation applications division of the giant Spanish telco, is the lead participant in a $25 million series C round of funding for HTML5 mobile applications platform specialist Everything.me (also known as DoAT Media). Other investors in the round include SingTel Innov8 and Mozilla , a Telefónica Digital partner. For more on this, read Money Matters at Telefonica Digital. (See Telefónica Bangs Its Digital Drum.)
Swisscom has launched Switzerland's first 4G services, offering the mobile broadband service in 26 locations. The operator intends to reach 70 percent of the country's population with its LTE-based 4G services by the end of 2013. (See Swisscom Upgrades With Ericsson.)
Kazakhstan's largest mobile operator, Kcell , has set an price range for its planned IPO that will see the carrier raise between $525 million and $650 million from the listing of 25 percent of its total shareholding, reports Reuters. (See TeliaSonera's Kcell Proceeds With IPO.)
— Ray Le Maistre, International Managing Editor, Light Reading
More the act of a clumsy writer -- Heavy Reading's name did not initially appear in the ALU/BT item because I had lopped off an important closing bracket on the coding of the name... now restored.
Let's hope the Heavy Reading survey results are matched by actual increases in investments by comms service providers (CSPs) in SPIT (service provider IT) systems, and the relevant specialists, that can help them provide better levels of customer service -- it's as much a people & culture thing as it is technology.
The main things CSPs appear to need are heavy-duty analytics software systems that can actually help them make sense of the data they already have and which are easy to use and intuitive. This industry appears to be a way from having that at the moment.
The blogs and comments are the opinions only of the writers and do not reflect the views of Light Reading. They are no substitute for your own research and should not be relied upon for trading or any other purpose.
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