CSG Acquires Telution for $22 million

Customer care and billing platform provider CSG Systems has acquired privately-held telecom OSS supplier Telution Inc. for $22 million in cash. Through the deal, CSG plans to integrate Telution's COMX software suite into its Advanced Convergent Platform (ACP), its core billing and customer care solution for broadband service providers. Positioning COMX as an IP communications order management and service assurance platform, Telution has landed telcos Sprint and AT&T, as well as MSO Shaw Communications, as customers. CSG has eyed roll-up opportunities in the cable OSS space for years, but never pulled the trigger on an acquisition. Many MSOs have scoffed at the idea of buying OSS from their billing and customer care platform provider, in part because they see value in clearly separating billing engine and OSS functionality. That said, this can be achieved through a logical separation of platform elements, even if supplied by a single provider like CSG. The Telution buy could work well as it supplements CSG's existing order management solution. CSG counts a long list of MSO customers -- including Comcast, Charter, Time Warner Cable, Cox Communications and Mediacom -- and may succeed in gaining traction for COMX that Telution was unable to garner flying solo.