Openet expands BT mobile BSS deal to include EE

Openet, the Ireland-based OSS/BSS supplier, says BT is extending the use of its real-time charging solution to UK mobile operator EE, as part of a wider IT modernization and cost-reduction program.

Openet is already providing its charging solution – the Evolved Charging Suite – to BT Mobile, part of the company's consumer operations. Version 7.0 of the software will be used by EE.

The first mobile operator to launch 5G services in the UK, EE is looking for "added elasticity" to meet anticipated signaling demands from the next generation of mobile services.

Figure 1: Face to face: EE has been part of BT's consumer division since April 2018.
(Source: EE)

Adopting the cloud-native version of the software forms part of BT's wider digital transformation efforts.

The business aims to reduce its reliance on legacy IT systems, and the number of stacks it has within its macro network.

This will cut costs and reduce time to market for launching new services – from 15 months to three months.

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BT said in May it plans to slice costs by £1.5 billion (US$1.9 billion) a year by March 2023, and by £2 billion ($2.5 billion) by March 2025, realized through reductions in labor costs and spend with external suppliers.

It's a significant development for Openet, which is a challenger to much bigger OSS/BSS providers such as Amdocs, Ericsson and Huawei.

Damian Brennan, IT B2C director of solutions development at BT, pointed to Openet's support in "helping us swap out our incumbent providers," and indicated a new approach is being taken to service delivery and monetization for EE Mobile.

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— Anne Morris, contributing editor, special to Light Reading