Cisco, Cygent, Ernst & Young, Information & Graphics Systems, MediaOne Labs, MetaSolv, Portal, Syndesis and TIBCO Software Join Forces to Streamline Implementation of Broadband Cable Services.

Business/Technology Editors

NICE, France--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 22, 2000

Industry Leaders Speed and Maintain Rollout of High-Speed Internet Access and Other Broadband and Telephony Services

A team of TeleManagement Forum (TM Forum) members led by Ernst and Young today announced they have joined to develop a new solution that speeds time-to-market for broadband and telephony services over cable systems. Members of the team include nine leading international technology players, including Cisco Systems, Inc., Cygent, Ernst & Young, Information & Graphics Systems Inc., MediaOne Labs, MetaSolv, Portal, Syndesis and TIBCO Software.

The solution is called Broadband Cable Service Management (BCSM) and is a catalyst project being demonstrated this week at TeleManagement World, presented by the TM Forum in Nice, France. The technology will also be showcased in the United States at SuperComm2000 scheduled in Atlanta, Georgia, June 6-8, 2000.

The BCSM catalyst is an Operational Support System (OSS) that significantly streamlines the implementation and integration of new services such as cable-based telephony, high-speed Internet access, digital video and video-on-demand. Designed for simple "plug-and-play" implementation in both new and existing service cable system infrastructures, the BCSM catalyst offers fully integrated applications for online, Web-enabled customer service functions including service procurement, activation and billing. The BCSM catalyst integrates and automates all of these core services, and allows cable providers to quickly design and offer state-of-the-art services to their customers.

"The most important aspect of our work is market uptake, and that's what our catalyst projects are all about," said Elizabeth Adams, president and CEO of TM Forum. "The BCSM catalyst employs some of the concepts that will be central to our new generation OSS initiative, providing proof that the concepts work and that they function well in a commercial product environment."

As the systems integrator, Ernst & Young brought together a team of leading hardware and software developers to build a turnkey solution that incorporates the most advanced applications available. The Ernst & Young team evaluated all the necessary functions of the OSS and tied together a best-of-breed, end-to-end solution.

"Cable providers need an innovative back-office solution to simplify customer service functions so they can achieve mass market scaling and streamline their operational systems as they roll out complex services," said Todd Murray, Cisco's group vice president, Communications Software Group. "Support systems should simplify customer acquisition and maintenance, while accommodating growth and integrating with legacy networks. The BCSM catalyst functionality becomes necessary as cable provider infrastructures become more complex."

The BCSM catalyst enhances the traditional OSS by supporting customer self-service via the Web. Online, do-it-yourself customer service tools will enable cable providers to allocate additional resources for customer acquisition, marketing and other important revenue growth areas. The BCSM catalyst also provides a significant cost advantage by reducing overhead and increasing efficiency.

"The BCSM catalyst gives service providers the advantage of installing a pre-integrated, off-the-shelf solution rather than purchasing individual customer support functions and integrating them on their own," said Charles Koontz, technology, communications and entertainment (TCE) sector leader for Ernst & Young. "It allows them to bring new services to market faster and at less cost."

The BCSM catalyst integrates different applications that are synchronized as part of a larger system. The participating technology vendors are bringing the following areas of expertise to the project:

-- Cisco--Cable network management and subscriber registration

-- Cygent--Online shopping and ordering, Web self-care, eBusiness support system

-- Ernst & Young--Lead systems integrator

-- Information & Graphics Systems--Common information structure, mapping

-- MediaOne Labs--TM Forum service provider sponsor

-- MetaSolv--Complex order management, inventory management, service fulfillment work-flow and gateway management

-- Portal--Billing component

-- Syndesis--Automated service creation and activation software for the new network

-- TIBCO Software--Real-time OSS integration and service provisioning infrastructure

The BCSM catalyst is available now, and is designed to accommodate all cable providers regardless of infrastructure. More information about the BCSM catalyst and the participating companies can be found at www.ey.com/us/oss, or by sending e-mail to [e-mail].

The TeleManagement Forum is a non-profit, global organization of service providers, suppliers and integrators providing industry leadership and driving the development of New Generation Operations Systems and Software (OSS). TM Forum members collaborate to produce pragmatic solutions that streamline key business processes for the management of emerging communications, e-business and information services. The result is a series of strategic frameworks, architectures and tools that enable the end-to-end integration of operations and management systems using off-the-shelf, plug-and-play technologies. As an industry association, the TM Forum also sponsors a broad range of education and information services to its members and the industry at large including TeleManagement World, the premier event for management and operations. Currently, the TM Forum has more than 290 members from 35 countries including all types of service providers, equipment manufacturers, software suppliers and systems integrators. For more information visit www.tmforum.org.