Herzliya, Israel | October 30th, 2006: Yankee Group today announced that the Business Control Layer is a key new technology in driving Service Provider innovation.  The Business Control Layer concept, originally conceived by leading telecom billing and CRM company, FTS (LSE: FTS), is gaining traction as a variety of industry observers, including Yankee Group promote the importance of this new sector.

According to the Yankee Group report 'Next generation Business Control Can Drive Service Innovation through Dynamic Usage Based Pricing and Greater Service Management', today's communications markets are reaching a level of maturity which creates the need for more dynamic service offerings.  The report takes a closer look at the move to a more innovative service delivery environment, potential business offerings created by flexible service delivery and the role that a dynamic Business Control Layer can play as part of the experience. 

“Service Providers are encouraged to take advantage of the axiom that 'not all customers are created equally' by delivering tiered services and bundles that best fit different customer types,” noted the report’s co-author Paul Hughes, Vice President of Communications Software Strategies, Yankee Group.  “We also stress the importance of real-time interaction with the customer as a way to increase satisfaction whilst making the most of targeted cross-sell and up-sell opportunities, especially in cases where there is the opportunity to increase average revenue per customer.”

Service Providers are advised to re-evaluate the service management capabilities of their OSS/BSS infrastructure and how it links to existing web self-service or CRM front end interfaces.  A new dynamic Business Control Layer must be in place to ensure that customers demanding greater service bandwidth, service extension, or real-time service updates can be managed effectively.

The report highlights an innovative live implementation of a Business Control Layer solution at Telenet, a leading Belgian cable operator.  It demonstrates how FTS’ Business Control Layer solution allows their multi-service customers manage their services in real-time, increasing carrier revenue, reducing OPEX, while creating a better user experience for the consumer.