A multimillion-rand project at Telkom, in which Comparex Africa installed a performance management system for Telkom`s voice network, underlines Comparex Africa`s capability in the area of operational support systems (OSS).
Zappi von Plato, regional executive for telecommunications at Comparex Africa, says part of Comparex`s strategy is to have competencies that span the areas of network management, operational support and business support systems.
"We have developed capabilities in all of these spaces and continue to strengthen these skills as we successfully deliver solutions that will give our clients` businesses a competitive-edge in their markets," he says.
The Performance Management Module (PMM) system forms the basis on which Telkom can measure the quality of its service to customers. Developed by Team Telecom International (TTI) in Israel as part of its Netrac Suite, and installed by Comparex Africa, PMM provides for the longer-term performance management of Telkom`s switching network.
PMM includes a comprehensive set of user reports and displays and is a tool that complies fully with FCAPS, which is a fundamental part of the TM Forum`s TOM (Telecommunications Operations Map) Model.
"This project highlights Comparex Africa`s understanding of performance management within a carrier-type network," explains Von Plato.
The PMM module is flexible and can be adapted to the needs of the specific user. "Although PMM is an off-the-shelf product, TTI is willing to customise it to customers` specific needs; this is what has made TTI a very attractive proposition for Telkom," he notes.
Comparex Africa is TTI`s local partner, providing all-important knowledge about the local market and the specific requirements of clients such as Telkom. Comparex Africa provided project management, design and implementation services, software engineering support, user requirement definitions and support services on the PMM Telkom project.
The mutually beneficial relationship between Comparex Africa and TTI has matured to the extent that TTI is now requesting that Comparex Africa provide it with high quality local software development skills to be used in the international market.
The current PMM Telkom implementation is adapted to Telkom`s needs as defined within the scope of the NTMS (Network Traffic Management System) Project where it was initially installed.
Telkom has also benefited from this earlier implementation of PMM, which has now been extended to facilitate a broader use of the system within Telkom.
"It was far easier to enhance cost savings, not only from a product point of view, but also from a usage perspective, because people already had an understanding of the system and did not have to be trained on it from scratch," he explains.
Telkom has gone a long way to improve its technology and streamline its operations in order to reduce costs and retain customers in anticipation of competition from the second network operator.
Apart from being able to provide service level information, PMM also helps Telkom optimise operational efficiency of the network. This means being able to evaluate the effectiveness of equipment and isolate potential problems.
"All this adds up to the ability to optimise and/or re-direct traffic in the network which, ultimately, translates into cost savings, " concludes Von Plato.
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