Portal Software Inc. (Nasdaq:PRSF) Tuesday (March 6) announced that Time Warner Cable has licensed Portal’s Infranet customer management and billing platform to support multiple ISP choice and usage- and value-based billing of its broadband cable services.
Time Warner Cable’s initiative will allow multiple independent ISPs to deliver services, content or applications over its broadband cable network. Subscribers then have the ability to independently select services from different ISPs based upon the competitive nature of each ISP’s service offering.
The initiative enables Time Warner Cable to provide its subscribers with a choice of broadband ISP, which places special demands on its business software. With Portal’s Infranet, Time Warner Cable can segment a single installation of Infranet into multiple “brands,” each supporting its own subscriber management, pricing structure and business rules while giving each of its retail ISPs complete control and security over its data. In addition, the flexibility of Infranet allows easy integration with Time Warner’s existing software infrastructure, which supports analog video services.
“Time Warner Cable is leading the industry in its adoption of multiple ISP choice. Portal Software has demonstrated that Infranet can support the business requirements arising from this initiative,” said Cyndee Everman, vice president operational support systems at Time Warner Cable. “Portal’s leadership in next-generation services industry coupled with its effective partnership with our other software suppliers made them the clear choice for Time Warner Cable.”
Portal Software’s Infranet platform allows service providers to rapidly implement new business models by enabling multiple value-added services, specialized pricing plans, and promotions that can be adjusted immediately based on market or competitive demands.
The real-time technology of Infranet will reduce Time Warner Cable’s customer service costs by enabling Web-based auto-provisioning of services, and self-help customer support features that provide direct customer access to service or billing information which are traditionally delivered by costly, manual customer service procedures.
“Time Warner Cable’s selection of Infranet for its multiple ISP project demonstrates Portal Software’s unique ability to support multiple business models and branded services on a single platform–a critical feature that meets the needs of cable operators,” said Steve Sommer, Portal Software’s vice president of marketing and business development. “Portal Software is committed to providing Time Warner Cable with a business solution that will continue to evolve with its expanding portfolio of cable-based services.”
Time Warner Cable owns and manages the world’s most advanced, best clustered cable television operations, with 90 percent of its 12.8 million customers in systems of 100,000 subscribers or more. It is a division of AOL Time Warner (NYSE: AOL).
