Orange France selects Openet’s FusionWorks Policy Manager

Openet, s provider of Transactional Intelligence for network service providers, today announced that Orange France has selected FusionWorks Policy Manager to enable a wide range of solutions designed to deliver better network resource control and new business models.

In the first phase of this deployment, Openet is helping Orange identify out-of-contract use and prevent subscribers from violating the terms of their wireless service contracts by connecting laptops to the mobile network by using their mobile phones as modems. This "tethering prevention" ability will enable Orange to limit bandwidth congestion and reduce revenue loss.

Orange France will also be rolling out Openet's Parental and Content Controls solution, which will allow Orange to offer parents and guardians the ability to set limits on children's wireless usage based on time of day and type of service.  Built on Openet's Policy Manager product, the Parental and Content Controls Solution also provides controls to prevent access to inappropriate content and services.

"As mobile devices increase in sophistication, it has become our responsibility to implement cutting-edge network controls that protect our subscribers-the children from inappropriate content and the adults from exorbitant fees and a bandwidth-congested network from illegal modem use-while also allowing us to extract maximum value from the network," said Frederic Marx, operations director, Orange France. "With Openet, we're able to enact these business-critical missions and stay ahead of the curve as bandwidth demand continues to rise."

Openet's FusionWorks Policy Manager product will be integrated with the Deep Packet Inspection solution from Openet partner Cisco Systems. Orange France selected Cisco's Content Services Gateway (CSG) in conjunction with its purchase of Policy Manager from Openet. The integrated network control and monetization solution will enable Orange France to control its network resources based on complex rules based on subscriber, service or usage context.

In the second stage of deployment, Openet will enable Orange France to meet EU roaming regulations for enterprise users. With Openet's EU Roaming Controls solution, Orange can offer its corporate customers the ability to monitor and control employees' mobile usage, thereby enabling Orange to act in accordance with the regulations designed to protect subscribers from excessive roaming charges. For the final stage of deployment, Orange France will roll out Openet's Fair Usage solution, which gives Orange the ability to manage network resources via fair usage policies to control network congestion and ensure quality of service for all subscribers.

"With its selection of FusionWorks Policy Manager and the solutions developed on the platform, Orange France has continued to recognize Openet's ability to deliver innovative services on the network's edge," said Mike Manzo, CMO at Openet. "With these solutions, Orange is ensuring both long-term network controls-from enabling compliance for subscriber network access and fair usage policies, to the meeting of EU regulations by enterprises and consumers-while also securing its business model and QoS for subscribers."

This is the latest deployment in a long-standing relationship between Openet and Orange Group. Openet has provided mediation and charging products for Orange Group in multiple countries since 2001.