The number of system sales announcements for telecoms IT (BSS/OSS) solutions dropped markedly in 2006, according to a new report, Billing and OSS Trends: the transition to telecoms IT, published by Analysys, the global advisers on telecoms, IT and media (http://research.analysys.com). In 2006 there were 456 system sales announced globally, compared with 569 in 2005 and 514 in 2004, according to Analysys.

“We’re still in a tough market but the decline in system sales announcements isn’t indicative of another recession,” says the report’s author, Teresa Cottam. “The decline is being caused by a combination of market factors, such as mergers and acquisitions on the supply side of the market, consolidation on the demand side and the investment cycle moving from system selection and purchasing to system implementation.”

Key findings from the new report include:

• CRM and order management system sales remained strong in 2006, while billing, revenue assurance and mediation system sales fell significantly – except in Africa and the Middle East, there appears to be a switch in investment away from systems related to cash and towards those concerned with customers.
• In North America there was a significant fall in the number of announced sales of service provisioning and inventory management systems – which form part of the ‘resources’ domain in Analysys Research’s new schema – and there was significant supply-side consolidation in this market during 2006.
• A small number of vendors dominate the global market: the top ten vendors accounted for around 36% of all system sales announced in 2006, with the top vendor now accounting for nearly 10% of the global total.

Billing and OSS Trends: the transition to telecoms IT examines how changing dynamics in the telecoms IT market are affecting investment patterns globally and how these changing patterns are reshaping the supply side of the market. It proposes a new, comprehensive map of the telecoms IT space, showing how solutions address key functional domains: customers, cash, services, resources, integration, data and security.

The report is available to purchase online at http://research.analysys.com/store, priced at GBP1700 (approximately EUR2450) plus VAT. Analysys Research’s Next-Generation Telecoms IT online subscription service complements this report by providing continuous market intelligence and industry analysis of the key functional domains described in the report. For more information, telephone Analysys on +44 (0)1223 460600 or email [email protected].

Danny Dicks, Principal Analyst at Analysys Research, will be discussing the conceptual framework of the telecoms IT space at a panel session (‘Where does billing fit in the new telecoms IT map?’) at the Billing and Information Management Systems 2007 event (http://www.iir-billingsystems.com), Olympia 2 Conference Centre, London on Thursday, 7 June, 2.20pm–3.00pm.

About Analysys (www.analysys.com)
Analysys provides strategy and management consultancy, information services and start-up support throughout the telecommunications, IT and media sector. Its grasp of market dynamics, coupled with creativity, rigour and renowned objectivity, enables Analysys to consistently exceed the high levels of quality and innovation that its clients expect. The company has over 160 staff worldwide, and, as part of the Analysys Mason Group, has offices in Cambridge, Dublin, Edinburgh, London, Madrid, Manchester, Milan, Paris, Singapore and Washington DC.