RESEARCH FIRM RECOGNIZES SASKTEL INTERNATIONAL'S LOCAL LOOP OSS LEADERSHIP

March 07 2002

For years, we at SaskTel International have been preaching the benefits of a local loop provisioning system that fully integrates the inside and outside plant.

And now, it seems, the industry is finally coming around to our way of thinking.

For instance, a respected analyst organization, Technology Research Institute (TRI), that has been tracking the telecom billing and OSS market since 1994, has recently highlighted the significance of SI’s local loop aware solution in its latest research report, Telecom OSS & E-Business Integration.

We received TRI’s permission to quote the following from this 479-page study:

On the benefits of a local loop aware OSS:

"The only way to accurately qualify a local loop for DSL service in real-time is to have a provisioning system that's local loop aware…

Some carriers buy a service-specific provisioning system, such as a DSL-only OSS. But when you take that approach, there's no guarantee you can make a DSL connection on a live network. Only when you can "see" and configure local loop components connected to that DSL service do you have a complete solution…

At this point TRI believes only two major vendors have off-the-self solutions for local loop provisioning - Telecordia, which focuses on the large carriers, and SaskTel International, which generally sells its provisioning solutions to medium-sized LECs."

On the power of advanced Centrex systems:

"SaskTel International has developed a fully automated Centrex system that combines with MARTENS, the company's local exchange provisioning and plant inventory system. Centrex solutions such as MARTENS pave the way for an enhanced e-enabled form of Centrex - let's call it E-Centrex."

The report identifies provisioning problems as being at the core of many of the maladies facing the telecommunications industry today. DSL based services are noted as being the driver that exposed the weak provisioning processes used by many service providers. That provisioning is a big problem may be a surprise to many people reading the report, but not to us at SaskTel International (SI).

At SI we are very aware of the fact that provisioning, particularly in the local access network is a huge concern for service providers. Most simply do not have an accurate and real time view into their local access networks, the oft mentioned "last mile". DSL - a service that some would call the poster child of telecom provisioning problems, and a service prominently mentioned in TRI's report, is evidence of this fact. To effectively and efficiently provision DSL you need to have control of your local access network.

SI has been in the local access provisioning arena for over 15 years, we specialize in "local access network aware" Operational Support System solutions.

Our MARTENS Suite allows you to achieve totally automated, flow through provisioning for customer services, seamless instant service/service-on-demand capabilities via a service activation module and a service assurance product totally integrated with the provisioning and activation processes.

If you are a telecommunications service provider, SaskTel International's MARTENS Suite manages your largest asset; the local access network; or the local loop; or the last mile; use the description you prefer; . . . it’s the portion of your network that touches your customer.

The last mile of telecommunications networks is where the action is! The local network has become much more strategic, it is getting more complex and its becoming tougher to manage, a local access network aware OSS like the MARTENS Suite is critical for business success in the internet and e-commerce age.