09.00 – 12.00 Workshop A: Network Intelligence for better business results

Operators today are faced with many challenges; increased market competition, technology challenges, and a more demanding customer base – all of which are impacting their bottom lines. Business models of the past no longer apply to this new market reality. In this workshop, we will introduce the concept of Network Intelligence, which is the process of turning network data into actionable information resulting in more cost-efficient and profitable networks.

Why this subject is important right now?

Maximising revenue while minimising costs is fundamental to driving a successful business model for network operators. But to do so requires getting accurate, real-time information into the hands of those that are empowered to take action. This interactive workshop will outline the framework and an overview of tools, along with real-world customer examples, that allows you to:

• Better manage your network resources
• Discover and resolve network quality impacting issues faster
• Have clearer insight into what your customer’s value

After attending this workshop you will gain awareness of how to use innovative solutions that allow you to:

• Directly correlate business objectives to key “levers” within your network
• Use data aggregation, dashboards and KPI trend analysis effectively
• Reduce time spent on complex analysis of network data and focus attention directly onto network performance data which provides a timely identification of potential sources of revenue loss
• Find the right balance between network quality and cost
• Turn network data into actionable information faster to increase QoE more efficiently
• Examples the address better management of your network resources, faster discovery and resolution of network quality impacting issues, and clearer insight into what your customer’s value

Your workshop leader:

Nasir Ali is Product Marketing Manager (EMEA), Network Intelligent Solution at Tektronix Communication responsible for product marketing of Tektronix network management solution. Nasir Ali joined Tektronix in 2000 and has since held various positions, most recently worked as Product Management. Today he has 9 years of experience in the area Network Management for protocol technologies from SS7 to VoIP and to converge networks i.e. IMS, LTE, WiMax etc. Currently preparing for his second master program (MBA).

13.00 – 16.00 Workshop B: Step-by-step development of revenue assurance methodology/framework and its deployment

This interactive workshop will help you to understand how to develop an enterprise wide revenue assurance framework. By joining this workshop you experience step-by-step guide to starting revenue assurance project in your own organisation and furthermore understand in-depth the concept of revenue assurance itself.

After attending this workshop you will gain awareness of how to use innovative strategies that allow you to:

• Evaluate the need for RA and asses its risks
• Start a telecoms specific revenue assurance project and understand which key foundations must be used
• Integrate RA projects with other departments and get the whole organisation working together
• Understand the concept of revenue assurance vs. business assurance

Your workshop leader:

Luis Cardoso is currently a Senior Consultant and is engaged as Quality of Service, Fraud and Network Security Manager within Portugal Telecom/Wholesale Department. His previous assignments have included technical and management positions in the areas of planning, quality control and traffic engineering. He was Company representative to CCITT Study Group 1 during 1984-1988 study period and has been company representative to CCITT Study Group 2 and Quality of Service Development Group since 1985. Since March 1992 he is acting as Chairman of Quality of Service Development Group (ITU) and as Coordinator of Fraud Prevention Project. In addition he has been the Company representative in FIINA (Forum International Irregular Network Access) in which he became member of the Executive Committee during 1995 and was appointed as President in October 2001 being re-elected in 2005. He is participating in the ETNO Working Groups on matters as Information Security, Telecommunications Fraud Control and Quality of Service, and since September 2001 he is acting as Chairman of the Working Group on "Fraud Control, Cyber crime and Network Security" He has served for four years in the Portuguese Army as a Management Engineering Officer for Special Forces. He has worked as a Consultant on the Telecommunications Security area for several companies in USA, Europe, Africa and Asia, and acting as Vice President of the Portuguese National Quality Committee for Information Technology. He is member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. and of Computer Society. Since June of 1996 he is an active member of the New York Academy of Sciences. He is also acting as President of two private companies: LSC Team and Digital Forensic.

09.00 – 12.00 Workshop C: Increasing automation to improve BSS processes and reporting capabilities to enhance revenue assurance efficiency

This workshop has been designed to help you plan and implement a revenue assurance strategy to minimise revenue leakage and protect the flow of revenue across BSS systems. It will outline the framework of a successfully automated revenue assurance programme with high precision critical revenue reporting capabilities.

After attending this workshop you will gain awareness of how to use innovative strategies that allow you to:

• Understand the advantages of automation for RA across mediation, billing, interconnect, mobile number portability and data warehouse domains
• Examine the automation and reporting methodology employed by IT-Operations department of Mobilink

Your workshop leader:

Suleman Khalique works with Mobilink, a leading Orascom telecom sister company, in Pakistan in the capacity of a Senior System Analyst, IT-Operations. A graduate of National University Pakistan, Suleman holds a diverse experience of working with some of the leading establishments like BRGM-France, Cognos-United Kingdom and Mobilink-Pakistan. Currently Suleman is also working to implement Change Management in Mobilink to help improve processes and change-flow quality across IT-Operations department. Awarded an all Pakistan French government scholarship in the year 2002, Suleman went to France to pursue a masters program in Software Engineering at Université Henri Poincaré, Nancy. Suleman speaks English and French.

13.00 – 16.00 Workshop D: Integrating revenue assurance with business intelligence

This workshop has been designed to help to integrate revenue assurance with business intelligence solution with the beneficial impact on bottom line. You will have to the opportunity to discuss the and learn how business critical decisions are linked to the efficient integration of revenue assurance with business intelligence.

After attending this workshop you will gain awareness of how to use innovative strategies and systems that allow you to:

• Determine conflicts & convergence in revenue assurance & business intelligence
• Identify where does RA end & BI start
• Understand the predictive qualities of business intelligence

Your workshop leader:

Hawas Garba Matta is Revenue Assurance Manager in Zain, Uganda. Hawas’ professional career has spanned the Banking, Energy (Petroleum downstream) & telecommunications industries in both East & West Africa. His job functions have included Inventory Management, Internal Audit, Fraud & Revenue Assurance. He has been on several enterprise/financial applications implementation teams, as a process expert and more recently in designing reports for business intelligence. Hawas is a professional accountant (ACA), a professional systems auditor (CISA), a professional Internal Auditor (CIA). He is proficient in the use of ACL ®as a business reporting tool. He worked in Union Bank of Nig Plc., Oando Nig Plc., MTN Nigeria, Zain Sierra Leone & is currently with Zain Group assigned to Zain Uganda. He has performed short term Revenue Assurance assignments in Malawi & Ghana.