Subscriber Management System matters!

The service provider's journey towards convergence has begun. What with the reality of broadband, Internet, interactive TV, content on demand and pay per view floating in the air with September 1, 2003 being the CAS implementation roll out date.

The talking point now has shifted to the flexible billing and customer handling system. A Subscriber Management System (SMS) which accomplishes this while at the same time brings in business intelligence is of course the ideal. Especially, since everybody wants to know what an individual viewer is watching and businesses are dependent on it.

While the distribution model and the business model can be debated, the fact that consumer expectations are at an all-time high cannot be ignored. "It is here that a good SMS will matter," said Vijay Kumar Debbad, MD, MagnaQuest, Hyderabad-based provider of Subscriber Management Service called

MQS.

An SMS is the brain behind the whole operation as it simplifies and controls operations. A good SMS integrates the whole system tightly. However, to do that the provider must be able to see the road map of business expansion.

MagnaQuest has a good list of clients in this convergence space in Middle East and has already made inroads in the segment in India in the past eight months. "The business insight has come from our experience," said Debbad, further adding, "In the dynamic market place with interactive TV and the changing universe from month to month one must take a long term view."

In India, MagnaQuest so far has bagged seven contracts for its SMS-- MQS. "We have Asianet Satellite Communications Ltd, BroadBand Pacenet India, IndusInd Media & Communications, Hinduja Group and Manthan Broadband Services among others as our clients," said Mohan Reddy, Director, (Business Development), MagnaQuest. "We have also recently signed a strategic partnership with Taiwan's leading CAS company Eastern Electronics to provide joint solutions to Pay TV solutions in India and Asia Pacific."

Techie-turned business development director Reddy specializes in security solutions in triple A space and has been closely involved with Malaysia's Mykad - the smart card project. Said Reddy, "Security issues will be important in the CAS-SMS integration as well. And that is one area we are looking at right now." To integrate the CAS-SMS system in a secure way with future needs in view MagnaQuest is working at a business model for ready-secure future compatible solution ideal for the Indian market.

Nandita Singh


(CNS)