During the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2024 currently taking place in Spain’s Barcelona, Ericsson has partnered with e& UAE to implement the latest Ericsson Charging features across its network to boost 5G capabilities, monetize new 5G services, and provide enhanced experiences to customers in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) through technology, security, and operational upgrades.
The upgrade which began in January 2024, includes Ericsson’s specialized 5G Charging Access Function (CAF), resulting in a comprehensive 5G converged charging system by leveraging over 85 new features, including differentiated charging for new 5G Voice over New Radio (VoNR), Voice over WiFi (VoWiFi) & Video over New Radio (ViNR) services.
By upgrading to the latest software, e& UAE, an Ericsson Charging customer since 1999, is advancing its future-ready cloud journey in the UAE while reaping the benefits from Ericsson’s leadership in 5G monetization.
Unlocking powerful operations and serviceability functions
Additionally, the latest Charging release will unlock powerful 5G charging capabilities, along with operations and serviceability functions. This will further align e& UAE’s network architecture with the 3GPP’s 5G Service Based Architecture framework by consolidating voice and data traffic into a unified access function. The modernization and the application performance enhancements will also deliver significant efficiency improvements that will help reduce carbon footprint and OPEX.
Seamless 5G experience
Khalid Murshed, chief technology and information officer at e& UAE, says: “At e& UAE, we have always remained committed to ensuring a seamless 5G experience in the country. Ericsson Charging is a key element within our IT infrastructure, and this partnership enables real-time convergent charging, policy control, and fast service creation. Through Ericsson Charging, we aim to continue building on our customer experience to deliver unparalleled connectivity.”
Setting the groundwork for a future where 5G capabilities
Ekow Nelson, vice president and head of Global Customer Unit for e& at Ericsson Middle East and Africa, says: “Implementing the latest Ericsson Charging solution with e& UAE is a crucial step in our collaboration towards realizing the potential of 5G. Furthermore, the implementation supports e& UAE in recognizing the business value for 5G use cases and aids in constructing their business models using Ericsson technology and capabilities. Together, we aim to set the groundwork for a future where 5G capabilities, innovation, and digital transformation become integral to the evolving landscape of the country.”
Customized services for diverse customer segments
As an integral component of Ericsson’s Business Support Systems (BSS) portfolio, Ericsson Charging is a modular, scalable, and open single convergent charging system built on industry standards and protocols. Moreover, this technology, independent of individual business models, delivers innovative services customized for diverse customer segments, effectively capturing a spectrum of revenue streams. With seamless pre-integration with CRM, mediation, provisioning, self-care, policy, catalog, and traffic management, it features cloud-ready and cloud-enabled capabilities, ensuring adaptability to evolving technological landscapes.
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