Vangent offers equality for BT Openreach customers

New Web-based software allows communications providers to manage line rental through Openreach

11th May 2007 - extract from the Total Telcom website - www.totaltele.com

U.K.-based Vangent announced on Wednesday it has launched a Web-based platform that allows communications providers (CPs) to order and manage wholesale line rental from BT Openreach.

Openreach's Wholesale Line Rental 3 Equivalence Management Platform (WLR3 EMP) launches between 2007 and 2009 and requires CPs, including BT Retail, to develop their own interfaces for raising order types.

Vangent (formerly Pearson Government Solutions) has developed a Web-based platform that allows CPs to make and manage orders, and offers a support service to manage faults and other issues.

“This benefits CPs because now they can focus much more on providing better customer service”, explained Gareth Jones, business development director, Vangent, speaking to Total Telecom.

Ofcom's ruling on equivalence requires BT Openreach to provide equal access to line switching for all CPs.

Before this ruling BT Retail used to be at an advantage because it had access to customer information that rival CPs did not. However, now the same information is available to all CPs.

Jones said the pricing of Vangent's software platform is based on the scale and profile of each CP.

“[With WLR2] CPs used to get the Web portal for free – now we have to persuade them to pay for it,” he added.