| [May 17, 2007] |
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Smart.Net Selects the Comverse Kenan(R) FX Billing Engine to Support Brazil's Benefit Card Processing
WAKEFIELD, Mass. --(Business Wire)-- Comverse, a subsidiary of Comverse Technology, Inc. and the world's leading supplier of software and systems enabling network-based multimedia enhanced communication and billing services, today announced that Smart.Net, a leader in the benefit card processing industry, has selected the Comverse Kenan(R) FX customer care, ordering and billing solution to extend the capabilities and maximize the revenue opportunity from its smartcards, which are used by the country's benefits industry.
"The Brazilian government mandates that employees receive assistance for transportation, food and meals. These benefits were previously allocated via paper vouchers. We replaced the voucher system with smartcards, which have numerous advantages," explained Cid Antao, CEO at Smart.Net. "Our transformation of this major business demanded an advanced billing solution that enables a smartcard to function in an innovative and sophisticated manner. The Comverse Kenan FX solution supports our specific and evolving requirements to value and charge our customers and partners for the multiple uses of the smartcard."
Optimized for the converging communications market, the modular Kenan FX framework provides an advanced set of customer lifecycle management software solutions -- from ordering and activation to charging and payments -- supporting a host of communication services: fixed, mobile and interactive. Kenan FX is widely deployed around the globe delivering attractive ROI to its clients.
"Smartcards will revolutionize the small payments industry in Brazil and open up exciting business opportunities," said Mr. Antao. "Backed by the flexible and feature-rich Comverse Kenan FX solution, Smart.Net can support the needs of our customers and seamlessly grow as we add other market segments, such as financial institutions."
"Comverse's Kenan billing platform, deployed extensively in the telco arena around the globe, also provides mission-critical transaction processing solutions for a wide variety of other types of service providers, including the benefits industry and smartcards," said Ramesh Barasia, President of Comverse Americas. "Kenan FX gives Smart.Net the flexibility necessary to handle complex commissioning scenarios demanded by the small payments industry and positions the company to expand operations into other markets."
Kenan FX is part of Comverse's billing portfolio, which increases market agility and improves operational efficiency. Comverse's converged and real-time billing solutions support multiple services, networks and payment types, allowing businesses to build revenues and loyalty by providing customers with choice, convenience and control.
About Smart.Net
Smart.Net is a company focused on intelligent solutions for small payments (micro-payment). Founded in 1998, the company manages an intelligent network directed to transactions of small value and big volumes. Nowadays Smart.Net operates in 1200 cities of the country, in 100% of the States and it has more than 90 thousand registered offices and 5 thousand benefits stations for self-service. There are more than 3.5 million active cards, performing 500 million payment transactions per year, at an average value of US $6 per transaction. In the last five years Smart.Net has received US $30 million of investment. The company's billing growth in 2006 was 90%.
About Comverse
Comverse is the world's leading provider of software and systems enabling network-based messaging and content value-added services, converged billing and IP communications. Comverse solutions generate revenues, strengthen customer loyalty and improve operational efficiency for over 500 communication service providers in more than 130 countries. The company's Total Communication(SM )portfolio facilitates personalized lifestyles in an evolving connected world and is based on the holistic InSight(TM) Open Services Environment. Comverse's solutions support flexible deployment models, including in-network, hosted and managed services, and can run on circuit-switched, VoIP, IMS and converged network environments. Comverse is a subsidiary of Comverse Technology, Inc. (CMVT.PK). For more information, visit www.comverse.com.
All product and company names mentioned herein may be registered trademarks or trademarks of Comverse or the respective referenced company(s).
This release contains "forward-looking statements" under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that involve risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurances that any forward-looking statements will be achieved, and actual results could differ materially from forecasts and estimates. Important factors that could affect the company include: the results of the investigation of the Special Committee, appointed by the Board of Directors on March 14, 2006, of matters relating to the company's stock option grant practices and other accounting matters, including errors in revenue recognition, errors in the recording of deferred tax accounts, expense misclassification, the possible misuse of accounting reserves and the understatement of backlog; the impact of any restatement of financial statements of the company or other actions that may be taken or required as a result of such reviews; the company's inability to file reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission; the effects of the delisting of the company's Common Stock from NASDAQ and the quotation of the company's Common Stock in the "Pink Sheets," including any adverse effects relating to the trading of the stock due to, among other things, the absence of market makers; risks relating to alleged defaults under the company's ZYPS indentures, including acceleration of repayment; risks of litigation (including pending securities class actions and derivative lawsuits) and of governmental investigations or proceedings arising out of or related to the company's stock option practices or any other accounting irregularities or any restatement of the financial statements of the company, including the direct and indirect costs of such investigations and restatement; risks related to the ability of Verint Systems Inc. to complete, and the effects of, the proposed merger with Witness Systems, Inc., including risks associated with integrating the businesses and employees of Witness if such merger is successfully completed; risks associated with integrating the businesses and employees of the Global Software Services division acquired from CSG Systems International, Netcentrex S.A. and Netonomy, Inc.; changes in the demand for the company's products; changes in capital spending among the company's current and prospective customers; the risks associated with the sale of large, complex, high capacity systems and with new product introductions as well as the uncertainty of customer acceptance of these new or enhanced products from either the company or its competition; risks associated with rapidly changing technology and the ability of the company to introduce new products on a timely and cost-effective basis; aggressive competition may force the company to reduce prices; a failure to compensate any decrease in the sale of the company's traditional products with a corresponding increase in sales of new products; risks associated with changes in the competitive or regulatory environment in which the company operates; risks associated with prosecuting or defending allegations or claims of infringement of intellectual property rights; risks associated with significant foreign operations and international sales and investment activities, including fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates, interest rates, and valuations of public and private equity; the volatility of macroeconomic and industry conditions and the international marketplace; risks associated with the company's ability to retain existing personnel and recruit and retain qualified personnel; and other risks described in filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
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