WAKEFIELD, Mass., Oct. 16, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Communications Service Providers (CSPs) are increasingly adopting BSS managed service business models to improve the customer experience, seize new revenue opportunities, and achieve better business results, according to a new industry analyst report.

Survey results appearing in a recently released Informa Telecoms & Media white paper prepared for Comverse show that the percentage of CSPs likely to be outsourcing BSS will climb to over 50% in 2015. Major BSS firms that provide managed services, such as Comverse®, the global leader in business enablement through BSS, mobile Internet, Value-Added and Managed Services, are particularly well positioned to empower CSPs to capitalize on synergies between products and services in the support-systems space to cut costs and spur sustained growth.

"Changing telecom market conditions are driving more CSPs to embrace the managed-services approach to benefit from independent consulting expertise and best-of-breed support to stimulate growth," said Richard Jesty, Principal Analyst at Informa Telecoms & Media. "By working with a specialist managed-services provider that knows the business support system (BSS) inside out and can fully utilize its capabilities, CSPs can benefit from well-informed judgment based on extensive experience with successful solutions and innovations from a varied range of sources, from the same geographic market and from around the world."

"One example of an increasingly key area of business focus is time to market, as CSPs strive to bring new services on stream to meet competitive challenges earlier. A BSS specialist managed services provider, ensuring that applications and services are designed right to roll out new services and necessary changes to configuration faster, can typically achieve time-to-market savings of 20-30%. This can significantly impact the level of competitiveness and the success of new services, such as innovative data monetization plans," noted Jesty.

"As the overall market leader in converged billing and in mobile messaging, we draw from unparalleled product and market knowledge. Our global experience helps CSPs worldwide speed new ideas to market, optimize system performance, cut costs and expand business success," said Yossi Abraham, Vice President Sales and Marketing, Global Services Business Unit for Comverse.

"We can confirm that the trend identified by Informa is gaining momentum. More and more CSPs are approaching us to enhance their already existing maintenance services into managed services," added Abraham. "Comverse Global Services is transforming BSS systems for CSPs around the world into a powerful strategic asset that enables them to do more, faster, for less."

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About Comverse

Comverse is the world's leading provider of software and systems enabling converged billing and active customer management, mobile Internet, value-added and managed services. Comverse's extensive customer base spans more than 125 countries and covers over 450 communication service providers serving more than two billion subscribers. The company's innovative product portfolio enables communication service providers to unleash the value of the network for their customers by making their networks smarter. Comverse's solutions support flexible deployment models, including in-network, cloud, hosted and managed services. Comverse, ranked number 55 in PwC's Global 100 Software Leaders based on research by Pierre Audoin Consultants, is a subsidiary of Comverse Technology, Inc. (Nasdaq:CMVT). For more information, visit www.comverse.com.

The Comverse Technology logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=13267

Statements included or incorporated by reference in this press release may contain "forward-looking statements." There can be no assurance 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 risks described in the section entitled "Forward-Looking Statements" Item 1A, "Risk Factors" and elsewhere in the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January 31, 2012 filed with the SEC on April 2, 2012 or in subsequently filed periodic, current or other reports. The company undertakes no commitment to update or revise forward-looking statements except as required by law. 


CONTACT: Paul D. Baker

         Comverse Technology, Inc.

         paul.baker@cmvt.com

         (212) 739-1060
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