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NetOne to launch hi-tech billing, support system

by Staff reporter
20 Sep 2018 at 02:13hrs | Views
STATE-OWNED mobile operator, NetOne, is set to launch a state of the art converged billing and business support system which will offer seamless services to all the end users.

NetOne says the launch was delayed for six months due to the US sanctions slapped on the Chinese supplier of the billing system.

"To complete the transformation, State-owned mobile operator will this October 2018 launch its most ambitious project, which will entail the scrapping of its antiquated and inefficient billing system, replacing it with the state of the art converged billing and business support system," NetOne acting chief executive officer Nkosinathi Ncube said in a statement.

NetOne said the inability of the legacy billing systems to offer promotions and high quality services to individual and corporate contract subscribers, has over the past five years cost the telecommunication company millions in lost revenues.

The company is a beneficiary of the government guaranteed loan from China Exim Bank of more than $284 million deployed to expand and modernise its network between 2013 and 2016.

Despite having invested in network expansion, there are still glaring gaps in the mobile operator's business configuration with respect to tools, platforms service and products to monetise the Chinese-funded network infrastructure.

NetOne said it has taken advantage of the tax amnesty to clear off legacy tax exposures amounting to $13 million emanating from yester year resulting into write back of $4 million.

The telecoms company says it recorded its highest monthly turnover and year to date profit after tax, since the commencement of the restricting process in 2016.

"The drive to profitability is supported by a robust cost control strategy,that is bearing fruit and continues to be expanded. A healthy EBIDTA of 36% in August 2018 is as a result of painstaking surgery by the entire NetOne team in the last three years,"

"OneFusion and other subsequent launches, have contributed to data consumption and revenue growth outstripping voice as the major source of revenue for NetOne in 2018," said Ncube.

NetOne said despite lengthy approval processes; NetOne managed to procure and launch a new mobile money platform called OneMoney in October last year and is now the second money payment platform after Ecocash.

"While NetOne was the first to launch a Mobile Money product dubbed OneWallet in 2010, this proved to be a complete failure as the chosen platform failed to perform despites millions of dollars having been invested in the system,"Ncube said.

Source - newsday
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