Amdocs announced that KCOM, a leading provider of communications, applications and integration services to the UK enterprise and consumer market, has selected an Amdocs service delivery platform to enhance its new next generation network infrastructure. Amdocs will provide a new orchestration platform that will support KCOM’s zero-touch customer service portal giving it the capability to select bandwidth on-demand, time-bound bandwidth and software-defined networking in wide area network (SD-WAN) options.
KCOM has deployed fibre-to-the-premises capability to 150,000 properties in Hull and East Yorkshire in the north of England, representing 75 percent of its network in the region1. It expects to have deployed full fibre across its entire network area by March 2019 and already has more customers with full fibre connections than with ADSL connections2. KCOM is ambitious to exploit its new network, which will ultimately see it deliver new Network Function Virtualization (NFV) based services to its customers. These will include service activation of orders where network components are managed through the delivery and activation process. Amdocs will provide automated software management of the network components to ensure that KCOM’s voice network service is capable of being delivered through online portals.
KCOM will also be migrating its public switched telephone network (PSTN) residential customers to Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) Softswitch as part of this project, where the service delivery platform from Amdocs will be able to manage and automate any fulfilment steps without affecting the voice service received by residential customers.
“We want to improve the services we deliver to our customers and the experience we offer them. We’re starting with our voice services so need a platform that can deliver this phase and then be deployed more widely across our business as the basis for other services”, said Sean Royce, Executive Vice President for Technology, Service and Operations at KCOM. “By working with Amdocs, we are gaining a partner that shares KCOM’s ambitions and can grow with us.”
“KCOM is fully embracing the transition to virtualized networks which will see it transform its business and offer exceptional network performance to its customers,” said Gary Miles, chief marketing officer, Amdocs. “This will allow KCOM to provide service order management capabilities that can be expanded to other services and customer segments as it grows, and to stay competitive by improving network speed, capabilities and customer engagement.”