Digicel: DPI is a Catalyst for VAS Revenues Increase

The Digicel Group (operating communication services in 31 countries to 13.6 million subscribers) has filed for an IPO recently with the SEC (here). The group is a Sandvine customer ("How does DigiCel Use Sandvine?" here and here) and explains in the F-1 form the benefits of DPI:

"Mobile Data and VAS

..VAS is an increasingly important portion of Digicel’s revenue, rising from 23.0% of its total mobile service revenue in the year ended March 31, 2013 to 31.2% in the year ended March 31, 2015 and 33.9% in the three months ended June 30, 2015. The increase in VAS has tracked an increase in availability of affordable smartphones, including Digicel-branded Android devices

.. An important catalyst for the increase in VAS has been Digicel’s innovative product and service offerings which include:

• Service-based packages: Digicel’s data offers have evolved from volume based pricing to charging by service. Digicel’s deep packet inspection platform allows it to price plans based on the specific service that subscribers are consuming as opposed to volume-based pricing.
  
  Digicel is able to offer subscribers data plans that provide access only to one particular site, such as Facebook or Instagram. This capability has allowed Digicel to launch new plans across markets with a range of data allowances along with access to particular websites.
  
  This makes Digicel’s plans more attractive to subscribers because they can more easily understand what they are getting, and it allows Digicel to differentiate its plans from competitors.
   
• Free access to Wikipedia [here]: Digicel allows all Digicel subscribers free access to this widely-known source of information on the Internet. Every time a subscriber accesses Wikipedia on the Digicel network, there is a small banner at the top of the page that tells the subscriber that access to the page is provided free of charge courtesy of Digicel.
  
  Digicel believes this is a strong marketing tool and it also benefits Digicel’s subscribers in terms of free access to this information. This represents an opportunity to illustrate to Digicel’s subscribers the value of the Internet by showcasing the type of services that subscribers can access with an Internet subscription and is designed to encourage Internet penetration.

Warren Buffett Leads $22M Investment to Convert Network Intelligence into Power Saving

eVolution Networks announced that "Berkshire Hathaway Energy subsidiary IES Holding, and GE Ventures have invested $22.5 million in eVolution Networks.

eVolution Networks' Smart Energy Solution is a software-based solution that analyzes the mobile network's traffic needs and adjusts the use of the network's resources based on real-time demand from subscribers. This adaptive and unique approach to managing the network's resources has been deployed by Tier-1 operators such as Telefonica Group and has proven to save millions of dollars annually on energy bills".

Digicel Jamaica deployed eVolution Smart Energy Solution in 2013 (here). In 2014 it was selected as Telefonica Group's global partner for RAN energy saving (here).

eVolution Networks' technology includes Radio Coverage Analysis and Traffic Analysis & Prediction that feed the ePlatform that eventually deactivates base stations reducing operators’ energy consumption by up to 35% annually.

An Operations & Maintenance Interface provides smart user interfaces, including graphical, web-based and command line, giving operators a wide range of tools to analyze system operations across the network, allowing them to have full visibility and control around the clock.

See "Berkshire Hathaway Energy subsidiary IES Holding, and GE Ventures contribute to funding to grow worldwide sales and promote the Smart Energy Solution to new industries" - here.

How does DigiCel Use Sandvine?

Sandvine announced that "Digicel Group .. a long time Sandvine customer that is using Sandvine’s Network Policy Control solutions to offer their subscribers innovative service plans. 

Last year, Digicel expanded their deployment [see "Sandvine Receives $5M Expansion Order (CALA)" - here] of Sandvine’s Network Analytics, Usage Management, and OutReach products to over 30 mobile networks in the Caribbean and Pacific: 

• Usage Management’s Record Generator provides Digicel with the ability to report on the leading applications on its network so that they can gain deeper insight into the ever changing usage patterns of their subscribers. Record Generator’s support for multiple types of records in a single deployment allows Digicel to custom tailor the level of data aggregation they desire for each use case, one of which is seamless usage reconciliation with their online charging system (OCS).

• Digicel also leverages the capabilities of Sandvine OutReach, which provides operators with a powerful set of subscriber-friendly, device-agnostic tools to communicate with their subscribers. Digicel uses OutReach to inform subscribers of new promotions and more importantly, their usage in real-time, so subscribers never have to worry about experiencing bill shock.

• In additional to the deployment of Sandvine equipment in their production network, Digicel will also be using the Sandvine Virtual Series so that they can develop and test their virtualization strategy. The Sandvine Virtual Series enables CSPs to enjoy all the features of the traditional Sandvine platform while benefiting from the elasticity and efficiency of running virtual machines on commercial off-the-shelf hardware (COTS).

See "Sandvine Powers Service Innovation for Digicel Group" - here.

NI Deployments [200]: Digicel Haiti Uses Astellia to Monitor 2G and 3G Networks

  

Astellia announced it has renewed its ".. commitment to the Digicel Group by empowering them with the means to provide a quality mobile broadband service to all of its 4 million Haitian subscribers .. Astellia's solution gives Digicel Haiti a comprehensive end-to-end visibility into their 2G and 3G mobile network performance, from RAN to Core network. The solution pinpoints subscribers experiencing poor service quality and identifies precisely network instability root cause by using relevant performance indicators and advanced troubleshooting capabilities. This results in improved quality of service (fewer dropped or silent calls, improved web browsing, etc), greater customer loyalty and increased subscriber base".

"Astellia’s network assurance solution correlates data coming from Astellia’s probes and network equipment (OMC)"

See "Digicel Haiti to renew its confidence in Astellia by signing 3G network assurance contract" - here.