[By NBC-1TV H. J Yook]Openet, a global leader of real-time transaction management software and services, today announced its Policy and Charging Control (PCC) solutions will deliver the world's first cloud-based policy management offering for mobile operators. The Hosted Policy Engine launched by Tata Communications in close cooperation with Openet and with Allot is designed to enable operators to successfully optimize and monetize their mobile broadband traffic.

As mobile data traffic continues to grow, it's increasingly important to enable operators to capitalize on the increase, quickly and cost-effectively. The Hosted Policy Engine delivers powerful cloud-based policy management capabilities that enable differentiated subscriber offers, support for multiple access network types, and a faster time to market and lower cost of ownership compared to existing solutions.

“While the benefits of investing in next-generation policy management are clear -- including more efficient use of network resources and the ability to create and deliver more innovative, personalized services -- the cost and complexity of implementing these solutions remains a deterrent to many operators, particularly those in markets where Capex spending remains constrained,” said Shira Levine, Directing Analyst, Infonetics. “A hosted solution offers a faster and more efficient way to get new services to market while also providing a more predictable cost structure. This is an appealing proposition to those operators that lack the resources or the budget to embark on a more traditional deployment of policy control and enforcement solutions.”

Tata Communications‘ Hosted Policy Engine is an operational integration of Openet’s Policy Charging and Rules Function platform, as well as on Allot's Deep Packet Inspection and Policy Control Enforcement Function technology. The industry-first solution enables individual operators to optimize their networks and provide richly differentiated data offers, and also provides operator groups with a simple way to define and share policy application best practices and to establish consistent policy applications for roaming subscribers.

“The mobile market is evolving quickly to meet consumer data needs, and as operators compete for more market share, we are seeing a growing demand for sophisticated policy and charging solutions to help them differentiate,” said Openet CEO Niall Norton. “This demand marks the advent of policy-as-a-service, and working with Tata Communications and Allot has proved that, together, we can offer what operators are missing -- a pre-integrated policy management package delivered flexibly and cost-effectively via the cloud.”