Cupertino, Calif. September 12, 2000 - Portal Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: PRSF), a leading provider of business infrastructure software for Internet and next-generation communications services, has been chosen by Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO) to support the new Cisco Order-to-Service solution the industry's first complete system for automating the lengthy and manual DSL provisioning process for service providers deploying end-to-end Cisco DSL networks. As a Cisco New World Ecosystem company, Portal's Infranet. software will be deployed in the Cisco Order-to-Service solution, linking DSL services, subscribers and revenues and allowing providers to rapidly develop, price and provision new services, and effectively manage customer usage and billing in real time.
The Cisco Order-to-Service solution is a flow-through provisioning system that automates DSL delivery, cutting the waiting period for service from several weeks to a few days, allowing service providers to rapidly scale services and capture new customers in the broadband market. With this solution, service providers can increase revenues and cut operating costs by eliminating most truck rolls, manual systems and processes associated with DSL provisioning. As part of the solution, Portal's Infranet provides DSL providers with automatic commencement of billing, real-time, always-on customer care and billing, and the flexibility to implement any flat-rate, usage-based or quality-of-service price plan, as well as compelling value-added services such as digital content, application services or voice over DSL (VoDSL).
Other elements of the Cisco Order-to-Service solution include: DSL order placement and loop pre-qualification using Quintessent's DSLXchange and Turnstone's Copper CrossConnect CX100 products; DSL circuit turn-up using the new Cisco Network Order Manager product; and subscriber PC configuration and start of service using BroadJump's Virtual Truck product. This initiative builds on existing relationships Portal has established with each member company to deliver a robust solution for this key DSL challenge - service provisioning.
"The Cisco Order-to Service solution enables service providers to compete more effectively in the broadband market by enabling them to gain new customers faster and by improving operational efficiencies," said Enzo Signore, Director of Marketing for the Cisco DSL Business Unit. "We chose Portal to support our solution because of their industry-leading product, open platform and leadership in the DSL market."
"The time-consuming process of provisioning a DSL circuit is currently the greatest factor limiting the growth of the DSL market," said Steve Sommer, vice president of business development and marketing at Portal Software. " Eliminating delays in this delivery cycle will be a tremendous value to the entire DSL industry, and Portal is pleased to be working with Cisco and Cisco New World Ecosystem companies to make it happen. The dozens of DSL service providers that currently use Portal, and their customers, can benefit from this joint initiative by realizing faster service provisioning, and therefore more rapid subscriber growth."
Portal's customers in the DSL market include Covad Communications, Northpoint Communications and Rhythms NetConnections, among many others. Portal's Infranet has been incorporated into 20 end-to-end solution sets like the Cisco Order-to-Service solution. A solution set is a group of complementary products, selected, integrated and tested to solve a complete set of business and operational requirements for an industry.
