The operator has been busy consolidating its BSS platforms streamline its operations and support new services like fixed wireless
Despite the Netherlands having some of the best fixed networks in Europe, there will always be so-called white addresses which can’t get fast fixed internet. Therefore Odido, formerly known as T-Mobile Netherlands, launched its Klik&Klaar fixed wireless access (FWA) to reach around 20,000 addresses where there is no fibre infrastructure or where customers only have a single provider for internet access.
With the launch of its Klik & Klaar service, Odido became the first operator in the Netherlands to offer FWA for B2C customers. The operator made the service competitive. At launch last October it was €25, or €20 if users were also mobile subscribers, and featured a soft data limit of 2TB per month. The operator offered some innovation to make the strive more attractive. With FWA, internet can be used immediately upon receipt with an installation app that helps the customer to locate the best reception in the home. Coverage can be expanded in the home using Wi-Fi points and in combination with services such as Videoland and Viaplay.
While the maximum speed is limited to 300/30 Mbps, the use of 3.5 GHz means some parts of urban environments are going to receive less than that. To bill the service, the operator had already been simplifying and unifying its IT stacks onto the Netcracker Digital Commerce & Monetization platform as part of an ongoing BSS consolidation and transformation program.
“Our long-term partnership with Netcracker, which began before the formation of Odido, has given us the confidence to work together on this critical step in our IT transformation program,” said Odido CIO Robert Purdy. “We are excited that we can deliver high-speed access to our customers and look forward to additional innovative services as a result of this alliance.”
“Bringing FWA to our customers is an important milestone since our rebranding to the market,” said Odido head of IT mass market Bas Touw. “I am confident that our collaboration with Netcracker will lead to further such innovations as we continue to disrupt the Dutch telecom landscape.”
The FWA service uses Netcracker’s BSS suite of products and professional services, including Product Catalogue, Customer Order Management, Customer Information Management and CPQ, as part of a standardised IT deployment. The operator reckons it has streamlined its order process and delivered digital services for customers and agents.
“As the leading mobile operator in the Netherlands, Odido is blazing a trail to 5G monetization, including the investment in FWA,” said Netcracker GM Benedetto Spaziani.
Wider collaboration
The FWA partnership is just one aspect of Odido’s wider relationship with Netcracker. Last year, the operator chose Netcracker to consolidate a number of critical processes across various brands and legacy environments onto its Netcracker Digital BSS. The deal included professional and support and maintenance services, as part of a large-scale digital transformation project. Odido was already using Netcracker Digital BSS for Configure, Price, Quote (CPQ) and Order Management but this was expanded to expanded to Product Management (Product Catalog and Product Lifecycle Management).
On the mobile side, in October Odido and Wipro shifted its direct mobile customers to the cloud-native Ericsson Billing platform, hosted on Amazon Web Services (AWS). In the end, Odido wants to reduce complexity and legacy systems, modernise its entire technology stack, “cloudify” its BSS platform and if it achieves all of that, enhance the end user experience.
