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02.03.2022

Modern business customer solutions in the cloud:O2 Telefónica launches new B2B billing platform with MATRIXX on Google Cloud

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Credits: Gettyimages (edited)
Collaboration between MATRIXX and O2 Telefónica optimizes flexibility and efficiency of digital billing processes
O2 Telefónica is taking the management of business customer solutions to the cloud: the telecommunications provider is launching a new cloud-based IT platform for the future-proof management and billing of its digital office and telecommunications solutions in the business customer segment (B2B). For this, the company relies on state-of-the-art software from MATRIXX, a leading provider of 5G converged charging solutions, running on the Google Cloud. Business customers benefit from near real-time billing processes and an optimized billing overview. O2 Telefónica improves the flexibility and scalability of its IT systems by using the cloud. For secure operation, MATRIXX and O2 Telefónica are relying for the first time on the Google Cloud’s Confidential Computing. With this breakthrough technology, data is also encrypted during processing via a special shielded component.
Mallik Rao
"We want to serve our business customers with the most advanced technical solutions to improve their everyday digital lives and better support them in a dynamic market environment. With the combination of MATRIXX software and Google Cloud, we offer our B2B customers a tremendously secure and maximally configurable billing system on a massively scalable public cloud platform," said Mallik Rao, Chief Technology & Information Officer of O2 Telefónica. "The cloud, with its technological advantages, is a real game changer for the telecommunications industry. With new cloud-based systems, we are increasingly decoupling the previous link between software and hardware. This is how we are making a paradigm shift in the design and operation of our technology landscape." O2 Telefónica can implement new B2B products and functions even faster in the billing process and thus bring them to market more quickly. System updates as well as product and tariff changes can be introduced more quickly via automated processes in the cloud (CI/CD pipeline). In a first step, O2 Telefónica is using the platform for billing its digital office solutions. Gradually, other B2B products will be integrated, such as all-IP fixed network offerings and SD WAN and 5G solutions. “With the first launch of this new enterprise offering in the public cloud, O2 Telefónica has raised the bar on what’s possible for telecommunication providers,” said Glo Gordon, MATRIXX CEO. “We’ve built our cloud native Digital Commerce Platform to enable the flexibility and agility that only the public cloud can provide. Working in partnership with Google Cloud’s breakthrough Confidential Computing offering, we’re honored to support O2 Telefónica’s technology transformation.”

On demand and in real time: B2B customers keep track of telecom solutions

Our B2B customers keep track of their telecom solutions at all times
Through the new platform, business customers better keep track of their digital office and networking solutions. They can view consumption and costs at any time In addition, contract changes are implemented even faster in the system, for example when contract conditions change or new telecommunications services are ordered. O2 Telefónica can thus serve business customers of all company sizes in a more targeted manner and with better service quality. “This new offering from O2 Telefónica will help German businesses more effectively manage their digital applications and connectivity solutions, and ensure hightlevels of data privacy and security,” said George Nazi, VP, Telco, Media, and Entertainment Industry Solutions at Google Cloud. “We’re proud to bolster O2 Telefónica’s commitment to deliver secure, high speed connectivity in the region, and to support the modernization of its own core systems through the delivery of the MATRIXX Digital Commerce Platform on Google Cloud.”

Cloud infrastructure with the needed flexibility, scalability and resource utilization

The new cloud-based billing platform follows the company's move from a hardware-centric to a software-based approach. Previously, vendors often sold so-called turnkey solutions as a joint package of software and hardware. However, MATRIXX's new software-based billing platform is completely decoupled from the hardware infrastructure. This gives O2 Telefónica additional flexibility and independence when deploying and operating its IT systems across different infrastructures - in this case, Google Cloud. In addition, the cloud enables more effective use of resources. O2 Telefónica can flexibly add or cancel necessary computing and storage capacities in the cloud at any time, for example if additional resources are temporarily required for backup or update processes.

Robust security standards through Google Cloud Confidential Computing

When using a wide variety of cloud infrastructures - from private to public cloud - O2 Telefónica relies on a wide range of security mechanisms. These include strong encryption solutions such as Google Cloud’s Confidential Computing where data remain encrypted during processing. This means that the company is using the latest and innovative technology for its digital transformation. O2 Telefónica is currently driving forward a fundamental transformation of its own IT landscape by 2023. A new IT architecture with more efficient processes based on state-of-the-art technologies such as cloud solutions will enable the provider to drive innovation even faster in the future, reduce operating costs, increase system reliability and further improve customer satisfaction.