IBM unveils technology to help telcos analyse usage patterns

Technology giant IBM today said it has launched two technologies that will enable telecom operators analyse usage patterns of their subscribers and accordingly design subscription plans.

Social network analysis (SNA) technology, which has been developed at IBM's India centre, will enable telecom operators analyse the calling patterns of its users and develop more attractive and useful subscriber plans.

With more customer-friendly plans, telcos can reduce customer turnover and increase customer satisfaction, IBM said in a statement.

"Mobile telephony is growing tremendously all over the world, especially in developing nations. The market is immensely competitive and companies are looking for tailored products to retain and attract customers and therefore, business intelligence through customer behaviour analysis is critical," IBM India research lab director and chief technologist (IBM India/South Asia) Guruduth Banavar said.

IBM Research (India), which leads IBM Research's global mobile web initiatives, has been working on this technology for about two years now, he added.

The other technology — IBM customer analyst — is under development by IBM's lab in Israel. The technology focuses on understanding Internet users, particularly mobile telephone subscribers.