Survey Explores How Service Providers in Southeast Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe are Driving the Connected World Experience

ST. LOUIS, June 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Amdocs (NYSE: DOX), the leading provider of customer experience systems, today released the results of "Connected World 2010: A Survey of Emerging Markets." The survey explores how the connected world, a world driven by the demand for ubiquitous connectivity and information anytime, anywhere, will affect service providers and the role they play across Southeast Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe.

Conducted for Amdocs by leading research firm Frost & Sullivan, the survey found that service providers in Southeast Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe anticipate that over the next five years the introduction of new services will drive subscriber growth, and that partnerships with Internet players and device manufacturers will emerge, alongside the evolution of new revenue models. Research highlights include:

• Service providers' roles will evolve: Two thirds of survey participants said they would assume the role of "service enabler" in the connected world, while the remaining third stated that they will become an "end-to-end experience provider", expanding their role beyond basic connectivity, providing services such as healthcare, government support, education and mobile payments.
• Consumer desire for connectivity and improvements in devices and network capabilities will drive new business models and partnerships: More than ninety percent of respondents believe that new models will be required in the connected world, with fifty percent stating that partnerships are critical. Emerging models highlighted were advertising-based, premium and service-based models, as well as those based on alliances with Internet and content providers. Service providers in Southeast Asia and Eastern Europe outlined hybrid models in which the cost of services will be shared by consumers and third parties. In Latin America, the ability for consumers to fund services beyond basic voice or SMS (short message service) will impact models and it is predicted that advertising-based models will deliver services at affordable rates.  
• Smartphones and new services: Respondents stated that smartphone adoption and advanced services will remain a growth driver for the next five years as networks and infrastructure evolve. This data contrasts Amdocs' connected world survey in developed regions conducted by Frost and Sullivan earlier this year, where emerging devices such as M2M, netbooks, e-readers and tablets are capturing the focus.  
• Some form of outsourcing will be required and improved network management is essential: Two-thirds of respondents believe they need to modernize their current operational environments and networks in order to support the demands of the connected world, with sixty percent citing outsourcing as an appropriate strategy for network services and application management. Sixty percent of service providers identified a strong need for investment in network inventory management, planning and deployment.

"While the majority of those surveyed agree on their future role as a service enabler, this survey tells us that that different markets will adopt different strategies and models dependant on access, network capabilities, government regulations and consumer affordability," said Jennifer Bates, director of consulting for information and communication technologies, Frost & Sullivan. "Service providers in these markets view the connected world as a new revenue source, but they will need to invest in technology to develop and deploy new and changing business models."  

"Service providers are transforming their role of the 'traditional telecom' and are identifying new strategies and business models to meet the needs of the connected world," said Brian Shepherd, group president for Amdocs. "The survey demonstrates that while markets are in different stages of evolution, it's clear that advanced network and BSS solutions are required to launch new services and that the connected world will shape how our industry delivers and monetizes future value."

The survey was based on interviews with senior business and information technology decision makers in Eastern Europe, Latin America and Southeast Asia.  This survey follows the "Connected World 2009: A Survey of Developed Markets" issued in January.

Supporting Resources

• See the results of Amdocs Connected World Survey in Developed Regions.
• Download the results of Amdocs Connected World Survey in Emerging Markets.
• Download the Connected World Ebook.
• Keep up with Amdocs news by visiting the company's website.
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About Frost & Sullivan

Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, enables clients to accelerate growth and achieve best-in-class positions in growth, innovation and leadership. The company's Growth Partnership Service provides the CEO and the CEO's Growth Team with disciplined research and best-practice models to drive the generation, evaluation, and implementation of powerful growth strategies. Frost & Sullivan leverages over 45 years of experience in partnering with Global 1000 companies, emerging businesses and the investment community from 40 offices on six continents. To join our Growth Partnership, please visit http://www.frost.com.

About Amdocs

Amdocs is the market leader in customer experience systems innovation. The company combines business and operational support systems, service delivery platforms, proven services, and deep industry expertise to enable service providers and their customers to do more in the connected world. Amdocs' offerings help service providers explore new business models, differentiate through personalized customer experiences, and streamline operations. A global company with revenue of $2.86 billion in fiscal 2009, Amdocs has approximately 18,000 employees and serves customers in more than 60 countries worldwide. For more information, visit Amdocs at www.amdocs.com.

Amdocs' Forward-Looking Statement

This press release includes information that constitutes forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provision of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements about Amdocs' growth and business results in future quarters. Although we believe the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, we can give no assurance that our expectations will be obtained or that any deviations will not be material. Such statements involve risks and uncertainties that may cause future results to differ from those anticipated. These risks include, but are not limited to, the effects of general economic conditions, Amdocs' ability to grow in the business segments it serves, adverse effects of market competition, rapid technological shifts that may render the Company's products and services obsolete, potential loss of a major customer, our ability to develop long-term relationships with our customers, and risks associated with operating businesses in the international market. Amdocs may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, however the Company specifically disclaims any obligation to do so. These and other risks are discussed at greater length in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including in our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2009, filed on December 7, 2009 and in our quarterly 6-K forms furnished on February 8 and May 13, 2010.

SOURCE Amdocs