Global provider of revenue management and digital monetisation CSG recently acquired Tango Telecom, a supplier of convergent policy control and messaging solutions, and the companies say the deal is a breakthrough for Africa’s communications service providers.

The acquisition, which closed May 5, is the culmination of a long-standing relationship that delivers end-to-end digital monetisation solutions to CSPs.

Through the deal CSG is armed with real-time, dynamic policy and call control management.

This, coupled with CSG’s charging and digital monetisation capabilities, forms a complete end-to-end solution for converged voice and data services across 3G, 4G and 5G networks, and delivers enhanced monetisation of B2B2x business models, the partners claim.

CSG’s SVP & Head of EMEA Business James Kirby.

From a local perspective, James Kirby, SVP & Head of EMEA Business at CSG, said the combination of increased levels of competition in the market and different consumer expectations means that operators in Africa have to innovate for a new digital consumer. This means keeping a close eye on developments within 5G and IOT.

“With new digital challengers entering the marketplace and consumer expectations very different from what they were a year ago, African operators need to continue to innovate with their eye on the digital consumer. In response to these rapid changes, and following initial 5G rollouts, operators are turning to CSG to digitally transform, deploy new killer 5G use cases, and better monetise their investments. The acquisition of Tango Telecom and the resulting end-to-end digital monetisation portfolio positions us to help regional operators solve their toughest business problems - the big ones unearthed by 5G and IoT,” said Kirby.

Ken Kennedy, COO and Head of Revenue Management & Digital Monetisation at CSG, added: “Tango Telecom and its core policy control and messaging capabilities are a natural extension to CSG’s innovative digital monetisation portfolio, aligning with our growth strategy and leadership in the wireless space. 5G is accelerating the number of digital services CSPs can deliver over next generation networks. This new paradigm opens the doors to new data revenue streams that will enable CSPs to monetise every aspect of their customers’ at-home and on-the-go experience. The addition of Tango Telecom to the CSG platform means our CSP customers can more effectively manage data transactions that not only underpin the delivery of critical services, but also are the catalyst for delivering dynamic and exceptional end customer experiences.”

John Abraham, Principal Analyst at Analysys Mason, said: “Unless CSPs urgently modernise their monetisation stacks, they will be unable to support the emerging business models that 5G will trigger. By deploying a unified platform that serves all networks and digital services, CSPs can greatly reduce their risk, cost and complexity, while simultaneously provide the flexibility needed to monetise their 5G networks and roll-out IOT and other digital services.”

Tango Telecom is a privately-owned company headquartered in Limerick, Ireland. It serves a billion subscribers in over 50 countries.

Dr. Colm Ward, CEO, Tango Telecom, said: “Our decade-long relationship with CSG has powered end-to-end mobile monetisation solutions for leading providers around the world. Now as a combined company, we can harness the momentum we’ve built to further accelerate the growth of our CSP customers, enabling them to capture greater market share and capitalise on new revenue generating sources powered by the world of 5G.”