of self-care services from the Sicap USSD Menu Browser (UMB). The deal will allow Magticom to provide customer care and value-added services under one simple access code and in a very cost-effective way.

Magticom’s 1 million plus subscribers will initially get account-related services such as balance statements and subscription updates on the USSD menu browser. As a return message for a USSD request takes only 2-3 seconds and is free of charge, the advantage for users is that they have readily available information at their fingertips at all times. And all handsets, even the most basic models, support USSD without any preliminary configuration required.

Because customers can handle their account requests on the UMB without help, there is a clear reduction in customer care costs for Magticom, who previously relied on an IVR or SMS service to answer account queries. An additional and equally important benefit of the Sicap UMB for Magticom is the off-loading traffic from its SMS-C. Using the USSD bearer channel is an efficient way to provide interactive dialogue with billing and account applications.

According to Shota Gvinianidze, CIO of Magticom, “Sicap reactivity to our need for the USSD Menu Browser enabled us to roll out services in less than three months. It has enabled us to significantly reduce the number of IVR calls and the load on our SMS-C related to customer care”.

Simon Hofer, Managing Director of Sicap Eastern Europe of Sicap added “This first successful implementation of our software in a Georgian network has revealed further service opportunities that Magticom and Sicap will pursue together. We are proud to count Magticom among our USSD success stories.”