Virgin Media 2008 Annual Report Download - page 15

focus have included the automation of processes and the introduction of web-based customer interfaces
to improve the efficiency of our pricing, installation, billing and network performance services.
Voice Products and Services
•Outbound and Inbound Voice: We offer a complete suite of voice products ranging from analog
and digital services to converged IP telephony solutions. Strong regional presence and expertise
has driven market share in products such as Centrex, where local government and private sector
organizations benefit from a managed platform that delivers a uniform suite of features across
multiple sites. Developments like IP Multimedia, which offers functionality such as
desktop-to-desktop video conferencing, represent the next generation of voice services in a
converging IP world.
Data Products and Services
•Converged Solutions: By using a single network to transport voice, data and video, our customers
can benefit from cost synergies, flexibility and control. The services within our converged
solutions portfolio enable this with products such as IP VPN. Given our network ownership and
extensive reach, we are able to link sites across the U.K. using a wide range of access
technologies and with developments such as eight classes of service (currently more than offered
by any other U.K. service provider) traffic can be discretely segmented into up to eight
categories and prioritized to ensure that more time sensitive (e.g. voice) or critical application
data is transported with priority.
•Ethernet: As a market leader in Ethernet solutions in the U.K., ntl:Telewest Business was the
first European service provider to be independently tested and accredited by the Metro Ethernet
Forum, or MEF. MEF9 and MEF14 accreditation demonstrates our ability to deploy
‘point-to-point’ and ‘any-to-any’ Ethernet networks that can be installed and scaled effectively,
while offering performance that supports voice, video and converged services. A complete range
of products from local area network extensions to managed wide area Ethernet networks are
available, providing customers with high bandwidth and flexible solutions.
•Applications and Services: As an overlay to network products, we also offer applications and
services that add value to customers’ communications infrastructure. For example, the IP CCTV
services we deployed to a Scottish council delivered clear socioeconomic benefits.
Customer Service
The goal of ntl:Telewest Business is to become the natural choice for providing the
communications requirements of our target customers, something we aim to achieve by delivering the
best customer experience. This is reflected in the strategic emphasis of the division, focusing over 75%
of ntl:Telewest Business employees on the sales, provisioning and in-life support of customers and their
services. We believe this differentiated and complete service proposition provides us with a competitive
advantage in our target market.
Mobile Segment
On July 4, 2006, we acquired Virgin Mobile, the U.K.’s leading mobile virtual network operator.
As a mobile virtual network operator, Virgin Mobile provides mobile telephone services to its
customers over cellular networks owned by third parties. Virgin Mobile’s customer base comprises both
pre-pay customers, who top up their accounts prior to using the services and have no minimum
contracted term, and contract customers, who subscribe to Virgin Mobile’s services for periods ranging
from a minimum of 30 days to 18 months. As of December 31, 2008, Virgin Mobile had approximately
4.1 million customers, of which approximately 649,400 were contract customers.
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