Telefónica Targets 'Bill Shock' with Sandvine Technology

Telefónica, the global mobile network company behind O2 in the UK, is using Sandvine technology to help consumers keep track of their data use charges when roaming abroad. 

Sandvine's network policy control solutions provide Telefónica with a number of services, such as reporting of network usage, but the company is also providing services on the consumer side. 

The idea of 'bill shock' is increasingly familiar in the UK - when people travel, they can find that data usage abroad causes their mobile bill to rocket. Legislation was introduced last year requiring operators to take action to alleviate the problem, and Telefónica's UK subsidiary, O2, is addressing the problem using Sandvine's Quota Management solution, which monitors subscriber roaming usage in real-time and messages them with updates advising them when they are nearing and surpassing their quota.

"Telefónica's focus on consumer quality of experience is key to their success," said Dave Caputo, Sandvine's president and CEO. "Sandvine works closely with our customers to help them manage network demands and trends and identify opportunities to create and optimize new services."

Sandvine is also supplying Telefónica with its URL Access Control product, which prevents network users from inadvertently or deliberately accessing child pornography or other undesirable content on its network.