CSG International, on Tuesday introduced CSG Ascendon to enable current and future digital services providers (DSPs) to more easily transform their operations to capitalize on digital service opportunities.
 
CSG Ascendon is a digital services platform that allows communications service providers (CSPs), content producers and retailers to launch, scale and monetize new digital services such as movies, music, games, home security and more.  By overlaying existing BSS and other technology systems, CSG Ascendon enables providers to quickly launch new digital services without uprooting existing infrastructure.
 
“CSPs must participate in the fast-growth digital services economy to fuel their growth, moderate the rise of competing services and capture digital services market share. To become a digital services provider of choice, CSPs need to quickly extend their business infrastructure to support retail and service operations for consumers in the new world, across multiple channels and on any device,” said Dr. Mark H. Mortensen, program leader for Analysys Mason’s Digital Economy Software Strategies practice.
 
CSG Ascendon offers an overlay strategy that enables providers to quickly define, deliver, analyze and refine new digital content or service offers.  The platform gives providers a better method to support always-connected consumer experiences across devices with the addition of cloud-based consumer profiles, preferences, digital entitlements, e-wallet and payment options. Ascendon leverages CSG’s extensive experience with SaaS to minimize initial costs and risk for providers as they evolve their approach to service presentation, ordering, delivery, payments and revenue settlement.
 
“Service providers worldwide are seeking a less disruptive way to enter, maintain and compete for position in the digital services market to help them take advantage of immediate opportunities. Ascendon reflects a multi-year effort, working with some of the world's most innovative brands, to deliver digital services through various business models. As a result, it offers quick configurability to support new content delivery and digital service initiatives, a shorter time between concept and launch, and gives future and current DSPs more opportunity to compete in, and profit from, the digital evolution,” said Ken Kennedy, chief technology officer and senior vice president of product management and software development, CSG International. 
 
Ascendon offers four solution configurations that unify CSG Content Direct and the company’s market-leading BSS products into an integrated platform that supports various stages of digital service evolution:
 
• Evolved Customer build, manage and monetize new customer relationships for digital services across multiple devices and payment methods.
• Digital Commerce merchandize digital products and services with offer and order management.
• Network Commerce monetize network provider assets in new ways using charging, policy and network control.
• Business Transformation enable DSPs to deliver traditional services while rapidly introducing new digital services.
 
CSG has helped many companies implement digital service strategies, including Comcast through XFINITY on Campus, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Cineplex Entertainment, ESPN and more.