NTL turns to Microsoft for portal and back end

NTL has plumped for middleware technology from Microsoft in an effort to pull together various back end systems and ultimately answer a common complaint - that its customer service isn't good enough.

The cable company's frontline staff will connect to all manner of back end systems - covering areas such as billing, workflow management and CRM - using a portal and Microsoft Biztalk software.

Referring to the unusual choice of Microsoft for handling telecoms infrastructure, Phil Pavitt, CIO group IT at NTL, said: "I never imagined using Biztalk beyond messaging, for areas like billing."

Details of the financial arrangement between the two companies haven't been revealed, though Microsoft is eager to use NTL as a reference site in Europe and beyond.

After a string of acquisitions NTL decided to undertake a two-year programme involving a "major investment" to replace 31 billing engines, of which eight were prime, with one based on Microsoft.

Chris Pennington, EMEA business development manager for Microsoft's telecoms operations and billing businesses, said: "There is a maturity of Microsoft product that makes it telco-grade and a maturity of attitude now. [We have] a more business-oriented technology solution."

Chris Lewis, senior VP Research and Consulting at analysts Yankee Group, said Microsoft won't be the first name on most telcos minds, even when they are seeking to consolidate or move away from existing back-end telecoms infrastructure.

"But there is also a reluctance to hand it all over systems integrators. Some other [telcos] are stubborn. They want to do it all themselves. But there are those, often on the second tier, who are less tied [to certain technology]" - and so might give Microsoft a chance.

The portal technology NTL agents now rely on has the look and feel of a Windows XP desktop operating system. NTL CIO Pavitt says that has helped bring training times for front line staff down from five days to two hours in some instances.

But the cable giant won't be pursuing an all-Microsoft approach from hereon in.

"We're not slavish about buying Microsoft," said Pavitt, adding an advantage of his company's new approach is being able to plug in other software using Biztalk Adaptors.

Around half of NTL's IT is outsourced to IBM.