Nz Technology An Early Olympic Winner

New Zealand innovation is going for gold at the Olympics, with a Wellington-based company putting the final touches to a large contract which will see its technology being used for the first time in the telecommunications industry in Australasia.

To cope with peak demand times, like opening and closing ceremonies, Telstra is boosting its MobileNet coverage around Sydney Olympic Park, Darling Harbour and other Games venues. Existing capacity will triple, to provide what is believed to be the densest mobile coverage anywhere in the world.

But behind the unprecedented capacity is a unique tool being used in for the first time in telecommunications in Australasia. 'SeePower,' from Wellington software innovators Compudigm International, is a real-time network traffic monitoring system providing immediate feedback to mobile network operators on demand levels.

It will allow Telstra to make rapid decisions in managing the expected heavy mobile network demand, enabling capacity to be moved around Sydney Olympic Park as people move from venue to venue. As network load approaches high levels, additional capacity can be allocated to high load areas to reduce the level of disruption to customers.

Data from key elements of the network will provide visualised reports of network traffic in real time, enabling Telstra's mobile network operations team to analyse, reconfigure and optimise the mobile network to cope with changing demands.

Andrew Cardno, Compudigm President and a driving force behind the three year old company's explosive growth, explains: "SeePower draws data from Telstra's network into a Sybase IQ database, then converts it into visual contour images and thematic maps illustrated with key features, such as antennae and Olympic Park venues.

"It is possible to size an image down to one cell, or up to view network activity for the whole of New South Wales. Each individual cell can be visualised on the detailed map to reveal the actual state of the network, while the management map contains higher level information for the entire network," says Cardno. "It's this ability to present precise information on a number of levels, all in a quickly understood format that won the business for SeePower."

The Telstra MobileNet deal is the latest in a line of successes for Compudigm's SeePower, with its technology applicable to any industry which handles large volumes of data, including retail, telecommunications, sports, gaming, internet, finance and banking.

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For further information contact: Jane Rowse,Compudigm International,64 4 499 9881 www.compudigm.com

Telstra's SeePower Solution · Compudigm's SeePower takes data from the base stations that contain information on criteria Telstra network criteria. This is drawn into a Sybase IQ database and then provides visualised reports (either still or animated) of Telstra network traffic, in 'real time' as well as for analysis after the event.

· From this information the Telstra operations team can see the current status of the mobile network and focus on relevant detail, as it changes, making decisions on how to reconfigure or repair the network. Intuitive views of the network that can be replayed allow better decisions quicker.

How it works · There will be vast quantities of network traffic data uploaded once a minute from base stations in Telstra's NSW mobile network. SeePower uploads this information into a Sybase IQ database. The Sybase IQ database is used for its unique data storage and retrieval features that support SeePower's workload and speed requirements.

· Data is stored and converted into visual contour images which the Telstra users will work with. Maps are labelled and illustrated with key features, such as antennas and Olympic Park venues.

· It is possible to size an image down to one cell in the network or up to view network activity for the whole of New South Wales. Each individual cell can be visualised on a detailed map to reveal the actual state of the network, while the management map contains higher level information for the entire network.

· Using key performance indicators (KPIs), including the number of connections and call dropouts, SeePower allows the Telstra users to manipulate and understand trends eg. the network may have been overloaded so an analysis can be made of what happened and the configuration changed if necessary.

· All KPIs that are run will be displayed 'live' and some will be displayed after the event using stills or animations through time. Important KPIs can be defined in such a way that all those of interest can be viewed at the same time on the management map.

Compudigm's SeePower enables Telstra to: Ø improve network planning and forecasting; improve antenna site location; Ø better manage network operations to reduce congestion; pick up problems early and ensure optimal network performance; analyse call volumes and pattern Ø visualise its mobile network activities over time and space in a geographical area; Ø monitor and analyse network usage; increase employee productivity and reduce response times; Ø reduce costs by analysing network and traffic flows over time and space

About Compudigm Compudigm International Ltd is a NZ registered software development company based in Wellington. Established in January 1997, it currently employs 45 people.

Compudigm provides data visualization tools that outperform every other business intelligence tool on the market today. It uses its groundbreaking data visualisation management system - SeePower - to capture and analyse the large volumes of hidden information in a corporate database.

The results are presented in a user-friendly visual format which enable operational and marketing management to quickly interpret and communicate profit flows, turnover and other key performance indicators. They also enable an intuitive understanding of the business interactions surrounding customers and suppliers. SeePower can be applied to any industry, which handles large volumes of data, including retail, telecommunications, sports, gaming, internet, finance and banking.

Overseas contracts are driving Compudigm's growth. This has lead to the opening of an office in Las Vegas and a partnership with Sybase to provide innovative world class business intelligence resources. www.compudigm.com

-- Carrara Communications Ltd Public Relations / Communications P O Box 128-183 Remuera, Auckland, NZ Tel: 64 9 579 7270. Fax 64 9 579 7807 mobile: 021 80 4749

......."a stand can be made against invasion by an army; no stand can be made against invasion by an idea"...Victor Hugo.

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