Intelligent Approach Saves 3G Operators £300 Million

13 September 2004

Newbury, UK: The cost of building 3G networks can be cut by 30% - a figure that could save a network operator £300 million, according to UK-based 3G optimisation specialists Arieso.

Arieso identified the cost saving, which could further grow as the network grow, with figures taken from network trials carried out using Arieso's advanced optimising techniques. In one best case scenario, Arieso determined a potential saving of over 40%, with nearly half of the original sites installed by the operator found to be unecessary. The reduced size network showed no loss of service or reduction of key performance indicators.

However, if the operator chooses to keep the original number of sites, the capacity of the optimised network can be doubled, the coverage improved, and the number of dropped calls reduced.

3G networks require a radically different approach to that of existing 2G and 2.5G networks. Operator foresight and optimisation is now proving critical in terms of developing the highest quality network in the most cost-effective manner.

Arieso's trials use intelligent network optimisation techniques based on operator data. The multimedia composition of 3G network traffic requires a much more sophisticated approach to implementing coverage and capacity to meet subscriber expectations.

Arieso Chairman Mike Pinches explained: "Taking the UK as a 'typical scenario', a network of around 10,000 sites would be required for national coverage. The average cost of a site is £100K including the building, radio and ancillary services, installation and commissioning, giving an investment of £1BN.

"If the network is properly optimised prior to implementation, our trial results see an average saving of £300M. If an existing network is optimised using the correct intelligent products, then sites proved to be 'surplus' to existing requirements can be used to provide extra capacity."

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For further information, contact:

Companycare PR: Alex Sowden / Sarah Webb
Tel: +44 118 939 5900

alex.sowden@companycare.com
sarah.webb@companycare.com

Telecoms Expert David Colbeck to Direct Arieso Sales and Marketing

20 July 2004

Newbury, UK, dateline: Pioneering 3G network optimisation specialist, Arieso, has appointed wireless communications industry expert, David Colbeck, as its Sales and Marketing Director. Based in Newbury, Arieso was founded by Ian Groves, former head of the Mobile Systems Division at BT Laboratories, and Shirin Dehghan, previously of Vodafone, where she acted as technical expert on systems and technology issues in the operator's UMTS auction team.

Arieso has rapidly claimed a highly credible position in the science of 3G network modelling and configuration. Its development of unique, automatic network optimisation software is set to deliver significant cost savings to the operator community, as well as a vastly improved mobile user experience. Arieso believes the quality of a network's design can make a substantial impact on profitability for an operator, and David will bring his in-depth experience and industry knowledge to this young company that is marketing its unique software solution.

David has over 25 years' experience in the telecommunications industry, and began his career at British Telecom (BT). He then moved to Ericsson, where he was responsible for marketing fixed and mobile networks in the UK, securing the contract with One 2 One for a personal communications network that is nowT-Mobile.

In 1992, as Marketing Director, he introduced Ericsson mobile telephones into the UK market. David also worked for Ericsson Australia, where he was responsible for establishing the Vodafone GSM network. On his return to the UK, David was appointed Managing Director for Ericsson's Cellular Systems and Terminals Division.

Prior to joining Arieso, David was Managing Director and Vice President for Europe for Tekelec, where he took a lead role developing Tekelec's business outside America by establishing subsidiary offices in France, Germany, Italy and Russia.

David holds a first class Honours degree in Physics from Imperial College, London, is a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical Engineers and a member of the Institute of Directors.

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For further information, contact:

Companycare PR: Alex Sowden / Sarah Webb
Tel: +44 118 939 5900

alex.sowden@companycare.com
sarah.webb@companycare.com

Arieso's network optimisation product, Altaro, being used in with Live network data

6 July 2004

Following extensive technical assessments Arieso was selected to optimise an existing live 3G network using measurement and switch data to improve performance in the areas of:

• Drop call rates
• Soft-handover successes
• Radio access bearer successes

Using sophisticated network analysis methodology Altaro is able to accurately model the behaviour of the network. Arieso's high-speed simulator incorporates vendor-specific algorithms and parameters of the relevant layers of the radio interface, as well as some interfaces beyond the radio layer, where appropriate. Arieso's simulator is used to analyse one scenario at a time and to produce results for each scenario, such as statistics on call success/failure, data throughput, queuing delays etc. This unique and innovative approach to joint simulation and optimisation has been developed by Arieso to automate the entire process of network design and optimisation. The solution developed by Arieso is typically 80% more effective than manual executions.

This is arguably the first time that an intelligent optimisation product has been used with network data. Shirin Dehghan, CEO, says, 'We are pleased to be involved in what is a real industry first and we are confident that our product will continue to offer the best optimisation results in the quickest time.'

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For further information, contact:

Shirin Dehghan, CEO
shirin.dehghan@arieso.com

Arieso secures $2.6m and takes the science behind network optimisation software into a new era

2 June 2004

UK technology firm Arieso, based in Newbury, has secured its first round of institutional funding, allowing it to aggressively develop its suite of mobile network optimisation products. Arieso’s products will significantly reduce the costs of building and maintaining new telecommunications networks such as 3G. The round was led by European venture capital firms Add Partners and Top Technology Ventures.

The company was founded by an expert team of technologists and telecoms industry professionals, including Mike Pinches, former MD of Vodafone UK Network, as Chairman.

Arieso aims to solve the problems of planning and optimising 3G networks, caused by the huge number of variables in 3G networks. Traditional manual design methodologies have proved unable to deliver efficient networks.

Arieso’s product, Ariesopt, is fully integrated with existing planning tools such as Forsk’s Atolltm as well as drive test equipment such as Ericsson’s TEMStm. It provides a bridge between radio network design and field optimisation.

Maisy Ng, Managing Partner, Add Partners says, “Arieso is the showcase provider of 3G network optimisation products. The company has used innovative and brilliant mathematics coupled with unparalleled knowledge of 3G network technology to take network optimisation into a new age.”

Martin Fiennes, Investment Manager at Top Technology Ventures comments, ”3G networks bring a massive range of new problems to the network planner. Arieso has developed an exciting technology to address these problems and complement the planners’ existing toolkits.”

Arieso’s network optimisation product is currently being trialled by many of the world’s leading mobile network providers, and early results from these trials already look excellent.

Says CEO Shirin Dehghan: ‘”We are delighted to be working closely with network operators and pleased that results confirm that effective optimisation can offer operators up to 30% savings on their capital and operating budgets. Funding from Add Partners and Top Technology Ventures means that we can now gear up for further expansion and broaden the range of products we can offer to operators.”

Arieso Chairman, Mike Pinches adds, “2004 promises to be the year that the world’s leading mobile operators integrate optimisation solutions into their 3G network design processes. Arieso are ideally placed to become their provider of choice.”

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About Add Partners:

Add Partners is a leading Venture Capital firm, investing in Europe’s most promising technologies and entrepreneurs. Uniquely for Europe, Add Partners’ expert investment team applies Silicon Valley-style investing, deep knowledge of the European market and global perspective to help early-stage companies achieve their global potential. Add Partners was founded in 1999 and is headquartered in London, UK.

About Top Technology Ventures:

Top Technology Ventures has been investing in early stage UK technology ventures for nearly twenty years. Top Technology Ventures typically make investments of between £0.5m and £1m, normally in the first institutional round post-seed funding. It invests across all areas of information technology, telecommunications and manufacturing technology, and will invest on its own or alongside other investors.

For further information, contact:

Arieso

Shirin Dehghan, CEO
shirin.dehghan@arieso.com

Add Partners
Peter Sturn
peter-web@addpartners.com

Release: 23 / 02 / 2004

Arieso Teams Up With Mason Communications at 3GSM World Congress 2004

23-26 February 2004, Cannes, France

This year, on stand A13 in Hall 1 Arieso is delighted to be teaming up with Mason to provide network operators with a complete network optimisation solution. Mason is one of the world’s leading Telecom and IT consulting companies, with a global base of blue-chip clients. This collaboration is a testament to the excellence of Arieso’s solutions.

Arieso and Mason’s products and services are complementary to one another. By working together we are able to offer a unique combination of enabling software tools, RF planning expertise and experience and implementation project management so providing operators with the reassurance that their network optimization is in safe hands.

The secret of Mason’s success has been to combine front-end strategic consulting skills with a strong implementation capability to provide a ‘concepts to reality’ service. Mason work closely with their clients and focus on their individual needs to ensure that they deliver maximum business advantage.

Together Arieso and Mason aim to help operators meet some of the following challenges:

• Pressure to reduce CAPEX / OPEX
• Need for revenue growth
• 3G skills and capability gap
• Compressed roll-out timescales
• Meeting QoS targets
• Customer retention
• Regulatory change
• Intelligent Network Design and Optimisation to accelerate delivery of a cost-effective and optimised network
• 3G Training to build expertise amongst your team
• Programme and Project Management to fast-track network roll-out
• At Mason we have the cure for your 3G headache
• Procurement and outsourcing to deliver value for money in infrastructure deployment and services
• Benchmarking to maximise performance in network build and operations
• Contact centre performance improvement programmes to increase productivity, release latent capacity and reduce operational costs
• Customer Experience Management to achieve best-in-class and maximise profits through customer retention

The 3GSM World Congress is the premier annual telecoms event and the global meeting place for the industry. The Congress brings together world-leading industry keynotes and a comprehensive agenda spanning a broad spectrum of critical business, public policy and technology issues that are impacting the industry today. Arieso and Mason are at the forefront of 3G and has been leading the way by assisting European mobile telecoms operators to fast-track the roll-out of 3G networks.

This is an excellent opportunity for you to meet some of our highly experienced colleagues and identify the way ahead for your organisation.

Contacts:

For Arieso
Shirin Dehghan, CEO
shirin.dehghan@arieso.com

For Mason
Ian Birleson
ian.birleson@mason.biz