Telecom Expense Management Featured Article

Telecom expense management (TEM) firm Rivermine announced Thursday its plans to merge with BBR Wireless Management (News - Alert), a TEM provider that focuses on wireless communications. The two companies decided that their respective focuses on telecom automation software (Rivermine) and wireless spend management (BBR) would be best if fully merged to create a complete lifecycle TEM offering.

 

The two companies already were working closely together in a strategic partnership announced during the first quarter of 2007, so this latest deal is a natural progression, Rivermine (News - Alert) and BBR Wireless said.

 

Together, Rivermine and BBR are offering unified wireline and wireless expense management solutions to both enterprise clients and channel partners. Once fully combined under Rivermine’s brand, these services will serve an installed base of 225 companies.

 

“BBR Wireless Management has provided industry-leading ROI and we are excited to welcome them as a part of Rivermine,” said Rivermine CEO Mark Logan (News - Alert), in a statement. “The combined company will allow us to satisfy the increased demand for unified wireless and wireline solutions across the globe.

 

When Rivermine and BBR Wireless first partnered in early 2007, the impetus was to provide both wireline and wireless management services, and since that time demand for this type of unified solution has only grown.

 

“End user organizations tell us through our research that while they need both wireless and wireline expense management solutions, they prefer a unified vendor offering that addresses both sides of the coin,” said Philippe Winthrop, research director for the wireless and mobility division at Aberdeen (News - Alert) Group, in a statement.

 

Winthrop added: “Rivermine stands among very few pure play TEM companies that are responding to the demand for a unified wireline and wireless expense management vision.”

 

Thanks to the merger, an expanded network of global channel partners, including two of the industry’s largest IT outsourcers and system integrators, will be delivering unified TEM solutions to large customer bases.

“The future of the new company is incredibly bright as Rivermine has both a sterling reputation in the market, and exceptionally high customer satisfaction results,” said Jim Carroll (News - Alert), president and CEO at BBR Wireless, in a statement..“Capitalizing on the key synergies between our products, services and management teams will allow us to bring even stronger wireless and wireline solutions to the marketplace.”

Carroll will be taking the role of executive vice president for the combined company’s wireless services division, while Logan will remain in place as CEO. Also as part of the merger, Ray Moncrief from The Southern Appalachian Fund (a lead investor in BBR Wireless) will be joining Rivermine’s board of directors. Headquarters for Rivermine will stay in Fairfax, Virginia, with new satellite offices being added in that municipality and in Louisville, Kentucky.

To learn more about expense management for both wireline and wireless services, please visit the Telecom Expense Management channel on TMCnet.com, brought to you by Rivermine.

 

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