South American Operator Achieves First 5G Launch with Comprehensive Digital Transformation

How a leading South American triple-play provider deployed Alepo’s Digital BSS and AI-powered solutions to launch their country’s first 5G network while revolutionizing customer experience. 

The Challenge: Market Leadership Through Innovation

A leading South American triple-play provider, established in 2013, wanted to maintain competitive advantage by launching innovative services including LTE, 5G networks, and digital customer experiences. Operating in a heavily cash-based economy, they needed to encourage online payments while modernizing network infrastructure and automating workflows. 

The operator required a comprehensive platform that could manage fiber, IPTV, LTE, and 5G services while providing advanced digital customer engagement capabilities. 

The Vision: Converged Digital Platform 

The operator envisioned becoming their country’s first 5G provider while transforming customer experience through digital automation. Goals included deploying converged billing for all services, implementing workflow automation, integrating payment gateways, and providing omnichannel self-care including AI chatbot support. 

The Solution: Phased Digital Transformation 

The operator partnered with Alepo for comprehensive digital transformation delivered in phases: 

• Phase 1 – Converged BSS Platform: Complete Digital BSS replacement including CRM, convergent charging and billing, revenue management, PCRF, AAA, DHCP, product catalog, and provisioning for unified service management. 

• Phase 2 – AI-Powered Customer Experience: WhatsApp chatbot integration for customer support, Order Management System (OMS) for automated work order tracking, and payment gateway integration supporting currency conversion. 

• Phase 3 – 5G Network Launch: First 5G network deployment in the country using non-standalone (5G NSA) architecture leveraging existing evolved packet core infrastructure. 

• Advanced Automation: Comprehensive workflow automation eliminating traditional paper-based processes while enabling rapid service launches and troubleshooting. 

The Results 

• Country’s First 5G Network: Successfully launched 5G services for residential and business customers, delivering some of the fastest internet speeds available and establishing market leadership position. 

• Doubled LTE Subscriber Sessions: Within months of deployment, online subscriber sessions doubled for the LTE network while significant numbers of customers adopted the new 5G service. 

• Automated Customer Experience: WhatsApp chatbot integration provided 24/7 customer support enabling users to check payments, balances, raise tickets, and receive notifications, dramatically reducing call center dependency. 

• Streamlined Operations: OMS automation eliminated paper-based work orders, enabling real-time tracking, delay reporting, and automated notifications via WhatsApp and email. 

• Enhanced Revenue Performance: Improved service creation capabilities and real-time audience targeting through digital channels increased customer engagement while reducing operational expenses. 

The Impact

The South American operator’s transformation demonstrates how comprehensive digital platforms enable operators to achieve market firsts while building sustainable competitive advantages. By combining network infrastructure modernization with customer experience innovation, they established leadership in both 5G deployment and digital service delivery.