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feature that identifies dropped calls and assigns credits or discounts accordingly.

Subex-Azure was present, complete with its fully-merged Syndesis arm. The company touted its position as an industry leader with 150 installations in 63 countries, and its Rocware revenue maximization solutions. The presence of several other India-based companies was particularly evident at this show, with Tech Mahindra, WiPro, and others making their presence felt to a greater degree than we've seen at some other trade events.

Besides some of our favorite OSS companies, there were billing firms... and a lot of them. What's an OSS vendor (or an OSS-exclusive publication, for that matter) to do? A representative from a US OSS company remarked that the show was really focused on billing, and the OSS component seemed less focused with fewer attendees interested in OSS products. When we mentioned hearing a sentiment to that effect to executive staff from a Canadian OSS firm, the staff laughed aloud and replied, “You think?!” The sarcasm was not lost on us.

Neither lost on us was the fact that Billing World is a successful billing show. The expo floor was active, and while some OSS companies expressed that the only real reason for attending the show was to meet with existing clients or to have a venue to execute prearranged meetings, no one could claim that the show was unsuccessful by any stretch of the imagination. However, with the field of trade shows being as crowded as it is, belts are being tightened and companies have to make tough calls. For the moment, many top OSS firms still head to Billing & OSS World. If the show continues to come across as a billing show with a splash of OSS, however, the obsolescence of a show fighting to find relevance is inevitable.

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