In the end, Comarch was victorious, in a near tie with Incognito. Both resonated well with CSP and analyst judges. However, notably more CSPs favored our Runner-up, Incognito, whereas Analysts leaned more heavily toward Comarch’s broader solution. Intraway also gained several notable CSP votes again underscoring the fierceness of the competition at this level. The results are Comarch as the Winner, Incognito as the Runner-up, and Intraway as the Finalist.

Innovations in Assurance

The Innovations in Assurance category looks for innovative technologies that help protect operations. This year, Comarch and Subex elevated through the ranks to the Finalist level and were presented to the 2023 Innovation Awards judges for voting. Comarch submitted its cloud-based, IT service monitoring, and enterprise service management solution, MTR (Meet the Request) for automation across service activation, monitoring, and repair. Subex submitted its Business Assurance solution in conjunction with British Telecom (BT) for the integration of data analytics and visualization, identification of revenue leakages, and automation of resolutions.

In the end, Subex took the Winner position with overwhelming support from the analyst judges. Comarch received incredible endorsement and validation of its innovation, gathering nearly all the votes from the CSP judges. But the analysts tipped the scales in Subex’s favor resulting in Subex as the Winner and Comarch as the Runner-up.

Innovations in Digital Transformation (DT)

Innovation in Digital Transformation was another 2023 Pipeline Innovation Awards category chocked full of innovative submissions from many Semi-finalists. Through the objective, mathematical scoring process, the robust group of Semi-finalists was whittled down to just three Finalists which included CloudSmartz, Intraway, and Netcracker. This time, however, Netcracker put up its Netcracker Digital Platform (NDP) for the acceleration of 5G, cloud, and B2B applications. And, once again, it appeared that Netcracker would dominate this category based on shear size, resources, and market share – and notable past award wins – but once again we were surprised by the results.

Intraway received many endorsements of Symphonica, receiving the majority of votes from CSPs and notable analysts. CloudSmartz did well too, receiving validation from Tier 1 CSPs such as AT&T, and resonated even better among analysts receiving more votes from Intraway. Surprisingly, Netcracker resonated better with the Tier 2 operators on the 2023 Pipeline Innovation Awards judging panel and notable analysts but fell short of Intraway and CloudSmartz when the votes were tallied. In the end, Intraway was the Winner, CloudSmartz the Runner-up, and Netcracker placed as Finalist.

Innovations in Operational Support Systems (OSS)

This category was also full of ample and highly competitive submissions from many global technical innovators and featured another surprising upset too. The Finalists included Netcracker, MYCOM OSI, and Comarch. Netcracker submitted its Netcracker Intelligent automation solution which incorporated AI and self-learning for self-service and zero-touch operations. MYCOM OSI showcased its Service Experience deployment that utilizes intelligent traffic profiling and predictive algorithms for mobile, broadband, and enterprise services to create a zero-touch NOC/SOC. And Comarch presented the fifth generation of its Mobile OSS application for iOS and Android, featuring many advanced OSS functions including augmented reality for field technicians.

In the end, MYCOM OSI took home the prize as the Winner, Netcracker came in as Runner-up, and Comarch remained the finalist. MYCOM OSI resonated the best with both CSPs across regions and tiers. Netcracker did well across both groups of judges too, but a couple CSPs voted MYCOM way securing their win. Comarch remained the Finalist, resonating with a major CSP in Latin America (LATAM) and gaining more analyst votes than Netcracker, and as many as MYCOM OSI.

Innovations in Business Support Systems (BSS)

Comarch, Etiya, and Netcracker all advanced to the Finalist stage in the Innovations in BSS category. This time Comarch flexed its BSS strength with its Comarch Product Catalog which featured a new model for supporting satellite connectivity. Etiya submitted its BSS platform’s multi-brand management feature particularly designed for MNOs and MVNOs to personalize offerings and streamline operations for diverse customer segments. Netcracker presented their Netcracker Digital BSS that enables CSPs to capitalize on investments in and use cases for 6G, cloud, the Metaverse, and Virtual Reality (VR). The judges certainly had their work cut out for them as all the Finalists demonstrated compelling advancements to modernize what may seem to some as a technical area ripe for and in dire need of innovation.

The judges were torn here as well, with Etiya taking the lead with CSPs and analysts. Netcracker and Comarch were in a dead heat, with Netcracker squeezing out just ahead of Comarch in the final stretch. The results were Etiya as the Winner, Netcracker as the Runner-up, and Comarch as the Finalist who garnered more attention and obtained more votes from the CSP judges in the US, Canada, and LATAM.

Innovations in Network Technology

In the Innovations in Network Technologies category, Promptlink and Netcracker emerged as the Finalists. Promptlink Communications submitted its NoiseHawkAI HFC solution that leverages AI for pinpointing and eliminating network noise in hybrid networks. Netcracker had two entries included in this category, including its Netcracker Edge Automation and Orchestration solution for ensuring stringent latency and performance in complete edge networks, and its Netcracker Network Domain Orchestration Solution for software-defined networks.

The judges of the 2023 Pipeline Innovation Awards program were clearly torn between Promptlink’s AI innovation and Netcracker’s Edge innovations, with a single vote tipping the scales in Promptlink Communications’ favor. At the end of the day, Promptlink Communications was the Winner, and Netcracker the Runner-up.