AZURE Solutions, the London and Ipswich-based revenue assurance and billing solutions specialist, yesterday confirmed its merger with Indian telecom software product company Subex Systems.

AZURE Solutions, the London and Ipswich-based revenue assurance and billing solutions specialist, yesterday confirmed its merger with Indian telecom software product company Subex Systems.

The merged company called Subex Azure Ltd will be headquartered in Bangalore and combines the two companies' industry-leading positions as fraud management and revenue-assurance systems providers.

Subex Azure said the deal represented a major step forward in its strategic business focus of helping telecom operators establish Revenue Operations Centres through an integrated suite of solutions.

It added that the merger would not affect the jobs of its 500 employees located around the world.

Subash Menon, the former chairman and CEO of Subex, heads the new company. This decision reflects Subex's listing on the Indian stock exchange and Mr Menon's relationship with investors.

He said yesterday: “The successful closure of this merger represents exciting opportunities for our customers as the combined entity offers an integrated and synergistic value proposition hitherto unrivalled in our space.”

Azure is one of the successful spin-outs from BT Adastral Park at Martlesham. Backed by venture capitalists NVP Brightstar, it started trading from offices in Ipswich in April 2003 and rapidly developed a global presence with a workforce of 200. Last year the company won the Best Revenue-Assurance Project award at the World Billing Awards in London.

John Cronin, president and CEO of Azure Solutions, has been given the key role of overseeing the integration of the two companies.

Commenting on the proposed merger in April this year, he said: “The merger will enable us to offer a world-class product portfolio to operators worldwide. The new company will be number one in fraud management and revenue assurance, and number two in interconnect and interparty billing.

“Our existing and future customers will benefit from a broad product portfolio supported over a wider geography.”

A spokesman for Azure confirmed that the Ipswich office, which has around 40 employees, was unlikely to be amalgamated into Subex Azure's EMEA headquarters in London in the future.

“BT is a major customer of ours and being co-located with BT is beneficial. Plus many of our key people live here, so I don't think any change will happen.”