MetraTech (News - Alert) Corp, a provider of agreements-based billing and compensation solutions, will participate in the second phase of an Enhanced Cloud Service Management Catalyst.

Officials with MetraTech Corp said that the telecom billing and mobile billing specialist has joined forces with Cisco, InfoVista and other international names to define an end-to-end cloud computing services management framework.

The TM Forum (News - Alert) Catalyst explores how communications service providers can develop, monetize and assure a portfolio of unique cloud computing-based services like hosted video conferencing.

Company officials said that the collaboration, which involves BT, Cisco, Amartus, Comptel, MetraTech and Progress Software (News - Alert), will deliver an intelligent infrastructure and management approach that will allow CSPs to achieve service differentiation, reduced costs and access to new revenue streams and markets through portfolios of enhanced cloud services.

According to company officials, MetraTech’s content billing solution, MetraNet, is used to complete the billing process, providing the data needed for managing the financial aspects of policy controls and supporting other complex customer care activities.

The Catalyst will be demonstrated live in Forumville at TM Forum’s Management World 2011, taking place May 23-26, in Dublin, Ireland.

“The Enhanced Cloud Service Management Catalyst provides an opportunity to explore how the delivery, performance and monetization of enhanced cloud computing and collaboration services can be managed without any negative fallout for CSPs,” added Tom Caldwell, director of technical marketing, Network Management Technology Group at Cisco (News - Alert), in a statement.

“The Catalyst draws attention to how critical it is for service providers to have at their fingertips the ability to quickly monetize innovative yet complex services,” said Barbara Lancaster, vice president, sales, Americas at MetraTech.

“In a world where service models are defined by the ever more complex agreements between customers, suppliers, and partners, the ability to monetize has to be an enabler, rather than a gating factor, to success,” said Lancaster.