Cerillion : Celebrating 20 years of Cerillion

Following our20^th birthday on 4^th October we have been sharing our highlights of #TheCerillionYears on our social media channels. Here's a special blog post and infographic that looks back on Cerillion's most important milestones and the evolution of the industry over the past two decades.

1999
- The year that the Euro currency was introduced and when the IT industry prepared for Y2K meltdown (spoiler alert - the preparation worked). Cerillion launched on 4th October with 5 customers and just 12 staff following MBO from Logica.

2000-

The dotcom bubble reaches its peak; UK 3G licence auction raises a whopping £22.5bn. Cerillion raises a slightly smaller amount with 1st round of private equity funding; unveils CRM & Billing version 1.

2001 - dotcom bubble bursts causing industry downturn; GSM World Congress rebranded to '3GSM' but still hosted in Cannes. Cerillion helps Manx Telecom launch Europe's first live 3G (UMTS) network; gains 2nd round funding and acquires IBAS (interconnect billing) product from CACI.

2002- First multimedia messaging services (MMS) go live, coinciding with cameraphones arriving in the US/Europe after earlier success in Asia. Cerillion wins first customer in Africa.

2003 - Skype launches VoIP calling application that 'just works' (it did, and it changed everything); Three UK launches on 03/03/03 - a marketeer's dream! Cerillion 2 is released with first fully web-based interface; first client win in the USA.

2004 - GSMA announces more than 1 billion GSM connections; 28,000 of them head to Cannes for the latest instalment of '3GSM'. Cerillion expands and moves to iconic Centre Point building in London's west end; launches Tele2 UK in just 3 weeks with first managed services deal.
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2005 - GSM connections burst through 1.5 billion; Local Loop Unbundling (LLU) introduced in UK through further deregulation of fixed line market; YouTube launches, creating whole new market for user generated content. Cerillion wins 5 new clients including BTC in Bulgaria and Tele2 Ireland; also supports world's first HSDPA services launch at Manx Telecom.

2006 - Facebook launches to the general public; '3GSM' finds new home in Barcelona; Mobile Number Portability (MNP) introduced in UK; BT launches first cities on '21CN' - whatever happened to that?! Cerillion opens Global Solutions Centre (GSC) in India; launches Cerillion 3; named in Tech Track 100 list of fastest growing private companies.

2007- First iPhone arrives, redefining the smartphone market; Netflix launches streaming service, takes video 'over-the-top'. Cerillion wins first customer in Australia taking total number of customer installations to 28 in 21 countries; joins TM Forum; releases Cerillion 4 for FMC services.

2008 - First Android smartphones hit the market; 55,000 people attend rebranded 'MWC' in Barcelona; Airbnb starts new wave of 'gig economy'; first Smart TV is unveiled by Samsung. Cerillion lowers entry barrier for operators with Cerillion Express; wins big in the Bahamas with BTC.

2009 - First 4G network goes live in Stockholm and Oslo; Uber joins gig economy in San Francisco; WhatsApp launches app-based messaging service and goes head-to-head with SMS; Bitcoin arrives. Cerillion unveils Total Convergence Architecture; launches real-time rating in Cerillion 5.

2010 - Apple introduces front facing camera in iPhone 4, kickstarting selfie craze. Cerillion wins multi-site cable billing deal in Caribbean with Columbus; achieves EFQM Committed to Excellence certification.

2011 - Skype finds new home in Microsoft; Global mobile connections break through 6 billion mark; Blackberry peaks with over 50m devices sold. Cerillion launches 3GPP convergent charging engine in Cerillion 6; partners with NSN for launch of joint 'Compact UCB' solution.

2012- MWC continues growth, reaching 67,000 participants; London Olympics heralded as first truly digital Games; Samsung surpasses Nokia to become number 1 handset vendor. Cerillion wins multi-country deal with Truphone; launches Interconnect Managed Service; goes live with major #BSSOSS transformation project for M2 in Australia.

2013- MWC moves to Fira Gran Via (still Barcelona) providing further headroom for growth; 72,000 people attend. Cerillion introduces beta of new cloud billing app, Cerillion Skyline; wins major convergent charging contract with Manx Telecom; expands Columbus deal to fifth separate country.

2014 - Facebook acquires WhatsApp for $19bn; 85,000 people hear all about it a week later at MWC in Barcelona; Amazon launches Alexa smart voice assistant. Cerillion completes quad-play #BSSOSS transformation for Gibtelecom in just 11 months; achieves first 4G launch with PCCW's Relish brand in London; wins new 4G convergent charging contract with SWAN, taking total number of sites to 43 in 36 countries; named IBM ISV of the Year and makes first appearance in Gartner IRCM Magic Quadrant.

2015- GSMA reports 1 billion 4G connections. Cerillion acquires netSolutions network inventory business from Ubisense; welcomes KDDI, Cox and Vodacom to customer base; signs VAR agreement for GE Smallworld platform; goes commercial with Cerillion Skyline.

2016- MWC Barcelona breaks through 100,000 attendees; Google enters smart voice assistant market with launch of Google Home; mobile internet users exceed desktop for first time. Cerillion IPO's on the London Stock Exchange; named Visionary in Gartner IRCM Magic Quadrant; introduces accelerated R&D programme.

2017- Roam Like at Home regulation introduced, scrapping roaming fees within EU. Cerillion wins multi-site digital transformation with Sure; launches Cerillion 7 and Evergreen software upgrade model; moves to new HQ in Covent Garden; achieves highest overall rating amongst IRCM vendors on Gartner Peer Insights.

2018- First 5G networks launched in South Korea / USA; GDPR introduction causes opt-in opt-out chaos. Cerillion team wins Business Impact award for sponsored data Catalyst Project at Digital Transformation World; signs up to TM Forum Open API Manifesto; wins major wholesale billing and managed services deal in Denmark.

2019- 5G rollouts continue apace; foldable phones touted as the next big device trend; 100m Alexa enabled devices milestone. Cerillion completes ISO9001:2015 certification; supports first 5G launch for Three; enables Lobster MVNO launch in Spain; wins major #BSSOSS transformation projects in US, Europe and Asia, taking total number of sites to 90 in 43 countries; exceeds 200 staff milestone.