Infrastructure vendor Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN) on Wednesday expanded its capabilities in the charging and service delivery markets with an investment in application server and service brokering firm OpenCloud.

NSN is leading the latest investment round in OpenCloud, sinking £4m into the UK-based firm, with existing investors Advent Venture Partners and No 8 Ventures adding a further £1m. In addition, NSN will integrate Open Cloud’s technology into its charge@once suite of modular convergent charging and billing tools.

According to the vendor, the technology will allow NSN’s customers to converge existing telecom assets and IP capabilities; extend services to the entire postpaid and prepaid subscriber base; bundle content and services together; add real time charging mechanisms; and expose IP assets and services to application developers.

NSN and OpenCloud have 13 joint customers through a partnership started two years ago including BT, Vodafone and T-Mobile. Under the terms of this new deal, OpenCloud will also get access to NSN’s global customer base.