ICN Partners with MCL Systems Limited to Modernize Operations

A hand pointing at a glowing digital icon of a handshake and gears, surrounded by an arch of connected user profile icons over a digital globe.

Statewide network transitions from generic IT tools to a dedicated telecom solution, streamlining end-to-end billing, CRM, and operational efficiency.

The Iowa Communications Network (ICN) announces a major milestone in its ongoing tool and system modernization project, officially selecting and transitioning to Cadebill, a flagship platform developed by MCL Systems Limited.

The implementation marks a strategic shift away from fragmented, generic IT tools toward a unified, telecom-centric Business Support System (BSS) and Operational Support System (OSS).

Cadebill will serve as the core system powering ICN’s billing, business services application, and requests, incidents, and change management solutions.

"We are intentionally choosing a telecom solution to run our telecom operations," said Ryan Mulhall, ICN Executive Director. "This project presents an opportunity to reshape our collective understanding and enhance our ability to see a common operating picture across the entire network."

The journey began in August 2025 with the release of a competitive BSS/OSS Request for Proposal (RFP). Out of eight competitive bids received, two vendors were selected for demonstrations, concluding with a vendor selection in November 2025 and a finalized scope of work in January 2026.

The modernization strategy targets three operational improvements:

  1. End-to-End Process Integration: Unifying Customer Relationship Management, Service Delivery, and Billing processes into a single system to enhance organizational productivity.
  2. Foundational Data Realignment: Merging different datasets from various systems into a singular, clean, and structured data plan.
  3. Cost Reduction: Consolidating independent, expensive IT functions to increase platform responsiveness.

As of June 2026, ICN successfully completed the deep dive and rebuild of its initial data model and has turned to configuring end-to-end business processes. 

Network users can expect Incident and Change Management modules to launch on the new platform within the next two months, with Billing and Service/Order Delivery modules following by the end of the calendar year. ICN is committed to ensuring this system evolves rapidly with stakeholder needs.