6 Top Telecom Expense Management (TEM) Software Platforms

Compare six leading telecom expense management platforms, their features and pricing, to help enterprises control costs and simplify telecom management.

Managing telecom expenses across an enterprise presents unique challenges that demand sophisticated solutions. Organizations need systems that go beyond basic invoice processing to deliver comprehensive control over wireless, wireline, and cloud service costs across every department and location.

The right TEM software should provide centralized visibility into all telecom spending, enable precise cost allocation by department or business unit, and deliver analytics that reveal billing discrepancies and optimization opportunities. Most importantly, it should eliminate the administrative burden of managing multiple carrier relationships while ensuring accurate, timely payments that prevent service disruptions.

Modern enterprises require TEM platforms that can track usage patterns, identify cost-saving opportunities, and handle the complexity of multi-vendor environments. The following six solutions represent different approaches to solving these challenges, each with distinct strengths for specific organizational needs.

Top Enterprise TEM Software Solutions

1. Lightyear

Lightyear takes a fundamentally different approach to telecom expense management by integrating procurement, inventory tracking, and expense management into a unified platform. Unlike traditional TEM providers that charge based on total telecom spend, Lightyear uses a service-count pricing model that aligns vendor and customer incentives toward cost reduction.

The company recently launched Lightyear Expense Management, which leverages AI-powered data extraction to solve one of TEM’s most persistent challenges: making sense of complex, unstandardized carrier invoices. The platform uses RAG-optimized AI models to automatically extract, categorize, and allocate invoice charges to validated inventory services within seconds, eliminating hours of manual data entry.

Key Features:

• AI-powered invoice processing with automatic data extraction and categorization
• Integrated procurement platform with access to 1,200+ vendors
• Digital network inventory tracking with 30+ data points per service
• Automated contract renewal notifications and competitive rebidding
• Single consolidated bill with automatic rate auditing
• Natural language reporting through AI-powered queries

Pros:

• Free procurement platform reduces procurement time by 70%
• Service-count pricing avoids percentage-of-spend conflicts
• Handles multiple invoice formats (PDF, EDI, Excel, API)
• Human review ensures 100% accuracy in cost allocation
• Seamless integration between procurement and billing workflows

Cons:

• Voice and wireless usage monitoring requires partner integration
• Newer entrant compared to legacy TEM providers

Price: Tiered pricing based on service count. Procurement platform is free, with paid tiers for Network Inventory Manager and Bill Consolidation features.

2. Calero

Calero brings together telecom, mobile, communications, and software expense management within a single platform. The system focuses on creating comprehensive visibility across all technology spending categories, helping organizations understand expense patterns and identify areas for improvement.

The platform excels at detailed invoice reconciliation and automated dispute resolution, making it particularly valuable for finance teams dealing with complex billing environments. Calero’s granular analytics support compliance requirements while providing the data needed for informed vendor negotiations.

Key Features:

• Unified management across multiple expense categories
• Automated invoice reconciliation and dispute resolution
• Department-level expense allocation capabilities
• Compliance-focused reporting and analytics
• Multi-vendor relationship management

Pros:

• Comprehensive expense coverage beyond just telecom
• Strong dispute resolution automation reduces manual intervention
• Detailed compliance reporting meets regulatory requirements

Cons:

• Data presentation can be confusing and difficult to navigate
• Customer support responsiveness issues reported by users
• Requires significant manual effort for data validation
• Higher cost structure may not suit smaller organizations

Price: Not publicly disclosed; custom enterprise pricing.

3. Genuity

Genuity positions TEM within a broader IT administration ecosystem, offering an integrated approach that combines expense management with asset tracking and help desk capabilities. This makes it particularly attractive for organizations seeking to consolidate IT management tools.

The platform creates multi-dimensional expense views by tracking costs across locations, service types, and specific features. Its benchmarking capabilities provide valuable context for rate negotiations, while transparent pricing makes it accessible to mid-sized businesses.

Key Features:

• Integrated IT asset management and help desk ticketing
• Rate benchmarking against industry standards
• Contract and vendor relationship tracking
• Location-based expense analysis
• Marketplace for vendor selection

Pros:

• All-in-one platform reduces tool sprawl
• Transparent, affordable pricing for smaller organizations
• Built-in benchmarking supports vendor negotiations

Cons:

• No bill consolidation capability
• SSO implementation has reliability issues
• Marketplace doesn’t offer fully automated RFPs
• Manual data maintenance requirements

Price: Starting at $29.99 per month.

4. Sakon

Sakon delivers enterprise-grade TEM capabilities with strong ServiceNow integration, making it ideal for organizations already invested in that ecosystem. The platform automates core invoice processing functions while maintaining detailed telecom asset records.

Built for large, multinational organizations, Sakon provides customizable dashboards and reporting that adapt to complex organizational structures. Its workflow automation capabilities extend beyond expense management to support ordering, provisioning, and change management processes.

Key Features:

• Native ServiceNow integration
• Workflow automation for ordering and provisioning
• Customizable dashboards for multinational operations
• Detailed asset and service tracking
• Multi-currency support

Pros:

• Seamless integration with existing ServiceNow workflows
• Scalable architecture suits global enterprises
• Strong automation reduces manual processing

Cons:

• No automated procurement or RFP capabilities
• Missing automated contract renewal features
• Requires manual data validation and maintenance
• Premium pricing limits accessibility

Price: Custom enterprise pricing; not publicly available.

5. Tellenium

Tellenium’s Management of Things (MoT) platform extends beyond telecom to encompass utilities and other recurring enterprise expenses. This broader scope provides organizations with unified visibility across multiple expense categories, supporting holistic cost management strategies.

The platform emphasizes systematic auditing to uncover billing discrepancies and recover costs. With dedicated account teams providing personalized support, Tellenium focuses on building long-term partnerships with clients to continuously identify savings opportunities.

Key Features:

• Multi-category expense management (telecom, utilities, recurring expenses)
• Systematic invoice auditing for error detection
• Cost recovery capabilities
• Vendor relationship optimization
• Dedicated account management

Pros:

• Comprehensive expense coverage across multiple categories
• Strong audit capabilities improve cost recovery
• Personalized support with dedicated account teams

Cons:

• Limited report customization options
• Some invoice discrepancies may be overlooked
• No API availability limits integration options
• Manual data maintenance requirements

Price: Enterprise pricing available upon request.

6. Brightfin

Brightfin leverages ServiceNow integration to embed TEM capabilities directly into existing IT service management workflows. The platform synchronizes mobile device data from unified endpoint management systems with carrier invoicing, creating comprehensive visibility into mobile expenses.

The solution emphasizes proactive cost management through automated alerts and customizable workflows that respond to specific events without manual intervention. This automation-first approach helps organizations prevent overspending before it occurs.

Key Features:

• Deep ServiceNow integration
• Unified endpoint management synchronization
• Automated usage threshold alerts
• Customizable workflow triggers
• Proactive account management

Pros:

• Native ServiceNow integration streamlines workflows
• Proactive alerts prevent overspending
• Strong focus on identifying cost-saving opportunities

Cons:

• Changes take multiple billing cycles to reflect in reports
• ServiceNow dependency creates additional costs
• Requires manual data auditing and validation

Price: Custom pricing based on requirements.

Choosing the Right TEM Solution

Each platform excels in different areas, making the choice dependent on your organization’s specific requirements:

Best for AI-Powered Automation: Lightyear stands out with its AI-driven invoice processing and integrated procurement capabilities. Organizations seeking to eliminate manual data entry while maintaining procurement flexibility will find its approach particularly valuable.

Best for Comprehensive Expense Management: Calero works well for enterprises needing unified management across multiple technology expense categories with strong compliance reporting requirements.

Best for Small to Mid-Sized Businesses: Genuity offers transparent, affordable pricing with integrated IT management capabilities, making it ideal for organizations seeking an all-in-one solution without enterprise pricing.

Best for ServiceNow Environments: Both Sakon and Brightfin excel here, with Sakon better suited for large multinationals and Brightfin offering superior proactive cost management capabilities.

Best for Holistic Expense Visibility: Tellenium provides the broadest expense category coverage, making it valuable for organizations wanting unified management of telecom, utilities, and other recurring costs.

The telecom expense management landscape continues evolving as providers incorporate AI and automation to address long-standing challenges. While legacy solutions focus primarily on invoice processing and dispute management, newer entrants like Lightyear demonstrate how integrated platforms can transform the entire telecom lifecycle.

Organizations should evaluate solutions based on their current infrastructure, growth trajectory, and whether they need point solutions for expense management or comprehensive platforms that span procurement through payment.