Monday, November 14, 2011

Are Smart Devices/Apps Creating New Opportunities or loss?

An Era of Unpredictable Data Usage Trends - Addressing Monetization Challenges with Multi-dimensional Policy Approach

Take an example of a typical user called Sonali. She’s eighteen-something, studies in college and spends 600 minutes everyday on iPhone. Her day starts on a Snooze alarm with the musical player, Last.fm playing in the background while she gets ready for class. While driving, she keeps checking Google Maps along with Facebook and Twitter apps. During the day, she frequently takes pictures on Instagram and publishes it on social media and uses Google Voice to catch up with her buddies. Playing Angry Birds and Real Racing 2 summarizes up her daily routine.

Notice the clear absence of the operator’s mentioning in the daily ecosystem of your average user!

According to a Gartner forecast, worldwide mobile app store revenues will triple from $5.2 billion in 2010 to $15 billion in 2011, and keep growing to a remarkable $58 billion by 2014. Apple developers currently dominate this market with other big players like Android Market, Nokia’s Ovi Store, RIM’s App World, Microsoft Marketplace and Samsung Apps fast catching up on the gravy train.

These apps are generally treated a missed opportunity for operators but are simultaneously notorious for consuming huge bandwidth and slowing down networks. A Nokia Siemens NSS report recently suggested that an Android-based device playing Angry Birds generated 2422 signals in one hour of play! [1] In fact a South-Korean player called KT recently suffered network outage where a third-party app took the voice-call success rate down to 10 percent because the signaling traffic generated by the app simply overloaded its network.[2]

If you’re an operator, you can clearly see that if you don’t take action now, you will be forced to become a transport mechanism for the other players. Won’t it be better for you if you can achieve active cooperation through vertical integration of OTT providers, building a 2-sided revenue model. For example, you may consider jointly introducing dedicated QoS service to subscribers for an Application like Youtube while the OTT providers’ advertisers enjoy a better guaranteed viewership leading to higher ad revenues.

So, where does the problem lie? Operators are constantly experiencing pressure to reduce their time-to-market for latest solutions. Currently, there is no policy solution in the market that can consider actual usage scenarios and combine it with Charging, Billing etc. to enable monetization plans – quickly and effectively.

This is where Elitecore’s Multi-dimensional approach to Policy makes a difference. It goes beyond its one-dimensional policy role to integrate several multi-dimensional components including charging, billing, BI/CEA and Loyalty systems. It takes into account the growing role of IT and marketing teams in investment decisions related to new product portfolios and value-added services. It enables a profitable and innovative platform for CSP by being able to mine smart intelligence from all critical systems viz., Billing, Charging, Customer Experience Management and even BI

Apart from adding greater depth to monetizing subscribers, NetVertex also gives plenty of service optimization and personalization opportunities which we shall take up in another blog post.

[1] http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=208870

[2] http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=208775

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Elitecore adopts an integrated platform for Subscriber Management, Policy Control and Charging for Network Monetization – Infonetics Research

Elitecore Technologies, the leading provider of telecom software (OSS / BSS) solutions, today announced that a latest White Paper from Infonetics Research focusing on the ‘Changing Role of Policy Management’ has identified its platform approach to Policy Management as of strategic interest to today’s network operators. The White Paper throws light on how Policy Management has moved beyond its traditional confinement of being a tool for bandwidth control / management to emerge a more tactical part in IT & network operations facing real-time subscribers’ activity and agile marketing activities that drive service differentiation and innovative offerings in the era of smart devices.
“As policy expands beyond its traditional bandwidth management function, operators are increasingly looking for solutions that integrate policy control with adjacent functionality such as billing, charging and subscriber data management. Elitecore’s platform-based approach is well-positioned to capitalize on this trend and help operator use policy management capabilities to deliver differentiated services and innovative pricing models” says Shira Levine, Directing Analyst, Next Gen OSS and Policy.
“Elitecore’s integrated BSS and Subscriber management platform offers operators a Reference Architecture & profitable Synergy between Subscriber Management Platform & BSS (Network & IT Convergence), thus unlocking precious network information / subscriber usage pattern that enables operators in offering subscriber-aware service plans. This will greatly benefit marketing teams with various operators in creating compelling service plans and drive revenue from the same” said Vaibhav Mehta, Vice - President - New Business Development, Elitecore Technologies.

As the shift towards 4G (LTE/WiMAX) deployments mature, it enables operators reduce subscriber churn and increase ARPU, through
1) Faster roll out innovative & differentiated services as a result of centralized database & Centralized Product management enabling one-time & simultaneous configuration of plans rules & policies for Billing, PCRF and Charging, thus enabling service providers to create, launch & provision all offerings with reduced efforts and time to market. Moreover, it extends much needed support for new business models and capabilities to enable desired personalization for smart device subscribers for extracting utmost value from devices like PDAs & iPads
2) Enables in desired accuracy and capability in applying the knowledge of real-time network information pertaining subscriber content usage, device, location etc into profitable business action
3) Advice of Charge With pre-integrated Service Selection Portal (SSP), PCRF & Charging systems, subscribers get to know applicable pricing & product benefits in real-time while opting for suitable schemes & promotions from the SSP; there is no separate integration effort needed for Advice of Charge feature
4) Cohesive business intelligence reports for Billing, AAA, Charging unlocks precious network and subscriber behavior information and produces a bigger picture for aligning service strategy
5) Horizontally & vertically scalable with Geo redundant deployment
Elitecore has over 11 years of expertise in Next Generation OSS BSS Solution & Services with rich features at competitive prices. Elitecore was recognized for Best Practice by Frost and Sullivan for its solutions and efforts to fulfill client’s requirement even under challenging conditions. Elitecore has Tier 1 -Tier 3 operator case studies for NGN, 3G, EvDo, WiMAX 16e & 16d deployments, IMS/ Packet Core Deployment, VoIP roll outs, Converged Data networks roll outs, Convergent Prepaid Postpaid roll out, Turnkey deployments.

Friday, June 10, 2011

Fantastic four for next-generation network

It was just another day at Next Gen Network street. The day was bright and shiny. The mobile broadband tunnel looked brisk with hundreds of applications driving to their way to reach smart phones and tablets. Certainly it was a pleasant spectacle as quite a few rich media apps like social media, video streaming portals, online music sites, email services etc were gossiping around, having a friendly fight over who’s the most favorite among subscribers and which devices are their best friends and so on. While some were boasting of how popular they have grown over the open evolved network systems, on the other hand a few were touting how they have become the most sought after value-added services in tiered plans.

Unaware of this, the fantastic four – Billing, Charging, PCRF and AAA were up to their routine chores. The four were discussing their role in enabling networks, although in a pompous manner!

Billing: You guys really think I am just a cashier? Folks, it’s a lot more than smelling only the dollar bills. You think these CDRs are just cute chicks? I loved the dumb pipes so much, there wasn’t much fuss about them. And look what they have done to me today. Now they want me to do more than just revenue management. I am asked to manage a bewildering array of IP based value-added services. As if it wasn’t enough, now they are being friends with over-the-top providers, adding new KRAs like never before. And holy shit! Did I tell you about this Cloud platform and M2M things that I heard about at recently held Mobile World Congress? I am…

Charging barges in the conversation and interrupts Billing half-way!

Charging: Dear Bill, don’t be so rude. You know things have changed for everyone, so stop complaining pal. You ought to realize before making that smart- comment since the real smart work starts with me. It’s me who collects information for all billable events; I correlate and then process this data, so that you can do your job better. I will still stay humble and admit that it’s our partnership that does the job for operators. I too have felt a great change and got a big job to do ever since 3GPP proposed IP as the future for next generation networks. Now I also play an important role with you to enable operators converge their prepaid and postpaid customers onto a single platform. This gives them slicker network and allows offering more innovative bundled deals and effective marketing campaigns for new services. What’s more, it’s me who enables real-time charging based on device, location, time of day policy rules etc. And when my job is linked with PCRF, together we two enable a great business investigation for service providers. Our team-work lets them figure out if they have the absolute customer relationship, or whether they are charging adequately for all their services. You whacko! Don’t you get what’s underway? Dude it’s all about teamwork, between us, that’s gonna set these operators and service providers really free. Service differentiation is emerging as an imperative for many, and as the convergence of services and networks accelerates, the key will lie in launching new services faster, introducing innovative business models together with improved service accessibility. We both are gonna remain crucial in this service delivery chain to help them achieve the service differentiation.

AAA: Well, well. Looks like someone missed to mention me. Get some life both of you. It all starts with me. It’s me who tells the who, what, where, when, why in the network. And I have come a long way. I have seen a lot of evolution between RADIUS and DIAMETER. I am just too versatile and everyone needs me. I am everywhere. Today’s next-generation networks are full of multiple access technologies, all working hard together to provide a gamut of new-age services to subscribers. Obviously I have a big role. I am no longer just an authentication guy; well I am, but also much more beyond that. Now I deal with QoS as well, and bandwidth management too, also policies. It ain’t just Billing and OSS for me now; everyone including softswitches, HLR/ HSS, application servers, policies, etc, I am with all of them everywhere.

“Enough”, shouts the PCRF

PCRF: If you guys are done with your campaign, I would like to offer some reality check. You think I got those six packs abs just like that? My job is far greater and important than you guys can imagine. QoS, that’s the buzzword, and I own it, for I deliver it. Subscribers ain’t give dime about what goes in billing, charging or AAA, all they care for and all they need is seamless service and smooth connectivity for their smart toys. And it’s me who give them desired QoE and it’s again me who enables true personalization for them. Folks, these subscribers have also evolved alongside changes in networks. Everyone thought they are gonna laugh all the way to the bank and sweep these subscribers off their feet. And they started making smart-phones, laptops, netbooks, and wireless dongles etc. On top of that, they wooed them with all-you-can eat plans. And one fine morning all these device makers and service providers woke up to their worst nightmare, for actually their subscribers & customers got even. Poor guys had to face up with new dynamics in the value-chain, like the impact of the internet and digital services. Now they are all joining hands in desperation to maximize revenues and create sustainable value-chain linkages. The content is undoubtedly the king, for it has gone way too deep with these subscribers, becoming a quintessential part of their daily life, a critical source of productivity and a handy friend that entertains, connects and captures memories. While this may sound crazy, it would be fair to say that network operators & service providers aren’t serving just subscribers with smart-phones & tablets, they are actually serving mobile cyborgs! This apps-crazy generation uses a plethora of utilities and seeks a unique experience based on the nature of content. Networks have to smell this and need to provision the same based on context-awareness. This is where I do a great job and enable desirable network control, taking care of the service data flow detection, throttling, QoS and Fair usage. And…

PCRF receives a call from his new pal, DPI – “We gotta rescue something”

DPI: Buddy you gotta roger this. Something ain’t right at the 4G Avenue; a bunch of malicious P2P packets seem to be planning a network jam at the behest of some rogue surfers. Apparently, their evil intention is to disrupt the QoS department, block productive traffic and poison the minds of subscribers against their service providers. Copy that please.

PCRF: Hey I’m there and I am rolling. Just send their goddamn packet headers, source, payload stuff etc. Our pal Gx is with us. Once I have my hands on this data, I am gonna show these punks. I am gonna throttle their fun and I am gonna deny all their nasty acts. Let’s clean this rogue traffic mess.
DPI: Roger that.

While this whole scene may look rather comic, no service provider / operator can ignore the truth underlying these dialogues. The all-IP led 4G era is upon us and it’s a super-fast, super-smart world of subscribers, devices and apps. Creating value, service differentiation and retaining that competitive advantage is truly challenging. The answer lies in implementing and enabling self-healing and intelligent next-generation networks, which are flexible & scalable. In today’s ultra dynamic service environment, wherein personalization happens in real-time, the combined role of Billing, Charging, AAA and PCRF carries critical magnitude for service providers & network operators in achieving better time-to-market, adaptability, scalability, subscriber understanding and effective marketing for their rich multiplay services.

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Going yIPpee over next-generation networks / 4G networks!

Over 7.1 billion wireless connected devices & nearly 800 million mobile enabled netizens by 2015.

Who cannot smell business from that? Certainly, everyone in the telecommunication industry does. The transition to all-IP networks is no less than an epic of communication technology transformation. It’s a transformation that’s sweeping across the board, all over the universe and is everywhere. The most dynamic change that has taken place during the past two radical decades of mobile revolution is the makeover of the mobile subscriber. The speed, the versatility and the abundance of possibilities brought by IP networks have only empowered the imagination of this once humble subscriber. Swayed and nurtured by high-speed broadband networks & smart devices, the idea of mobile communication has scaled a truly enormous magnitude. While subscribers have gained a lot through this transition, it’s been beyond doubt a highly bumpy ride for telcos, mobile network operators (MNOs) and communication service providers (CSPs) to upgrade the mountain of legacy systems & siloed networks.

Next-generation network is indeed a reality and the internet driven digital value chain is its life blood. While it continues growing bigger and faster, the wave of 4G networks and telecommunication technologies is all set to create another stir. From service providers to device & network equipment makers and also subscribers from all walks of life, they all find it yummy alike. Every CSP / MNO is raring to go yippee over 4G; wanting to do more, offer more, create more, be more and eventually to gain more. We could collect this quite easily from our recent visits to two important industry events, namely MWC Barcelona 2011 and 11th Billing & RA Asia Pacific. The discussion and exchange of thoughts were certainly inclined to the domain of all-IP 4G networks and what needs to be done around it.

While this buoyancy is welcome, it needs to be noted that the pace of telecom network transformation has been rapid as well as strange. For example, the telephone got patented in 1876, which was much ahead than both radio and TV, however, today paradoxically HD TV and HD Radio have prevailed as engaging realities, whereas HD voice is yet to gain traction. While millions of internet users enjoy wide band voice with VoIP apps, they are yet to experience the same over their mobile devices. Thus, it isn’t about a sequence of technology, but subscribers’ propensity to consume & embrace new ways and better things that rule the roost. Telecom innovations are strongly driven by lifestyle aspirations.

Way to go yIPpee

As All-IP transition grows stronger, operators are facing a multitude of challenges from services, network, value chain and new business models. They need a better approach towards targeted revenue opportunities, whereby they can create more value with partnership offerings and can monetize the same using smart charging, PCRF and subscriber management solutions. This will become possible by deploying end-to-end, scalable & real-time OSS/BSS capabilities to enable competitive customer management, interlinked charging and policy management, network offloading and smart convergent billing for all services.

At this point of time what most carriers and service providers need is a technology partner, not only to transform their networks but to strengthen business agility & spirit of innovation as well.

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

ELITECORE WINS 5TH NATIONAL TELECOM AWARD 2011

Recognized for its Innovation in Turnkey Solution Products- OSS/BSS

Elitecore, the leading provider of telecom software (OSS / BSS) solutions, today announced that it’s been awarded the 5th CMAI National Telecom Award for its next generation OSS / BSS platform. Elitecore has been recognized in the “Innovation in Turnkey Solution Products” category for its customer centric approach and the solution’s capability to enable roll out of new innovative services, which is the pressing need for today’s communication service providers and telecom operators.

The Annual Award recognizes innovative developments in the telecom sector and acknowledges contributions from Indian innovators that provide technology that meets global industry standards. The award organized by CMAI was conferred at a gala award function hosted in Delhi on the occasion of World Telecom Day.

For more information check out : http://www.elitecore.com/telecompractices/pressrelease_national-telecomaward.html

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Going yIPpee over next-generation networks / 4G networks!

Over 7.1 billion wireless connected devices & nearly 800 million mobile enabled netizens by 2015.

Who cannot smell business from that? Certainly, everyone in the telecommunication industry does. The transition to all-IP networks is no less than an epic of communication technology transformation. It’s a transformation that’s sweeping across the board, all over the universe and is everywhere. The most dynamic change that has taken place during the past two radical decades of mobile revolution is the makeover of the mobile subscriber. The speed, the versatility and the abundance of possibilities brought by IP networks have only empowered the imagination of this once humble subscriber. Swayed and nurtured by high-speed broadband networks & smart devices, the idea of mobile communication has scaled a truly enormous magnitude. While subscribers have gained a lot through this transition, it’s been beyond doubt a highly bumpy ride for telcos, mobile network operators (MNOs) and communication service providers (CSPs) to upgrade the mountain of legacy systems & siloed networks.

Next-generation network is indeed a reality and the internet driven digital value chain is its life blood. While it continues growing bigger and faster, the wave of 4G networks and telecommunication technologies is all set to create another stir. From service providers to device & network equipment makers and also subscribers from all walks of life, they all find it yummy alike. Every CSP / MNO is raring to go yippee over 4G; wanting to do more, offer more, create more, be more and eventually to gain more. We could collect this quite easily from our recent visits to two important industry events, namely MWC Barcelona 2011 and 11th Billing & RA Asia Pacific. The discussion and exchange of thoughts were certainly inclined to the domain of all-IP 4G networks and what needs to be done around it.

While this buoyancy is welcome, it needs to be noted that the pace of telecom network transformation has been rapid as well as strange. For example, the telephone got patented in 1876, which was much ahead than both radio and TV, however, today paradoxically HD TV and HD Radio have prevailed as engaging realities, whereas HD voice is yet to gain traction. While millions of internet users enjoy wide band voice with VoIP apps, they are yet to experience the same over their mobile devices. Thus, it isn’t about a sequence of technology, but subscribers’ propensity to consume & embrace new ways and better things that rule the roost. Telecom innovations are strongly driven by lifestyle aspirations.

Way to go yIPpee

As All-IP transition grows stronger, operators are facing a multitude of challenges from services, network, value chain and new business models. They need a better approach towards targeted revenue opportunities, whereby they can create more value with partnership offerings and can monetize the same using smart charging, PCRF and subscriber management solutions. This will become possible by deploying end-to-end, scalable & real-time OSS/BSS capabilities to enable competitive customer management, interlinked charging and policy management, network offloading and smart convergent billing for all services.

At this point of time what most carriers and service providers need is a technology partner, not only to transform their networks but to strengthen business agility & spirit of innovation as well.

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Change beckons: Moving beyond the legacy networks / traditional OSS & BSS

IP: the coveted VIP for next-generation networks!
As voice and data convergence grows stronger and also as mobile broadband expands more pervasive, SIP continues ushering a new renaissance over IP telecommunications. rapid shift to wireless; boom in mobility and broadband demand; extremely intense competition and shrinking market share and declining revenues with new players entering the market; Voice quickly getting replaced by richer content and applications; low-end VAS such as SMS, Caller Tunes and Ring Tones quickly giving way to new breed of high-end VAS like P2P, online / network gaming, Video streaming / downloading, IPTV etc. Subscription to these is intensifying as devices market also mature and a gamut of handheld devices become widely available with something for every pocket. Thus, potential for better / improved ARPU seems to be rising. However, in this new dynamic service environment, QoS emerges as a cornerstone of quality delivery, subscribers experience enrichment and revenue maximization.

As the world of telecommunications continues communicating increasingly over various IP based media, for many CSPs, legacy intelligent networks such as PSTN and IN are fated for the end of their life. Obviously, it also spells the end of road for legacy OSS and BSS, for they are not capable to provide the capabilities required by today's IP based real-time data applications, stringent packet handling and large volume of network data flow. The situation is seriously aggravated as many platforms do not find support from the vendors who actually made them. More realistically, it is the cost of maintaining these legacy networks, which forms the crux of the matter, especially when most telecom players are vying to improve revenue margins and remain cutthroat by optimizing their operating outflow.


The futuristic bout - Legacy Vs Next-gen Network



Match Rounds Legacy Network Next Generation Network



Architecture Layered but with vertical silos supported by different stovepipes Modular, component- based platform architecture



Disposition Network Centric Customer / Services Centric



Target Audience Ordinary Consumers Web 2.0 Prosumers ! (Content Producers + Digital Consumers)



Configuration of services Rooted in SS7 signaling
protocol or IN databases
Located in software contained in Softswitch or applications database
Provisioning of services Only semi-automated & cumbersome too
Automated service provisioning and fault management; software-driven; provisioned through discerning GUIs; simplified and highly integrated processes; over-the-air provisioning (OTA)
Average Cost(installation and new service development) Running into millions of $; prolonged deployment cycles for new services Far cost-effective; new services can be accommodated with utmost simplicity



Billing of
Services
Based on manageable Call usage data having only one service quality; one traffic type; fixed pricing models; batch (cyclic) billing Considerable CDRs; variable service quality; variable traffic types (based on apps); varied pricing models (usage based); convergent and real-time billing



Time-to-market
opportunity for
new services
Considerably long; perhaps running into several months
due to the absence of standardization
Very responsive; extremely less time-to-market; enhanced scope for innovative service offerings and brand differentiation



Capability to
launch a range
of next-gen
services
Clueless Dozens of IP / IMS based fast and rich services
• Audio / video conferencing
• Mobile internet
• VPNs
• VoIP
• Fax over IP
• E-mail / IMs
• Video streaming
• Gaming
• IPTV etc.

Rejigging for the all-IP terrain

While IP brought a whole new world of revenue opportunities, it came with its own set of challenges in terms of changes needed in business process frameworks, process automation & integration and planning of a service delivery platform. A series of systematic initiatives commenced by global standards body like TM Forum since the turn of the new millennium completely changed the OSS / BSS landscape. Using TAM (application framework) eTOM (business process framework) and SID (information framework), an unprecedented perspective for delivering and managing next-generation IP driven services got created. By envisaging a close-knit arrangement of the following, a real-time next-generation OSS / BSS platform ready to accelerate convergence and rich services came into being.

Conclusion

Both sustainability and business success hinges on having a well integrated OSS / BSS environment to thrive in this brand new IP era. Having the right partner that can help in bridging the traditional gaps between traditional OSS / BSS by creating a scalable and flexible IP-focused platform is indispensable for CSPs and holds the key to long-term success.