NSS Implements First Russian IN-Prepaid

Profile Magazine and CNews.ru: Review of Russian IT-Market

In December 2002, NSS, the largest cellular operator in Nizhegorodskiy region, put to operation Prepaid Services System CBOSSprepaid, built on intellectual network CBOSSin. NSS used this framework to launch its new product under the CITY trademark. The product consists of a telecom services package with zero subscription fee and a tariff with per-second call rating.
Open interfaces of CBOSSin enriched CITY with a wide range of services featuring online rating. Specifically, cellular telecom services integrated with web-based applications for customer self-care allowed prepaid subscribers to access personal organizer, manage contact list, send real-time-rated SMS as well as logos and tunes.
CBOSSprepaid implemented on intellectual network CBOSSin is the first Russian IN-Prepaid solution supporting CAMEL Phase II. Support of CAMEL translates into roaming for subscribers in the networks of other operators embracing CAMEL as well as serving visiting subscribers of roaming partners.
CBOSSprepaid allows an operator to specify lifecycle for prepaid numbers as well as for separate payments, thus encouraging subscribers to use telecom services consistently. NSS implemented a range of lifecycles for payments, assigning longer periods for scratch cards with higher nominal value.
Creating the CITY package, NSS realized a number of advantages the implementation of CBOSSprepaid on intellectual platform CBOSSin offers, increasing the range of telecom services, promoting QoS, striving for subscriber loyalty, shaping demand for innovative services, and consequently, increasing revenues for the operator.

Anatoly Ponomarenko, NSS Business Director, comments, "CBOSS specialists, possessing inherent accuracy and professionalism, implemented new CBOSS solutions, integrating them into operational telecom infrastructure, within a very attractive timeframe. Reducing time-to-market, we made CITY available before Christmas and New Year, a very hot-selling time that was a major driver of a very successful launch of CITY. We were in the right place at the right time and made the offer that was impossible to say "no" to: real prepaid with a wide range of available services".

NSS has collaborated with CBOSS since 1998. Nizhniy Novgorod operator uses a number of CBOSS products. Besides the CBOSS business operation support system and CBOSSprepaid and CBOSSin implemented recently, NSS also involves Voice mail system CBOSSvmail, Automatic call center CBOSSacc, Short message system CBOSSsms and the unique Decision support system CBOSSdss.
With the CBOSSisp Remote dealer system a well-developed dealer network has been arranged in the third largest Russian city and other cities of this region. Using CBOSSisp NSS provides the subscribers with high-grade services at any branch of the company and its dealers.
The new systems perfectly integrated into the operator infrastructure enlarged the potential of solutions implemented earlier. Andrey K. Maklakov, vice president of CBOSS Group, gives his opinion to the event, "We are confident that our new solutions that became a framework for CITY would realize new business advantages for NSS in the region. Besides, we see only a few functionalities offered by new technology realized. We are proud that with CBOSS products our customers gain technological advantage that, combined with winning marketing policy, yields fascinating business performance".
The launch of pioneering Russian IN-Prepaid platform, complying with international standards and regulations, allowing for CAMEL-enabled roaming, is another evidence of the leading position CBOSS has on the market of IT for telecommunications. Moreover, this launch is another first in CBOSS hall of glory: SMSC, voicemail server, USSD gateway and... IN-Prepaid- made in Russia.

More about Technologies
Services on CBOSSin Intellectual Network Platform
The intellectual platform implements the new idea of building telecom networks. This idea provides a number of flexible mechanisms to create and implement new telecom services independent of the network structure where the services are provided.  The CBOSSin fully meets the Intelligent Network (IN) platform requirements and conforms to the ITU-T Q.12XX recommendations.
CBOSSin Intellectual Network Advantages
Traditionally, all the business logic, management and control functions were built-in in switching equipment. Design of new services implied reprogramming of switching stations. This caused high time delays. An operator could not use the logic of one service to support the other one. Service adaptation to requirements of particular users was difficult.
Intellectual network technology fully transfers the business logic from switching equipment into the computer units distributed within the operator internal network. A service turns into an application. It unifies independent functional units interacting with the intellectual network elements and the data set specific for this service. Now the operator controls and changes services upon subscriber's requirements and there's no need to make changes at the switching equipment.
When a subscriber makes a call, the switch identifies the service code; standard call processing stops and call control goes to the intellectual network units. After the operations basing on particular service logic are completed, the standard process receives instructions on the call subsequent processing and continues work. This process can be illustrated here using the Prepaid service (prepaid calls).
Prepaid services system CBOSSprepaid on intellectual platform CBOSSin provides the following functionalities:

• Flexible mechanisms of tariffication and discounting;
• Online tariffication of value added services [SMS, voicemail, GPRS, USSD, etc];
• Rich options of payments: scratch-cards, cash, bank wire, credit cards, etc. [Aligned to NSS policy, CITY utilizes only scratch-card payments];
  Single-platform implementation of full customer care technological lifecycle [including streamlined inventory control];
• Exposure to full range of available services: Call Center, IVR, specifically CITY envisages integration with Web-based applications and IVR CBOSSacc;
• Migration of subscribers across platforms [smooth transition into/from CBOSS billing];
• Consolidated reporting versus multiple reporting for each individual platform;
• Utilization of Decision Support System CBOSSdss. With underlying convergent platform, accumulating data for both prepaid and postpaid subscribers, decision with CBOSSdss making becomes more accurate, precise, proactive and consistent;
• Utilization of single CRM solution;
• Streamlined back-office, with unified inventory control, and single interface to accounting system;
• Reduced TCO [maintenance, support for billing system].

Thus, CBOSSin intellectual network provides an operator with capabilities to effectively design new services and modify the available ones providing new benefit sources by this. The advantages of these services include:

• Wide use of up-to-date data processing methods and technologies;
• Network resource efficient application;
• Network functions are multipurpose and have modular structure;
• Network functions can be reused;
• Network functions interact by means of net interfaces independent of services in compliance with standards in force;
• Communication service parameters can be controlled by subscribers and users;
• Service logic control conforms to standards in force.

Intellectual network helps to control subscriber calls, automate customer care process including subscriber automatic notification by the billing system, provide activation/deactivation of services by subscribers in dialog mode, fax periodic and extra bills, deliver information-marketing messages etc.
Intellectual network mechanisms allow providing the efficient communication with the enterprise billing system.

Engineering Solution
CBOSSin Intellectual network architecture bases on:

• Service switching point (SSP). SSP is a switching system equipped with additional software that performs specific IN functions and interacts with other IN elements.
• Service control point (SCP). SCP implements service logic, supports protocols of interaction with other network elements. The SCP unit receives a query from SSP and, in return, sends the instructions for subsequent processing of the call according to particular service logic.
• Several SCP units operating simultaneously in load sharing mode allow updating services without downtime.
• Services data point (SDP). SDP keeps and processes data necessary for service provision. Besides, this unit provides access to its data for other intellectual network components. SDP can process data relating to specific subscribers, for instance, call time provided within Prepaid service.
• Service management point (SMP). SMP enables network operators to control and manage IN-service parameters and configuration. SMP receives statistics from intellectual network units and saves it in the database.

CBOSSin provides for all the necessary functions relating to the intellectual network concept:

• Call control (physical connection via Exchange);
• Service switching (enquiry transfer to service rendering and execution of commands arrived in response to the request);
•  Provision of specialized resources (voice, fax);
• Service control (service logic implementation);
• Provision of subscriber and network data for the service execution;
• Service administration (all the intellectual network components control and management, statistics gathering).

Services Implemented

• CBOSSssc ("Overlay network" - connection to the cellular network subscribers without a direct access number in the local telephone network, yet being assigned an overlay network numbers);
• CBOSSssc ("Automatic redial" - automatic redial system);
• CBOSSssc ("Learn your number " - information on customer's actual number);
• CBOSSabd ("Anonymous numbers" - system providing customer's confidentiality);
• CBOSSacc ("Incoming notification" - customer interactive care in tone dialing mode);
• CBOSSacc ("Outgoing notification" - customer automatic notification by the system);
• CBOSSvmail ("Voice/Fax Mail System" -operations with voice and fax messages);
• CBOSSprepaid ("Prepaid call system");
• CBOSSstc ("Service Telephone Card" - telephone card service provision);
• CBOSSvote ("Vote system" - vote and contest automatic system);
• CBOSScreditBySMS ("Account balance in SMS").
• CBOSSmissedcall ("Missed call notification")
• CBOSSvoice2sms ("SMS delivery at call").