|
|
|
| |
|
In this Issue |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
In the News |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
 |
| |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
Cheap technology and falling call rates have caused consistently declining revenues for operators. 3G the third- generation cellular technology is the new lease of life for operators. 3G services have been around for number of years now in developed markets and have reaped high profits and increased data usage on mobile by at least 20% promising higher returns to voice operators. Also Users demand for better and faster services, and as they start using high-end phones, are putting pressure on operators for better quality of service. Only 3G technology provides this, 3G offers greater flexibility and services by making more efficient use of mobile bandwidth than did its predecessor 2G. The relationship between 2G and 3G is similar to that between dial-up to broadband greater spectral efficiency has enabled more consumer choice and a more effective service like |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
 |
3G technology and services enable video broadcast and data-intensive services such as stock transactions, e-learning and telemedicine through wireless communications |
|
|
|
Packet-based data provides several advantages over the existing circuit-switched techniques used for carrying mobile voice, like a) Higher call volumes b) Support for multimedia data applications, such as video and photography. |
|
|
|
Usability on all popular modes (cellular telephone, e-mail, paging, fax, videoconferencing, and Web browsing). |
|
|
|
Broad bandwidth and high speed (upwards of 2 Mbps). |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
The key to profitability for operators in the 3G sector is understanding how their relationships with content providers will change? How should their back office system evolve in order to incorporate the new links in the OSS BSS infrastructure? |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
The key challenge to operators is upgrading and integrating with existing billing system to effectively roll out and profit from 3G services. The Key components are AAA and charging gateway that can integrate with the existing Provisioning System, Rating and Billing System. AAA centrally manages the authentication of subscribers, authorizes them for appropriate level of service, and ensures reliable accounting of their usage. It talks to different network elements, collects information from different VAS providers and passes it to upstream billing system to generate a single bill. AAA centrally manages different subscriber policies and profiles for different VAS Services from different VAS Provider. |
| |
|
|
| |
Finance and Partner Relationship Management systems will need to be able to handle complex financial settlements processes for 3G services. Unlike in other networks where the service provider has only a dozen partners to deal with relating voice services like roaming, long distance etc., in a 3G ecosystem there can be n number of content providers & partners with whom the operator has to partner. The true differentiator for the operators rolling out 3G services will be availability of a given content or data service. The backoffice system should not become a bottleneck in developing relations with different VAS providers. Deploying a AAA and charging gateway it can integrate with OSS BSS of the multiple VAS providers in the 3G ecosystem and provide information to operators back office/ billing system. |
| |
|
|
| |
Another key factor to the success of 3G services is the Interoperability of the backoffice system with 3rd party elements like streaming server, multiple databases for different services and different VAS providers. The challenge lies in integration of Centralized Component with Multiple Database and Charging System of different VAS Provider. Each VAS provider has its own proprietary interfaces and standards containing different messages, values and different policy functions. Mapping each subscriber with the VAS services and applying relevant policies and to provide single view of the data relating to a subscriber and specific mechanisms to carry out per-subscriber service policies (including Application wise Usage cap, Application wise Bandwidth cap, roaming permissions, quality of service (QoS) Provisioning, time-of-day permissions, and data download thresholds) across multiple networks is another factor that needs to be addressed. Quality Analysis or Checks simply cannot recreate all possible permutations & combinations of situations that will occur in the real world - due to the complex relations in the 3G ecosytem. It has incredibly complex interaction between network elements and devices and protocol layers. The operators must roll out different services in stages launching a variety of services at one go will create innumerable complications and increase cost and leakage. |
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
Telecom operators need to effectively handle the above issues to have highest probability of success with 3G services and high ARPU. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
