Vodacom SA recently called on ICT specialist company, Grintek, to implement a solution to keep track of interconnect carriers' unstructured supplementary services data (USSD) traffic.
The solution proposed relies upon Inet's Programmable TDRs, which are generated in real-time from the National Interconnect Links every time a USSD message is carried. These TDRs are then forwarded to Vodacom's billing engine in order to bill the respective interconnect carrier for each USSD message.
As part of an ongoing relationship with Vodacom SA, Grintek installed the software to monitor service delivery and bill interconnect carriers for USSD traffic transported on behalf of their subscribers. This solution also assists in identifying troublesome traffic patterns and detecting revenue-generating market trends.
"The signalling messages - such as the USSD layer - in a telecommunications network are the most feature-rich information source to an operator," says Carlos De Almedia, Applications Manager for Grintek Technologies. "This solution extracts a specific kind of signalling message and uses it for customer care, business intelligence and billing applications."
Grintek, the Inet Technologies ISM partner for Africa, distributes, installs and maintains Unified Assurance Solutions from Inet.
"The Unified Assurance strategy is a very customer-focused strategy that translates key performance indicators into actionable intelligence," explains De Almeida. "It comprises three solution layers, each with its own product line, namely the network assurance, service assurance and customer assurance layers. The USSD tracking solution deployed at Vodacom SA is a software application that fits in the service assurance layer and closes the loop for revenue leakage, improving product to market delivery and revenue returns," he adds.
The protocol on which the layers are built enables numerous features that go far beyond voice services, such as roaming enablement and database-related services. The more products developed around this protocol and translated into network behaviour, the better the service delivery on the part of the operator and the better the value for the subscriber.
Besides benefiting the product marketing and billing departments, the solution also lightens the load of the engineering department, as it simplifies performance monitoring and troubleshooting by providing a real-time view of the network and subscriber experience. Because the application is monitored in real-time, transaction deficiencies can be promptly corrected. Information is made available at the engineer's fingertips by accessing the LAN, so it is not necessary to travel to site.
The software application fits seamlessly on Inet's GeoProbe SS7 Passive (non-intrusive) Monitoring Solution and feeds the Performance Monitoring and Statistical GUI on the SpIStation and Billing Engines already in place at Vodacom SA.
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