© 2007, PETER-SERVICE© 2009, PETER-SERVICE Using GUP server to facilitate fast implementation of Value-Added Services Maxim Samsonov Telecom World Russia.

© 2007, PETER-SERVICE© 2009, PETER-SERVICE

Using GUP server to facilitate fast implementation of Value-Added Services

Maxim SamsonovTelecom World Russia & CIS 2009Moscow, February 25-27, 2009

billing.ru

Peter-Service

• Leading telecom software vendor in CIS • Total subscribers base served ~ 150 mln.

• Installations in 8 countries

• Staff ~ 800

• 8 Support Centers, 4 Development Labs

billing.ru

Contents

• The impact of VAS on billing and CRM solutions

• User Profile and GUP servers in 3GPP standards

• GUP servers as integration middleware

• Generic User Profile versus custom integration

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VAS as a Challenge for OSS

• Competitive differentiation is often seen as a variety of services and products offered

• Operators are under pressure to deliver segment-focused and tailored offering

• New technologies and network architectures such as NGN and IMS are enabling the creation of many new converged applications and services

• The result is a large number of services with low penetration and usage as opposed to legacy OSS design which assumes small set of services with high usage

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Scope of Changes

• CRM: increased complexity of offerings and eligibility/pricing criteria

• Customer databases: more product and service instances, relationships, and changes

• Product catalogues: more types and variations of bundled products and services

• Service inventory and provisioning: more content, more details, more varied presentation

• Order management: complex life-cycle management of the order

• Billing: increased billing and rating complexity due to micro-charges and charges based on complex bundles

The Integration of IMS and Service Delivery Platforms

http://www.tmforum.org/browse.aspx?catID=987&linkID=31970

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“Opaque” Parameters

• Example 1: Video surveillance service– Login, password– Device IP– Access schedule and allowed IPs

• Example 2: Ring-back tone– Tone Id (name, ... )

• Parameters are opaque– Not used within billing– Shall be stored, displayed at CRM applications, modified and

provisioned to the platform

• Parameters are unique for each service

• Acceptable level of support at front-end applications varies

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Problems

• Continuous integration of profiles from (or for) service-centric platforms to provide user-centric front end (customer care, order management etc.)

• Deployment of services with opaque parameters requires changes to front-end applications or limits CRM functionality

• Fast deployment of innovative services with low penetration may affect front end for services with high usage and penetration

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IMS Applications

IP Network

S-CSCF

MRFC

Access

Session

Application

Transport

IMS

I-CSCF

GUP Data Repository

Service Provisioning Support

Application Service Support

RAFRepository Access Function

Sh

User Equipment

Mw

ISC

Mr

MRFPMp

Mb

Mm

Ma

Cx

Cx

HSSHome Subscriber Server

· Single customer care application

· Single self-care application

· Single order management application

· ...

Operator’s Applications VSP

(SIP Application Server)RAF IM-SSF

ISC

Si

CAMEL

A point of continuous integration

“Architecture of continuous integration”

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3GPP TS 23.240

• Each GUP Data Repository stores the primary master copy of one or several profile components.

• GUP Server primary goal is to provide authorization and location services, i.e.: which application can access profile and in which repository specific data can be located.

• Trusted applications which know profile layout can access repositories directly bypassing GUP Server

Rp

Applications Rg

RAF RAF …

GUP Data Repository

GUP Data Repository …

GUP Server

Generic User Profile Reference Architecture

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IMS Applications

IP Network

S-CSCF

MRFC

Access

Session

Application

Transport

IMS

GUP Server (HEX GUP Option) I-CSCF

GUP Data Repository

Service Provisioning Support

Application Service Support

RAFRepository Access Function

Rg

Sh

User Equipment

Mw

ISC

Mr

MRFPMp

Mb

Mm

Ma

Cx

Cx

Not IMS

Rp

Rp

HSSHome Subscriber Server

3'rd party App

Rg

Peter-Service GDR

SC S_CLICRM

Operator’s Applications VSP

(SIP Application Server)RAF

? Rp

IM-SSF

ISC

Si

CAMEL

RAF

Using GUP Server as integration middleware

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Integration highlights

• Any server which contains components profile provides Rp style interface (XML)

• Any front-end application which requires access to service profile does it through GUP server using Rp or Rg style interface (XML)

• Integration of new service (aka a set of opaque parameters):– Description of service profile using XSD – Design of screens for each front-end application using XSLT

• This approach bring the time required to implement support of new service in front end applications from months to days

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Conclusions

• Should support for new service be required at front-end applications integration middleware has to be used

• Standardization is required to ensure fast and seamless implementation

• GUP Server definitions can be used as a standard though it was not necessarily the aim of creators

© 2007, PETER-SERVICE

Maxim [email protected]

Thank you !

© 2009, PETER-SERVICE