STAR Integrated Environment An integrated tool for pricing

STAR Integrated Environment An integrated tool for pricing, routing, billing, traffic analysis and other customer / internal related issues Urs Loosli, Yann Loosli & Cédric Dufour

Current issues overview « No coordination between routing and price change two Price change per month / a lot more routing changes « More than one numbering plan, used by different departments / users « Many numbering range / digits « min-max » diskrepancies « More than 100 carriers’ price lists to keep up-to-date « Current tool allows only 23 carriers « Traffic analysis (ASR report) is not 100% reliable and contains diskrepancies « Too many routing refinements in regard with DMS resources « Unaccurate traffic analysis leads to bad management and planning

High-end / efficient solution ? !… « Integrate the different aspects and data of our daily work in a single framework, providing… C A multi-sites single data source (database)… C … easier to maintain and analyze, … C … with coherent internal links between data … C … and tracking of changes / update C Easy import tool for external data C Converter / scripting tools for external systems Ä A new fully integrated environment

Current numbering plan issues « More than one numbering plan, used by different departments / users 1. Areas / Destinations diskrepancies 2. Use a single numbering plan source « Many numbering range / digits « min-max » diskrepancies 1. Routing, billing and traffic analysis errors 2. Daily check and update [ Solution provided in Switzerland

Current pricing issues « More than 100 carriers’ price lists to keep up-todate D Delays and errors on prices input ÄNeed for a fast and error-proof « import » tool « Current tool allows only 23 carriers D Missing the 77 -odd others… ÄNeed for a totally new pricing/target tool « And also… « Diskrepancies between prices and areas/destinations (cf. numbering), no prices history (past and future), no coordination with routing [ Solution provided in Switzerland

Current routing issues « Too many routing refinements in regard with DMS resources D DMS routing can not reflect the sales/pricing « optimal » routing ÄImplement the DMS routing differently, using an automatic « scripting » tool to optimize resources usage « And also… « Diskrepancies between routing and areas/destinations (cf. numbering), no routing history (past and future), no coordination with pricing [ Solution provided in Switzerland

Current traffic analysis issues « Traffic analysis (ASR report) is not 100% reliable and contains diskrepancies D Unaccurate traffic analysis leads to bad management and planning ÄHave a new, consolidated traffic analysis tool, based on billing data (CDRs) and allowing flexible analysis (traffic, quality, costs, revenue) [ Solution partially provided in Switzerland

The integrated tool morphology Customer *1, 2 Numbering *1 Services *2 Wholesale *1 Installation I. E. Database (Oracle / SQL Server) *1 Cost *1 0800 CSC *2 Interconnection *1 Routing *1 Pricing *1 DMS Implementation *1 Billing Implementation Traffic Analysis *1 CDR Billing System (Oracle) TT, … *1 Implemented in Switzerland *2 Implemented in STAR Office Billing

Customer Module « Key Data « Customer ID (Debit Nr) « Customer type (Carrier, Retail, Provider, Supplier, …) « Full coordinates « Support information (for nonretail customer) « Key information « Key Facts « A single data source « Customer ID is the single and only reference used by other modules « Key information ( « notes » field) allows to save relevant data about the customer

Customer Module « looks like »

Numbering Module « Key Data « Country name & CC « Area name & type « Numbering range and digits « min-max » information « Key Facts « One single data source « Unique country and area name (in English) « Area types allow to easily identify fixed/mobile destinations, services, customer range, etc… « Area types also indicate the hierarchy level of the refinement (needed for routing/billing) « Verification tools allow to check the refinement hierarchy and numbering

Numbering Module « looks like »

Installation Module « Key Data « Links (external circuits) ID, end-points, provider, service dates « Circuits ID, end-points, service dates, constituing links « Key Facts « New tool allowing to track down every cables, ports & circuits provisioned, commisionned and/or uninstalled, along with IDs, wiring and support information « Historic allows to keep track of updates/changes « Makes installation, troubleshooting and de-installation easier, quicker and more error-proof

Installation Module « looks like »

Interconnection Module « Key Data « Interconnection information (headquarter, contacts, status) « Switch specifications (type, point codes, equipment, dialing, …) « IOT list and status « Dialing specifications « Routesets, linksets and trunkgroups (SS 7/PRI) parameters… « … with full historic « Key Facts « New tool allowing to track down all interconnectionrelated information (partners information, IOT, interconnection parameters, trunkgroups, …) « Historic allows to keep track of updates/changes « Makes capacity analysis and commissioning easier « Makes DMS implementation and status survey easier and quicker

Interconnection Module « looks like »

Routing Module « Key Data « Translation systems definitions « Choices’ definitions (trunkgroups) « Numbering plan subgroup (routing areas) « Area/company-specific information (quality, capacity, blocking, …) « Routing specifications… « … with full historic « Key Facts « New user-friendly tool allowing easy management of routing implementation « Historic allows to keep track of changes/updates « Consolidate tools allow to check routing against quality, blocking or missing areas « Allows easy implementation of company/service-specific routing

Routing Module « looks like »

Routing Import Module « Key Data « Area names equivalences « Choices name equivalences « Key Facts « Allows easy and fast import of external routing data (such as the one provided by M. Hosseini team)

Routing Import Module « looks like »

DMS Routing Script Module « Key Facts « Fully automatic routing script generation, based on the information contained in the routing module… « … with automatic blocking management (to avoid loop-around routing) « … and redundancies filtering (script complexity reduction) « Historic allows to keep track of implementation in the DMS « Optimal usage of DMS resources (no more 1’ 024 routes/area/range limit) « Update scripts allow fast, easy and « as often as needed » updates of the routing in the DMS, while full routing scripts (several thousand lines) defines the core

DMS Routing Script Module « looks like »

Cost Module « Key Data « Customer « buy » price lists… « … with full historic « Area names equivalences (cf. price lists import) « SWAP Agreements… « Cost calculation policies (standard rule, crown-jewel rule, mobile margin rule, manual input, …) « Key Facts « Easy, fast and error-free price lists import « Optimal and error-free automatic routing calculation (to be used in the routing module) « Automatic and flexible cost calculation (based on optimal routing) « Allows easy, quick and efficent cost survey, along with fast, reliable routing management

Cost Module « looks like »

Pricing Module « Key Data « Customer « sale » price lists… « … with full historic « Key Facts « Automatic and flexible price lists calculation (based on cost module data) « Easy and flexible margin calculation « Fast and efficient market prices survey

Pricing Module « looks like »

Billing Script Module « Key Facts «Fully automatic billing script generation (CSV files), based on the information contained in the pricing module… «… allowing fast, efficient, error-free and « as often as needed » billing system update for customer price changes

Traffic Analysis Module « Key Data « CDR compiled data (currently ASR data) « Key Facts « Easy, fast and reliable traffic analysis, with choices-wise … « … traffic quantity survey (minutes) « … ASR survey (quality) « … Cost, prices and margin survey « Allowing easy network management, provisioning and commissioning… « … as well as traffic and revenue forecast

Traffic Analysis Module « looks like »

High-end / efficient solution !!! « A new fully integrated environment