Revenue Assurance Systems
Revenue Assurance Systems has just started to appear in Russia, but many operators think about its implementation. These systems allow continuous monitoring of the whole chain of income from the switching equipment check-ups and coupling platform independent auditing to the billing and invoicing verification module. Tuning in onto the existing information flows, such systems check as internal completeness and consistency of the data on the services provided, as allow correlating information from different systems detecting failures in time. Once set up, these systems generate warnings of deviations from normal reference behavior.
Money creation is actually a main objective of any entrepreneur, regardless of its activities. And no matter how well business developed, a smart owner should always keep a finger on the pulse. One of these pulses is the issue of leakage of revenue and ways to combat it.
Revenue leakage in the telecommunications industry are often seen as a hidden and uncontrolled costs of production and the researchers estimate it could range from 3 to 15% of total revenue of service providers.
Detecting data inconsistencies or discrepancies and providing technical staff with timely warnings is just one of the tasks of revenue assurance systems. Moving to proactive process management requires powerful analytical tools that would enable comprehensive analysis of detected faults, reveal event trends, correlate events and determine patterns. Setting up revenue assurance processes is a comprehensive issue that encompasses virtually all aspects of the operator’s business and requires an equally comprehensive approach.
The main objective of the proposed platform is the correctness and accuracy of data processing by the operator’s hardware and software system which is a set of data removal networks and equipment, and OSS / BSS systems.
The basic logic of the platform is a data pickup at the network and billing system different points, the analysis and identification of differences in data processing, and visualization of results.
System Operation
The architecture of revenue assurance system is based on the complement and control of OSS / BSS-systems installed in the company.
Data Pickup
The platform is connected to specific network interface and computer equipment, converts the data and compares them.
The recorded data collects, filters out and pre-processes. Filtering options, storage and processing are given by system settings.
Business Rules Application
The business rules apply to the filtered and processed data in accordance with the settings. This treatment prepares the data for comparison / correlation. For example, compared with the estimated CDR, unrated CDR stream must be processed in accordance with the tariff model settings (rating).
Phase of the business rules application, in effect, doubles the respective functions of the operator’s system, both implemented in hardware (network equipment) and software (rating, billing).
Correlation
There is a comparison of two appropriately prepared data streams at the stage of the correlation. The correlation results stores in the logs for further analysis, averaging, display and reporting.
A correlator gets settings required for its operation, such as subscriber identification parameters, date and time of the service, and its duration and/or volume. There is also defines admissible for correlation scatter in the parameters.
For control of certain parts of the network, for example, to compare the data on subscribers’ service subscription in OSS/BSS and network equipment, can be held an active correction of one of the sources depending on the settings.
Analysis
In analyzing the differences there uses formalized rules and settings: In particular, the thresholds that determine which differences can be considered valid.
Multi-level KPI system use.
Lower-level indicators determine the amount of discrepancies. Discrepancies can not be assessed by the number, scope of services provided and/or the volume of lost funds.
Second-level indicators are integrated, which definitely calculates based on the indicators of the lower level and the known flow parameters of the correlated data. With its help, for example, it is possible to assess the loss of income in a particular area of the operator’s system. Combination of several integrated indicators can provide estimates of the total loss of revenue for the operator-controlled parts of the network/system.
For the controlled KPI by the settings there set thresholds, above which raises concerns and generates events in the problems processing system in accordance with the settings of the frequency of their occurrence.
All figures and original sample stores in the database for further analysis and reporting.
Display and Notification
The user interface displays the results of the system. The dashboard displays the values of the different KPI and specified thresholds excess indicators. According to the settings, once alarm happens, senior officials of the operator get information on it.
Reporting
Reporting generation system provides statistics on the KPI values and allows for more detailed information on the reasons for the loss right up to the original recordings of the services rendered.
Functionality
The system covers the following areas of control loss:
- Verify the subscription parameters in the OSS / BSS and HLR
- Control over the records correct processing/forming on the services provided by the switching equipment (a pairwise data correlation removed from the outputs of the various devices on the network)
- Control over the pre-processing, billing records on the services provided
- Integration with other systems
Based on a flexible modular architecture, platform can be integrated with the OSS/BSS from any manufacturer.