Download info pack
SS7 REVENUE ASSURANCE | Switchblade
Overview
A carrier class Revenue Assurance platform for real-time network monitoring, enabling carriers to increase their revenues and improve quality by immediately identifying and correcting income shortfalls and service operational issues.
The Switchblade’s E1 monitor probe extracts SS7 packets from the network, which are converted into Call Detail Records (CDRs) and stored in a secure database. The CDRs are accessible to a client PC with a web browser.
- SS7 Revenue Assurance web application for analyzing CDRs.
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux for 24/7 operation.
- Enterprise database.
- ITU ISUP / NUP International and National signaling standards supported.
- SS7 Monitor probes with 2, 4, 16, 32, 48 or 64 E1 pairs capacity.
- Real-time display of calls-in-progress.
- User friendly interface for Fraud Monitoring, Statistics, Billing and Channel Usage.
- Rapid Return on Investment.
Key System Functionality
Revenue Assurance
- Fraud Monitoring.
- Increased Revenue by Stopping Fraud.
- Checking the accuracy of settlements between International Carriers.
- Billing Verification: Collection and Reconciliation / Verification of CDRs.
- Billing for SS7 use (e.g. GSM Roaming services for other Carriers).
- Customer Care: Preventing Churn.
- Customer Care: Identification of calling patterns for major customers.
Performance & Maintenance Management
- Performance Statistics: ASR (Answer/Seize Ratio), BSR (Busy/Seize Ratio) and PDD (Post Dialing Delay).
- Real-time Call Tracing.
- Trouble Shooting.
- Identification of Faulty Circuits.
- Identification of Switching Congestion.
- Identification of Congested Routes.
- Identification of Incorrect Dialing from Overseas (no Codes).
E1 Monitor Probe
The E1 Monitor Probe connects to E1 links via a high-impedance interface to ensure a fully non-intrusive monitoring capability with 2, 4 16, 32, 48 or 64 E1 pairs capacity.
The raw SS7 packet data is streamed to the Switchblade server, where the CDRs are generated.
The E1 Probe Monitor is provided standalone as a 1U unit. The E1 links are connected via a high-impedance patch panel. Each patch panel supports 16 E1 pairs and is 1U high.
The 2 or 4 E1 pair Monitoring Probe is implemented by a PCI card in the Switchblade Server. This allows a cost effective system for smaller Carriers.
Switchblade Server
The Switchblade Server hosts an Enterprise Database Server and also operates as a web-server running the SS7 Revenue Assurance application. The database stores the CDRs and executes SQL queries from the SS7 Revenue Assurance application running on the web browser on the client PCs.
The Switchblade Server typically is a rack mounted Dual CPU Server with a 500 to 1000 GByte Hard Disk running Enterprise Linux and uses DDR2 ECC memory for reliability. The Enterprise Linux operating system and Database Server are multi-user.
Switchblade PCs
The Client PCs run the SS7 Revenue Assurance application in a web browser and connect to the Switchblade Server over an Ethernet LAN. The Switchblade web-server is used for accessing the CDR database and for the real-time display of calls-in-progress.
A comprehensive set of search queries can be executed from the web-server via the client PC, the queries extract and display call statistics including accumulated minutes.
Useful examples include:
- Group Calls by A or B Number.
- Group Calls by Carrier.
- Group Calls by Calling Party Category.
- Group Calls by Release Code.
Revenue Assurance Manager
The investigation of revenue loss varies from call-back services through to fraudulent operation. The Switchblade offers the Carrier detection facilities for a wide range of fraud and access to CDRs to identify the parties involved. The Revenue Assurance Manager can applying action trees to identify the patterns used for these fraudulent calls and by responding appropriately can restore the revenue streams.
The CDR data provided is detailed and includes the time of call, the duration and status, i.e. Answered, A Number, B Number and additional information including Calling Party Category (CPC), Post Dialing Delay (PDD), Release Code (RC), etc.
International Account Manager
The International Account Manager may be provided with processed reports on paid time for incoming and outgoing traffic to identify discrepancies in the international settlement data. Although not being able to identify the point of origin for incoming transit traffic via an external carrier, over time the correlation of declared minutes via each route carrier should be within close margins to the total measured route traffic.
The accumulation of SS7 CDRs on the signaling link, especially by cellular operators offering international roaming (GSM), provides a basis for charging partner Carriers against use by kilosegment.
Switch Manager
The performance figures allow the Switch Manager to respond quickly to requests for reports on customer access difficulty where the problems are network related. The database can also provide a measure of the efficiency of the maintenance effort and an identification of resource requirements.
