Online Charging System

Online Charging System
Online Charging System
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© PETER-SERVICE, 2015. All rights reserved.
#A4002-60E
OCS ONLINE CHARGING SYSTEM
ОСS is a complex solution that
enables real-time balance control and
service management. This functional
entity in 3GPP networks performs
service rating, controls subscribers’
balances, processes information about
funds added to or withdrawn from
subscribers’ balances, applies
discounts and monitors service usage.
KEY
FEATURES
PERFORMANCE
OVERLOAD PROTECTION
RELIABILITY
X86 ARCHITECTURE
A single server handling 18 million
subscribers allows processing 14,5 thousand
transactions per second. The system boot
time aer a complete restart takes about 45
minutes.
High reliability (99,9999%) is ensured by the
1+1 redundancy system running in hot
standby mode, which means that the primary
server and the redundant server both process
incoming traffic and, if any of them fails, the
other one takes over the entire load. This
model also helps update the soware without
system shutdown by way of restarting
application instances one by one.
The system uses 25% of the maximum
hardware platform capacity even in the peaks
hours, which allows the system to continue
running without applying restrictions to or
suspending the provision of services to
subscribers in cases of one-time peak load.
The x86 architecture support is implemented
to reduce hardware platform costs and allows
the operator to use COTS mid-range servers
without compromising the reliability of the
system.
CONVERGENT SOLUTION
BRT implements an integrated solution that
allows rating all types of services (voice,
data, SMS, MMS, fax, VAS-services, SIP,
IP-TV), payment methods (prepaid, postpaid,
hybrid) and networks (3G, GSM, РSTN, WiFi,
WiMAX, LTE, IMS).
FUNCTIONALITY
SERVICE MANAGEMENT
Managing services compatible with
3GPP CAMEL Phase 3
Managing services via the DIAMETER
protocol
Identifying the service, subscriber and
customer before providing a service
Maintaining a reference table of RT
control modifiers for managing service
deactivation thresholds
Distributing a customer’s balance
between simultaneously consumed
services
Enabling the use of a customer’s balance
by different subscribers
Managing additional real-time services
provided to subscribers (SPG, Black List,
Live Balance, Prepaid Lifecycle)
AUTHORIZATION
Primary authorization – making a
decision on whether to allow/disallow
the system to start the provision of a
service
Reauthorization – making a decision on
whether to allow/disallow the system to
continue the provision of a service
CHARGE CALCULATION
Calculating the charge for services
provided based on the service duration
or volume
Applying rates and discounts with regard
to the subscriber’s time zone
INTERACTION WITH BILLING AND MONITORING
Registering information on services
provided in the billing system’s database
Loading updated customer and
subscriber information from the billing
system’s database
Loading balance change information not
related to the real-time service provision
from the billing system
Monitoring the system performance via
the SNMP protocol
THE OCS PRODUCT IS THE RESULT OF A MANYYEAR EVOLUTIONARY
DEVELOPMENT OF THE BRT BILLING IN REALTIME SYSTEM, WHICH IS
THE CORE ELEMENT OF PETERSERVICE'S CONVERGENT BILLING
SOLUTION USED BY MAJOR RUSSIAN AND FOREIGN TELECOM
OPERATORS
SUPPORTED PLATFORMS
WINDOWS
i686-ms-win(2013)-64
RED HAT LINUX
i686-redhat-linux(v6.0, v7.0)-64
HP HP-UX
ia64-hp-hpux(11.31)-64
RECOMMENDED X86
PLATFORM CONFIGURATIONS
Subscriber
base, mln.
Transactions
per second
Intel x86
platform
803
2 X 24 X INTELR XEONR CPU E52660 @ 2.20GHZ,
48GB;DISK STORAGE 280G; 10GBIT ETHERNET; OS: LINUX
3 135
2 X 24 X INTELR XEONR CPU X5675 @ 3.07GHZ,
64GB;DISK STORAGE 365G; 10GBIT ETHERNET; OS: LINUX
6 100
24 Х INTELR XEONR CPU X5675 @ 3.07GHZ 76GB RAM,
DISK STORAGE 550; 10GBIT ETHERNET; OS: LINUX
7600
2 X 24 X INTELR XEONR CPU X5670 @ 2.93GHZ, 128GB RAM;
DISK STORAGE 640 GB; 10GBIT ETHERNET; OS: LINUX
10 500
2 X 32 X INTELR XEONR CPU E52670 0 @ 2.60GHZ, 128GB RAM;
DISK STORAGE 640 GB; 10GBIT ETHERNET; OS: LINUX
31 700
2 X 32 Х INTELR XEONR CPU E52670 0 @ 2.60GHZ 152GB RAM,
DISK STORAGE 730; 10GBIT ETHERNET OS: LINUX
CASE
STUDY
North-West Branch of
PJSC MegaFon
Ural Macroregional Division,
PJSC Rostelecom
The project for building a single
convergent billing solution started in
the North-West Branch of MegaFon
in 2005. The operator was facing the
problem of managing accounts
receivable and needed to optimize its
billing solution. The new solution had
to replace Comverse’s solution used
for prepaid subscribers, enable
real-time control over subscriber
spending and serve both prepaid and
postpaid subscribers.
In early 2006, facing an active
subscriber base growth Rostelecom’s
Ural Macroregional Division felt the
need for a single billing solution. At
that time the division was using
multiple systems, as each system
supported only one service at the
branch level. Running so many
installations meant a high cost of the
soware, maintenance of diverse
equipment and training of employees. Comverse’s billing core did not
support the creation of flexible rating
schemes with regard to discounts
and calculated the subscription fee
with errors, thus creating a hidden
accounts receivable problem.
The installation of BRT allowed the
North-West Branch of MegaFon to
use a single convergent solution
(PETER-SERVICE BIS) for all its
subscribers, get rid of the accounts
receivable problem, cut down
transaction costs, increase customer
loyalty and get a tool for setting up
flexible rate plans and discounts of
any types.
In 2012, the operator started using
x86 platform for BRT, which helped
substantially reduce capital costs
without compromising the reliability
and performance of the solution as a
whole.
The BRT implementation started in
April 2006. By August the subscriber
bases had been merged and the
range of services, rates and
discounts had been configured in a
uniform way. As ВРТ processes CDRs
twice, short-received income stopped
bothering the client, since all the
subscribers without any exception
were now billed. The system was
commissioned in October 2006.
Kuzey Kıbrıs Turkcell
The project for creating a single
rating solution based on PETER-SERVICE BIS in ККТСеll started in 2014.
The operator was using a legacy
subscriber base solution consisting
of two separate parts: Ericsson’s
solution for prepaid subscribers and
PETER-SERVICE BIS, a convergent
billing solution for postpaid subscribers. The client was striving to create
a single solution that could serve
both prepaid and postpaid subscribers and could support any online
credit control options.
With the installation of BRT ККТСеll
managed to solve these tasks. In
addition, the company got a number
of benefits: more flexible rating
options, reduced transaction costs,
70% reduction in user code, usage of
less expensive equipment.
Thus, KKТСеll will be the last
operator in the Turkcell structure to
switch to a single convergent billing
in accordance with the holding’s
standards.
OCS STRUCTURE
OVERVIEW
CDR/BIS+
CDR
Packet Switched
Domain
(packet switching)
OCS
BRT-SCP
TLV
AMQP
CAP3
MAP3
CDR
Circuit Switched
Domain
(chanel switching)
SCP
Charging Center
DIAMETER
CAP3
MAP3
MBUS
OCI,
CALL
RECORDS
AMQP
Billing System
PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT HISTORY
2015 YTD – a total of 45 functions and
options have been implemented, including:
Deployment of an interface between PS OCS
and PS SPP, a payment processing server
Deployment of a Ro interface for voice services
charging in IMS networks
Implementation of data provisioning from
central data storage systems to PS OCSDB
2014 – 39 functions and options,
including:
Content services support as per Federal Law
229-FZ “On communications” dated 23 July
2013
Deployment of a Diameter Sy interface for QoS
management in the PCC solution when it is
closely integrated with PS PCCM
Implementation of a startup file cache for consolidated billing and a multi-branch structure
2013 – 63 functions and options, including:
Expansion of subscriber notification options via
PS NS_NTF
Support for different Gy/Ro interface implementations by vendors providing packet traffic
service management
Implementation of Diameter-based recurring
and one-time charging
2012 – 18 functions and options, including:
Implementation of support for time zones in
networks spanning multiple time zones
Discontinuation of the use of offline accumulators and rating discounts implemented as
PL/SQL procedures. Implementation of online
accumulators and rating discounts
2011 – 36 functions and options,
including:
Deployment of accumulators of various types,
including discounts with cyclic factors
Extension of Diameter-based credit control
capabilities in Single-Session-Credit-Control
mode
2007 – 69 functions and options, including:
Integration with PS BFN, a billing system for
fixed networks
Implementation of credit control for IPTV
services provided to fixed subscribers
Implementation of credit control for content
services
2010 – 78 functions and options,
including:
Implementation of a collect call service with
PS VSP
Implementation of on-network roaming with
offline CDRs in BIS+ format
Implementation of a call-back service for
subscribers who have run out of credit
2006 – 36 functions and options, including:
Implementation of a “virtual subscriber”
functionality. Support for SMS notifications to
subscribers
Support for location-based charging. Integration
with PS HZS, a home zones server
Integration with Huawei, Bercut, Protei and
Telegent solutions
2009 – 69 functions and options,
including:
Implementation of credit control for
broadband subscribers with PS BRM
Deployment of online bonus programs
Deployment of QoS management at the time
of provision for broadband traffic and data
services
2005 – 39 functions and options, including:
Support for whitelisting and blacklisting, VPN
Implementation of an offline CDRs reconciliation procedure
Implementation of CAMEL roaming. Support for
IN services via third-party providers
Convergence of online and offline charging.
Integration with Lucent and Huawei charging
gateways
2008 – 66 functions and options,
including:
Deployment of the Live Balance service
Deployment of on-network CAMEL roaming
and extended support for IN services
Implementation of payment gateways with
PS HAS
2004 – 18 functions and options, including:
Implementation of credit control for prepaid
subscribers
Support for CAMEL-based services, such as
telephony, SMS and GPRS
Integration with Protei charging gateways and
Bercut and HP SCPs