Starhome, a provider of roaming services for mobile network operators, has released its Next Generation Intelligent Preferred Network Solution (NG-IPN).
Said to be the first fully automated Steering of Roaming (SoR) solution, NG-IPN enables operators to automatically steer their outbound roamers to preferred network partners based on revenues and Inter-operator Tariff (IOT) agreements. Optimised steering efficiency is achieved when NG-IPN detects the smallest deviation in the roamer's behavior pattern, profiles them, and initiates an automatic adjustment to the steering application. Therefore, NG-IPN's automated performance facilitates better steering results, maximizing targets set by mobile operators.
NG-IPN is also said to provide operators with an immediate snapshot of the usage status and distribution of roamers across all networks in each visited country, offering an up-to-date revenue status report. The automated solution provides efficient steering results by focusing on usage distribution rather than the number of roamers. In addition, NG-IPN eliminates costly and time-consuming manual provisioning as well as manual requests for daily status reports, culminating in across-the-board efficiency and accuracy.
Included in Starhome's evolved Intelligent Preferred Network solution is the ability to dynamically segment subscribers based on their current and previous usage. For example, high data consumption subscribers who use 3G data cards, such as iPhone and Blackberry, will be steered by NG-IPN to the network where the data targets are still outstanding; the same logic applies for voice-only users and sleepers (users who do not generate any roaming traffic).
According to Starhome, other Steering of Roaming (SoR) solutions focus solely on the distribution of roamers between visited networks rather than analyzing the actual usage and revenue patterns. To receive a revenue report, roaming managers must obtain reports from their billing departments, check each network to see if they are meeting targets, and modify the configurations.
"These enhanced capabilities dramatically increase steering effectiveness and help mobile operators achieve their roaming business goals quickly, more efficiently and with a minimal investment of resources," said Amit Daniel, Vice President of Marketing and Business Development for Starhome.
The solution features three main layers, which can work independently or together: SS7 signalling controls the handset registration process; over-the-air (OTA)/SIM control manages SIM data via OTA media; and the Hybrid mode integrates SS7 and SIM technologies for optimal redirection efficiency and response time for users and reduced signalling traffic, says the company.