Next Generation Intelligent Networks experience quality

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1 Next Generation Intelligent Networks experience quality sustained voice service evolution Your business technologists. Powering progress

2 No big bangs Continuous quality of experience Will mobile network owners ever say, That s good enough? Will their customers? We doubt it. Advances in network intelligence and performance are soon absorbed as the demands and expectations of business and consumer markets continue to soar. But despite the pace of change, there are no big bangs - new and existing networks and technologies must work side-by-side. Operators must embrace and Rich Communication Services to protect brand image and expand services Ken Rehbehn, Principal Analyst, Yankee Group. The continuing parallel existence of different mobile network technologies is particularly evident in the overlap between 3G and 4G. We can expect LTE data communications technologies and 3G circuit switched networks to co-exist for ten years or more. Difference does not disappear overnight: Global differences while LTE is already well-established in the Americas and Asia, in Europe it is only just beginning to impact Local differences even within countries and regions, customers will move in and out of LTE coverage zones as they travel between cities and even urban districts Device differences people rarely keep their phones or tablets for more than a couple of years, but service providers must still cater for both LTE and non-lte devices Europe will inevitably go LTE, but the pace of adoption is affected by national and local differences. Just compare the spectrum auctions across the continent. In the UK, for example, bids were around 30% lower than the government had hoped while in the Netherlands, not only were there more bidders, but their bids massively exceeded expectations. But now that the spectrum auctions in Western Europe are complete, we can expect the mainstream shift to LTE to gather real momentum. And with this shift, for the very first time, we even get the collateral benefit of common standards worldwide with the associated advantage for travelers whose phones will soon work wherever they are. Not just data (and not just mobile) The main thrust of LTE is for high-quality and high-availability data communications. The promise of 4G focuses on mobile internet, with consumer and business customers now expecting to be able to enjoy rich-media content and communications from any location. But even if the focus is on data, voice remains an essential and critical part of the business mix. People want to talk. We want voice and video calling. We want one-to-one and group calling. And we want these services at increasingly attractive prices. Expectation is not only set by the range and cost of service, however. People listen to music on headphones that are so good, they sound as if you are in the same room as the musician. Comparable quality is now possible with highdefinition 4G voice services and nobody who has experienced it ever wants to go back. Just as LTE is not just about data it s not limited to traditional mobile usage either. As the tablet becomes the device of choice for many people in the office or around the house, 4G networks are also going to drive ever-higher levels of fixedmobile substitution. 2 3

3 Nobody says thank you In every business, there are some things you just have to do. Get them right, and everything carries on smoothly (even if nobody notices or says thank you). Get them wrong, and the world goes crazy. Any mobile service provider needing to manage the co-existence of 3G and 4G voice services knows this situation all too well. With the arrival of 4G, every communications service provider must be able to deliver seamless continuity of voice services to business and consumer customers. You need to do this in a manner which is highly efficient and cost-effective from both a technical and management perspective. Investment, for example, in separate systems for voice service management over 3G and 4G is not considered a viable option by most providers. Wherever possible, it is desirable to protect and build on the existing systems used to manage voice services. The approach to managing co-existence must also be future-ready: the focus today is on 4G, but you need to be confident that what you do today will anticipate future waves of development too. Two voice service options: one Atos recommendation There are two common approaches to providing voice services to LTE-enabled devices in hybrid 3G and 4G environments. Of these two, Atos is categorical in its recommendation: CS fallback With CS fallback, when a call is initiated on an LTE-enabled device, it automatically reverts to 2G/3G access. There are significant disadvantages to this approach. Not only does CS fallback require network upgrades for a short-lived architecture. It also means that for the user, data sessions are degraded or even interrupted by voice calls. Reliance on dual radio terminals also drains battery power. Unlike CS fallback, VoLTE is future-proof. It supports enhanced voice and video from the start, and allows voice and data services to run concurrently without interference and save battery power with a single radio in the phone. Not surprisingly, VoLTE is the approach recommended by the GSMA for providing voice and SMS services to LTE-enabled devices. Taking the VoLTE option is the smart choice. It provides a means of managing the coexistence of 3G and 4G services and devices over an extended period. It allows you to do so without investment in short-term fixes. Perhaps most importantly of all, it allows you to ensure continuity of service that spans zones with and without LTE coverage, and which can in turn be delivered to customers with both LTEenabled and 3G devices. Ground rules no breaks Every network owner and MVNO must be able to manage 3G and 4G voice service co-existence and continuity efficiently and cost-effectively. To achieve this, every successful VoLTE initiative will follow four simple ground rules: 1. Supplementary services which were native to the network in 3G must be provided seamlessly to VoLTE network users as they move between 3G and 4G coverage. 2. All existing Intelligent Network and SMS services need to be available without a break. 3. Billing and charging mechanisms need to handle both 3G and 4G network usage. 4. Customer usage and performance monitoring must provide an aggregated picture of activity across both networks both for the provider s own business intelligence and for the quality of response in customer interaction. Atos VoLTE: adopt once deploy many Atos is ready to help you implement effective right now. Our VoLTE solution is delivered using the robust and proven components of our well-established and respected Next Generation Intelligent Network (NGIN) product. NGIN gives you a central voice product catalogue, allowing you to achieve sustainable levels of efficiency and control in a climate on continued fixed/mobile convergence. The foundation of our VoLTE solution is the NGIN Telephony Application Server (TAS). Futurereadiness has been designed in from the start: because the NGIN TAS is engineered to be fully compliant with the 3GPP VoLTE standards for SIP telephony, every new VoLTE device is treated simply as another end-point. As a result, communication service providers can be confident in their ability to managed evolving LTE voice services and devices without disruption from day one. Any TAS used to support VoLTE services must possess four core functions, and the Atos solution provides them all. These are functional necessities not value-adds but this does not make them any less important. Atos Telephony Application Server: Four Core Functions Voice and Video All LTE supported voice and video calling services can be managed thanks to compliance with the GSMA IR.92 and IR.94 specifications. User Profiles Automated management of individual user profiles ensures that supplementary services can be set and tracked by the user as new rich media communication services become available. Aggregated Billing The charging trigger process and mechanism make it possible to automatically aggregate, cost and bill voice and data services across both LTE and 3G networks. Service Centralization From country to country and from location to location, users will move from LTE to 3G networks for years to come. Service centralization ensures a seamless user experience of voice services by switching automatically between networks as required. As an experienced systems integrator with a deep knowledge of telecommunications, Atos offers a choice of approaches for service centralization: When a client is not already committed to an existing service centralization toolset, Atos has SR-VCC embedded in the NGIN product. When the provider wishes to retain an existing service centralization practice, we will manage integration with the Atos VoLTE solution. Adding value from the start In addition to providing these four essential functions, Atos has been eager to add value from the start. Even though the ability to manage voice services over co-existing 3G and 4G networks is generally regarded as a basic housekeeping activity, Atos business technologists always want to help you establish quality and differentiation. As the solution evolves, so too will the service options. For now, we have started with two immediately useful services, adding value for the customer and convenience for the service provider: Our IP SMS Gateway allows customers to send and receive texts with a single set of tools across both LTE and 3G networks. It s convenient and efficient - and your customers will soon expect the service by default. Our IP Multimedia Service Switching Function (IM-SSF) eliminates the need to re-implement current Intelligent Network services for LTE. 4 5

4 A gateway to extended value VoLTE: quality and continuity assured You can adopt the Atos VoLTE solution as a single, discrete package. Our business technologists can work with your own technical architects to configure, implement and support your NGIN Telephony Application Server. You can be ready to pilot rapidly and for mass VoLTE roll-out soon afterwards. But you can also do much, much more. Adopting VoLTE over CS fallback will deliver sustainable operational benefit. Choosing the Atos NGIN-enabled approach adds a new level of potential business value, ready for you to exploit now or in the future. The Atos solution ensures: An immediate bridge between 3G and 4G networks for all voice services Low-risk and cost-effective implementation with NGIN, new LTE-enabled devices are simply another end-point Future-readiness - supporting the long-term co-existence of 3G and 4G networks Simpler integration and lower operational costs maximizing efficiency across service and network for user profiling, monitoring and reporting, and aggregated billing. Open access to advanced and profitable NGIN convergent VPN/Centrex services Atos VoLTE support is just one focus area of our extensive NGIN service suite. Choosing the Atos solution for your VoLTE service opens the door to a catalogue of intelligent voice and data management functions that lead directly to: Increased business opportunity and differentiation in both enterprise and consumer markets Direct gains in agility and business efficiency and immediate opportunities to exploit fixed/ mobile convergence NGIN in brief Atos NGIN comprises two complementary core elements: Convergent VPN Mobile Support SIP Support Roaming features Private Numbering Plan Closed User Groups Restriction Management Preferential Charging Favorites Partner VPN Private Calls Calendar Company Cost Control Office Zone CLIP No-Screening Multinational VPN SIP Trunking PBX Trunking Advanced PBX integration Registered /Unreg. PBX Force on PBX Office Link - Network Resilience - Service Backup - Call Admission Control - Call Deflection Full service catalogue This is a completely modular set of ready-to-go convergent services for the enterprise market. Making NGIN your choice for VoLTE delivery presents a direct opportunity to embed our NGIN catalogue as part of your own enterprise proposition. At the same time as meeting the challenges of handling concurrent 3G and 4G voice services, you can promote fast-track fixed/ mobile convergence for your enterprise clients. Because the catalogue is ready-to-go you can compete directly in the enterprise fixed line and mobile space without the cost or the risk of lengthy development. Just as with the VoLTE support solutions, all NGIN elements can be used either alone or in combination. Group Centrex Hunting Chain Hunt Group Call Queuing Group CLI Group Call Pick-Up Front Office Switchboard Operator Auto Attendant MS Lync Integration MS Lync Endpoints Lync Convergent Users IP Line Services CLIR / CLIP CF, CW, CH, CT, CB, ODB s Emergency Calls Malicious Call Identification Long Call Handling VoIP with Mobile Backup Personal Centrex Manager- Assistant End User ICS Absence Feature PAS Skipping Multidevice Ring Back When Free Advanced Call Forwarding Add-On Services Home Zone / Office Zone Local Diversion Roaming Charging IN front end Multi-SIM (ngsm) SIP Load Balancer Horizontal Features On-line Charging Integr. CDR Generation Web Services API Administrator GUI Feature Access Codes Common Address Book Music Repository The delivery platform The Atos platform, based on telco-grade middleware, is convergent by design, and spans PSTN, IP and mobile networks and hence its readiness to add LTE devices as simple endpoints. Because we enable the telco to deliver the full NGIN catalogue as a service, the enterprise requires zero capital investment in either network or hosting capability. In other words, NGIN allows mobile operators and MVNOs to deliver converged PABX services as a cloud proposition shared, public or private according to the telco s business strategy and the preference and requirements of the individual enterprise customer. Unified Comms Convergent End User End User Profiles Call Toggle Follow Me Click-to-Dial PC Toolbars Audio Conferencing Selfcare GUI Mobile GUI Presence Enabler Mobile Call Status SIP Call Status VoLTE Support IR.92 and IR.94 support Profile Mgnt (Ut+Sh) SR-VCC T-ADS IN rerouting Charging Trigger Function An industry strength partner With Atos, you gain an industrial-strength partner. Atos is a tier one IT services and solutions company with exceptional depth of expertise in the telecommunications sector. Around 9,000 of our global workforce of 74,000 business technologists are specialized in telecommunications and media. Whether you are a mobile network owner or an MVNO, your need to manage the longterm co-existence of 3G and 4G voice service provision demands partnership and process on an industrial scale. Atos will work with you to ensure adoption is phased and implemented precisely according to your own business and roll-out plan. We are resourced to do this on a national, regional or global scale. We also continually scan the business and technology horizon so that as new trends and technologies emerge, we are ready to fast-track effective adoption for our clients. We work well in partnership with both highly-specialized telecommunications solution providers and with the giants of the industry. Next steps It s not called Long Term Evolution by accident. The status of 4G maturity differs widely around the world, with the prospect of perhaps ten years co-existence with 3G particularly in evidence in Europe. Voice services will be a fundamental element of your 4G strategy, even if the industry emphasis to date has been on data. One thing is for sure high-definition audio and video communications will set consumer and business expectations higher than they have ever been. Let s start by sharing experience and strategy we are eager to learn your ambitions for 4G voice services, and eager to learn how we can help make them a differentiating business reality. not just data sustained voice service evolution 6 7

5 About Atos Atos SE (Societas Europaea) is an international information technology services company with annual 2012 revenue of EUR 8.8 billion and 76,400 employees in 47 countries. Serving a global client base, it delivers Hi- Tech Transactional Services, Consulting & Technology Services, Systems Integration and Managed Services. With its deep technology expertise and industry knowledge, it works with clients across the following market sectors: Manufacturing, Retail & Services; Public sector, Healthcare & Transports; Financial Services; Telecoms, Media & Technology; Energy & Utilities. Atos is focused on business technology that powers progress and helps organizations to create their firm of the future. It is the Worldwide Information Technology Partner for the Olympic and Paralympic Games and is quoted on the NYSE Euronext Paris market. Atos operates under the brands Atos, Atos Consulting & Technology Services, Atos Worldline and Atos Worldgrid. For more information: Please contact [email protected] or visit atos.net atos.net Atos, the Atos logo, Atos Consulting, Atos Worldline, Atos Sphere, Atos Cloud and Atos Worldgrid are registered trademarks of Atos SE. March Atos.