iforward Solution Description Ahmed Abogendia An industry standard in lowering Infrastructure Cost through Intelligent Call Forwarding

Transcription

1 iforward An industry standard in lowering Infrastructure Cost through Intelligent Call Forwarding Solution Description Ahmed Abogendia

2 2 iforward Introduction... 3 Benefits to Network Operator:... 5 Benefits to Users:... 5 Basic Operation:... 5 iforward Application Description... 6 Creating and Managing Events... 7 Automatic Call Forward Activation... 9

3 3 iforward Introduction Statistics reveal that 80% of the cellular network traffic is generated in-door. iforward can divert a major portion of this indoor voice traffic and free up the wireless network to the increasing demand of data usage, saving network operators millions of dollars in network capacity upgrades. The savings will be directly proportional to the number of users utilizing the application which will dramatically increase when network operators offer the application packaged with new devices introduced to the market place. The use of mobile devices has increased rapidly over the past decade resulting in a massive amount of data and voice traffic that is transferred over cellular networks. In order to reduce the strain on cellular networks, network operators seek to reduce traffic at key points in the network where a bottleneck may occur. In recognizing the industry trend, ATEC developed the iforward application that resides on the user device which automatically transfers cellular network calls to a landline network telephone when a mobile device is in close proximity to a desired landline phone. The question is how to identify the proximity of the landline phone in order to start forwarding incoming calls. Thanks to the patented innovative idea of identifying the location of the landline phone by pairing it with an existing wireless source such as Wi- Fi, Bluetooth or an RF ID, which makes it possible for a mobile phone to recognize a home or an office location when detecting such wireless source. When the mobile device senses a particular wireless source associated with the landline phone, the iforward application notifies the cellular network to forward all incoming calls intended for the mobile device to the paired landline phone. The result is a significant reduction in the amount of voice traffic that is communicated over the cellular network. Users simply configure the iforward application on their mobile device to have all calls intended for the mobile device to be directed to either a home or office telephone when the mobile device is within range of a specific wireless source. When the user enters the home or office with their mobile device and the device detects the wireless network, all calls intended for the mobile device are directed to the users home or office telephone.

4 4 iforward As long as the mobile device remains in the zone of the wireless source, all voice calls will be directed to the telephone connected to the landline. Once the mobile device is removed from the wireless source, the user will receive calls at their mobile device in accordance with normal operating conditions. The process of reducing the load on the cellular network begins when a subscriber downloads and configures the iforward application onto their mobile device. The user can configure the call forwarding application on the mobile device by associating the wireless source with a telephone number of the landline to which the calls intended for the mobile device are to be forwarded. The user may also configure the mobile device for multiple wireless sources and telephone numbers. Many additional parameters can be programmed by the user such as time of the day and days of the week when the application should be enabled. Once you walk out of your office or home, all your calls are automatically received back on your mobile phone When walking into your office or home, enjoy the convenience of receiving all your calls at your office or home phone. Stop looking for your cell phone when it rings and suffering from poor reception and low battery life while you could use your desk or home phone

5 5 iforward Benefits to Network Operator: ATEC s iforward capability reduces the strain on cellular networks due to data transfer by providing automatic intelligent call forwarding. Benefits to service providers and subscribers include: Service providers can automatically transfer calls from a cellular network to a landline network saving the air time straining the valuable spectrum Service providers can reduce cellular network traffic but maintain billable airtime rates Service providers are able to minimize the cost of cellular network investments. Overcome low coverage spots Benefits to Users: Save battery life for outdoor use Better call quality when received on landline phones Subscribers can automatically receive all incoming mobile calls on a home or office landline device conveniently while receiving all calls at one number Save the hassle of looking for the cell phone when at home Improve call quality in low coverage areas Multiple family members can all receive their calls at home phone No additional cost associated with forwarding Basic Operation: Identify Select a wireless source to identify your location. Wi Fi network or a Bluetooth signal could be used Configure Creat an event that specifies what happens when the identifed wireless source is detected. An event will contain the number where calls will be forwarded and the schedule to do so. Multiple events could be created for home, office, etc. Enable Enable/disable events The application will run in the background and will enable/disable the call forward as the user move in and out of the identified area

6 6 iforward iforward Application Description When the user launches the iforward application, it starts by scanning and listing available Wi-Fi networks at the current location From the list of available Wi-Fi networks, the user can select the desired network and add it the user s network list by pressing Identify Connections.

7 7 iforward Creating and Managing Events After identifying the Wi-Fi network that is present at the user s location (home, office, etc), the user will need to create an event that instructs the application of what to do when detecting the identified network. The event screen is accessed by pressing Manage Events When in the events screen, the user can add new events or manage existing ones. The user can also turn an event on or off by simply clicking the on/off button beside each event. When selecting to edit events the user can then delete or modify an event.

8 8 iforward When adding or modifying an event the user will input the following details: - The event name. [Home, Office, Home-Weekend, etc] - The Wi-Fi network to be used to trigger the event - The landline phone number and # where calls will be forwarded to when the event is triggered. - Call forward activation/deactivation code. These codes are operator specific - Time of the day in conjunction with the detection of Wi-Fi signal when the event is allowed. - Days of the week in conjunction with the detection of Wi-Fi signal when the event is allowed. After configuring and saving the event, it will show up in the events list and could be turned on or off as desired. After configuring and saving the event, the user will be able to click check mark in the event list screen to validate the changes then click the phone back button to go back to the main screen.

9 9 iforward Automatic Call Forward Activation To activate the application, the user will need to click Start Service in the main screen. Once the service is started, the application will exit and run in the background. If the conditions of one of the defined events are met at the time of starting the service, iforward will automatically send a call forward command to the network and will place a notification icon in the status bar notifying the user that incoming calls will be forwarded. Opening the status bar will give the user more information on the call forward details such as what Wi-Fi network was detected that triggered the call forwarding and where the calls has been forwarded to.