Convergent Voice and Data Billing

The need

Incumbent and NextGen telcos, active in highly competitive markets, require voice-based billing solutions that can integrate with their existing switching hardware and interface with the Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system. Telcos also need solutions that can be implemented quickly (so that new services can be launched) and support complex rating rules to support their product offerings, update and recharge prepaid balances in real time, provide real time Web reporting of customer account balances and call details and enable on-line payment.

How Infozech’s solution works

On the voice side, a call gets initiated from the user over the PSTN network and gets directed to the gateway server for authentication, authorization and accounting. From here, it moves to the Radius server, for remote user authentication and accounting. The Radius server requests Infozech’s billing solution for a validation, after which the call goes through the destination gateway and terminates at the voice user through the destination PSTN.

On the data side, the call gets initiated from a data user through the ISP server, from where it lands on the Data RAS. From here, it gets forwarded to the Radius server for authentication, authorization and accounting and then on to the Infozech billing solution for validation. As a final stage, the call terminates to the destination data user through the destination ISP.

Benefits of the solution

Using the Infozech billing solution, telcos can undertake the following:

• provide a customer self care facility, using a telephone interface and customized IVR program
• use complex rating rules to support its product offerings
• update and recharge prepaid balances in real time
• enable ANI registration and detection (up to 9 ANI)
• initiate the service through online payment and registration
• terminate the service based on predefined policy thresholds
• create inbound and outbound traffic reports based on ports or gateways
• provide IVR prompts in multiple languages to users
• provide complete agent care on the Web