Research
ntroduction
Wholesale Mobile Report
This module provides a brief introduction to the basic
concepts and technologies associated with mobile
Secrets of MVNO
communications.
Success

 
   

About MobileIN.com Wireless vs. Mobile

Communications
 
 
Wireless
Join our email list telecommunications can
be divided into two broad
  categories: mobile
Mobile in Minute papers communications and fixed
wireless communications.
Each category has its own
  unique market in terms of
customer needs and
2.5G  technology requirements.
3G  The mobile
AAA communications market
Advanced Messaging 
requires mobility or non-
Billing 
CPP  tethered communications.
EBPP 
GETS  The goal of mobility is
GPRS  anytime, anywhere
Intelligent Agents 
communications. Mobile
Inter-operator Messages 
IWF  communications
Lawful Intercept  technology must be able to
LDAP  allow roaming - the ability
Location Services  to provide service to a
Mobile Basics 
mobile phone users while
Mobile Instant Messaging 
Mobile IN  outside their home system.
Mobile IP  On the other hand, fixed
MVNO  wireless is simply an
Personal Area Networks  alternative to wired
Prepay Technology 
communications. The fixed
Presence 
Personalization  wireless user does not
Positioning  need mobility. Instead, the
Sevice Bureaus  fixed wireless user needs
 Softswitch  cost effective
Smart Cards  telecommunications from
SMS 
SS7 
fixed locations. Wireless is
SS7 Planning & Engineering  an alternative means of
Unified Messaging  providing service. It is
USSD sometimes the only
VAS  means. When the
WAP 
WAP & iMode 
customer is in a remote
Wireless 911/112  location, satellite is the
Wireless Testing  only alternative.
WLAN Roaming 
XML
Cellular and PCS
 
  The personal
communications concept
arose after cellular
networks were deployed.
Personal Communications
Service (PCS)
technologies were
designed to meet the
needs of anytime,
anywhere personalized
communications. PCS
networks were deployed
utilizing cellular RF
designs similar to cellular.
However, many PCS
carriers initially deployed
larger groupings of smaller
cell sites to cover densely
populated urban areas.
PCS also uses a higher
portion of the RF spectrum
(1900 MHz in the US
versus 800 MHz for
cellular). Being deployed
after the initial cellular
networks, PCS networks
also initially had more
advanced technologies
than PCS, including SS7
network infrastructure for
services such as calling
number identification.
However, cellular would
soon catch up due to
competitive pressures. In
aggregate, there are now
no substantive differences
between the initial
"cellular" networks and
"PCS". In fact, they both
utilize the same underlying
technologies. 

Mobile
Communications
Protocols

Radio Frequency
Protocols

Interim Standard 136 (IS-

136) is a specific Time
Division Multiple Access
(TDMA) based radio
frequency (RF) standard.

IS-95 is a specific Code

Division Multiple Access
(CDMA) based radio
frequency (RF) standard.
With TDMA, multiplexing
occurs within time slots
within dedicated frequency
band for each call or data
session. On the other
hand, CDMA is a "spread
spectrum technology",
utilizing all available
frequency and time slots
within an allocated service
band.

It is important to be aware
that TDMA and CDMA are
digital RF protocols. There
are various analog RF
protocols that are still in
commercial service, but
they are being replaced
with TDMA and CDMA as
mobile operators upgrade
their networks.

Mobile Networking
Protocols

IS-136 and IS-95 based

networks both utilize ANSI-
41 as a protocol for mobile
networking. ANSI-41
based networks are
deployed primarily in the
Americas and parts of
Asia.

Global System for Mobility

(GSM) is a global standard
based on TDMA. GSM
utilizes the GSM Mobile
Application Part (MAP) as
a mobile networking
protocol.

Mobile Networking

Cellular/PCS networks can

use different type of mobile
networking protocols that
allow for roaming – the use
of a mobile phone while
away from the home area
– and advanced services.

Global System for Mobility

(GSM) networks deployed
in Europe and throughout
the world utilizes a
protocol called the GSM
Mobile Application Part
(MAP), standardized by
the European
Telecommunications
Standards Institute (ETSI).
Other TDMA based
networks and CDMA
networks utilize a protocol
called ANSI-41, a protocol
standardized by the
Telecommunications
Industry Association (TIA)
and the American
Standards Institute (ANSI).

Mobile networking entails

communication between
Home Location Registers
(HLR) and Visiting
Location Registers (VLR) -
databases used to store
information about
subscribers.
Communication between
these databases allows
roaming.

ANSI-41 and GSM

MAP

GSM MAP and ANSI-41

are key protocols that
utilize SS7 to allow
roaming and advanced as
well as more advanced
capabilities.
Communication between
the VLR in the serving
system and the HLR of the
home area is facilitated by
these mobile networking
protocols and signaling
based on a signaling
protocol called Signaling
System number Seven
(SS7).

In GSM networks, the

MAP rides on top of SS7,
 allowing VLR to HLR (and
HLR to VLR)
communications.

In non-GSM networks
(such as many of those
found in the United
States), ANSI-41 is
deployed (which also uses
SS7) for HLR/VLR
communications.

Mobile IN for GSM &

ANSI-41

While there are various

proprietary-based mobile
intelligent network (IN)
technologies, the
standards based
technologies are often of
most value to the mobile
network operator and their
customers. These
standards based
technologies are referred
to as Customized
Applications for Mobile
Enhanced Logic (CAMEL)
and Wireless Intelligent
Network (WIN) and are
used in GSM and ANSI-41
based networks
respectively.
Basic Concepts  

Billing systems collect, rate, and calculate charges for use Research
of telecommunications services.
Wholesale Mobile Report
For post-paid services, a collector at the switch gathers data
and builds a call detail record (CDR). For prepay systems, Secrets of MVNO Success
prepay processing system determines the appropriate
charges and decrements the account accordingly. Both  
systems utilize a guiding process to match calls to
customer’s plans and a rating engine to rate individual calls.
In the case of post-paid customers, a CDR is transmitted to
a print house to generate a bill, unless Electronic Bill
Presentation and Payment (EBPP) systems are used.
   

About MobileIN.com Billing vs. Charging

  Charging is the process of

  collecting data to enable
monitoring of resource
Join our email list usage, accounting, and/or
billing. Billing is the
 
process of processing and
Mobile in Minute papers rendering a bill.

Settlements
 

2.5G  It is important to
3G  understand that there is a
AAA settlement process that
Advanced Messaging  occurs between mobile
Billing  operators when customers
CPP 
EBPP  roam from one network to
GETS  another. This occurs
GPRS  through exchange of CDR
Intelligent Agents  data through the use of
Inter-operator Messages  various roaming
IWF 
Lawful Intercept  clearinghouse companies.
LDAP 
Location Services  Billing and Charging for
Mobile Basics  Packet Networks
Mobile Instant Messaging 
Mobile IN 
Mobile IP  Packet networks such
MVNO  as GPRS have a
Personal Area Networks  significant impact as the
Prepay Technology  charging system must be
Presence  able to handle a much
Personalization 
Positioning  higher number of service
Sevice Bureaus  events in a given period
Softswitch  than voice
Smart Cards  communications. As
SMS  applications such
SS7 
SS7 Planning & Engineering  as WAP migrate from a
Unified Messaging  monthly fee or time-of-use
USSD fee model to a volume fee
 model, charging systems
must evolve to support
more frequent data
collection.

Significant components for

consideration in levying
charges in packet
networks include:

 Uplink/downlink
volume of usage
 Content/services
selected
 Quality of service
 Location

Customers vs. Subscribers

VAS 
WAP  Subscribers are
WAP & iMode 
distinguished by
Wireless 911/112 
Wireless Testing  customers as having pre-
WLAN Roaming  subscribed to services
XML (typically meaning there is
a permanent record of
  their account and a billing
  relationship) as opposed to
customers who may
be prepay users or have
their services paid by
some third party, as is
expected to be the case in
various mobile commerce
business models that
involve reverse charging
scenarios.

Micro-payments

The expectation of various

mobile commerce services
is that they will entail the
use of micro-payments.
The notion is that many
applications will involve
activities such as purchase
of refreshment at a
vending machine. This is
an example of the need to
capture charging
information, which may be
used for inclusion on a bill
or rendered to a third party
system such as a prepaid
account.

SS7 Data Capture

The capture of SS7 data is

another significant manner
in which to gather charging
information. One of the
primary purposes for
capturing SS7 data is to
compare to call detail
records. Comparative
analysis of data enables
the operator to potentially
correct errors that may
exist in the rating tables of
the CDR generator. In
addition, SS7 data may be
used to audit various
relationships such as the
charges that are
exchanged between
operating companies for
interconnection.