MNP – Network Implementation & Systems Integration

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BSP International Forum on MNP Implementation & Management

Les Oliver Senior Consultant InterConnect Communications +44 7779 260 198 [email protected]

MNP Dar es Salaam November 2012

MNP – network implementation &

systems integration

� Understand the;

•  Regulatory Positions & Dynamics •  Architectural alternatives

�  Network architecture �  Inter-operator service administration architecture �  Internal OS architecture

•  Impacts on your network, services, business processes and systems

•  Impacts on your business (retail and wholesale) •  Costs are significant (set up, conveyance, administrative) •  Inter-operator strategy – are there any synergies with other

operators?

� Developing a plan which takes into account the regulatory position, policy position on business rules, implementation dates, etc.

Preparing for Mobile Number Portability

Implementation best practice � Onerous processes & customer charges are the two

issues which most commonly discourage use of the service

� Customer education is the third

� Most implementations world-wide are now adhering to these principles: •  Recipient lead one-stop shop process •  Porting in one day or less (especially MNP) •  Direct call routeing •  Centralised automated order handling process •  Simple customer validation process •  Retention activity not permitted – during & (often) after the porting

activation •  Reject reasons kept to a minimum

� Operators who are ‘anti’ MNP will try to introduce flawed (and expensive) practices to deter customers from porting their numbers

Centralised Order

Processing

Operators Service Management Point

EG 201 367 V1.1.1 (1999-02)

Portability Administration Model

Order Handling Platform

Central Reference Database

Service Control Point (Local Database)

Service Switching

Point

Service Switching

Point

Operator 2

Master Number Portability Management Point – ‘Ordering, Business Rules &

Regulations, Porting Information, Reports

Master Administration Directory Number

Database – ‘Synchronise Network Information’

Operator 1 Operator N




Service Switching

Point

Service Switching

Point


Service Switching

Point

Service Switching

Point

Common number portability order processing ‘rules’

‘Ordering Business Rules & Regulations Porting Information Reports’

Interface Options

Operators are faced with the challenges of : •  Interfacing with a centralised NP system •  Integrating with various internal systems and

processes, including BSS/OSSs and Network systems



Centralised Order

Processing

Operator’s Environment

Billing – wholesale &

retail

OSS / BSS

Prov/ Activation

Inventory

CRM

Other OSS / BSS

Customer Care

Network SCP

Network STP

Network SN

Commercial Issues Network Considera4ons Business Opera4ons

What does a Service Provider do when a subscriber requests a port?

Ø  Ordering Ø  Provisioning Ø  No:fica:on Ø  Customer Care

How does a Service Provider route a call to a ported number?

Ø  Signaling Ø  Rou:ng Ø  Call/Non-‐Call flows

What are the costs and who pays for por:ng a number?

Ø  Subscribers Ø  Service Providers Ø  Clearinghouse Provider

Dimensions for Considera4on

Considerations for an operator

MNP Impacts the whole business Business Units

Reporting / Controlling

Helpdesk

Interconnection

Sales

Customer Management

Operations Marketing

Billing

Provisioning

Logistics

Business areas impacted by the introduction of

MNP

MNP Impacts the whole business Business Units

Impacted Processes


MNP Reports Mgmt. Reporting

Helpdesk Incidences Mgmt.

IC-Billing Interconnection

Sales

Service Platform Pr. 2nd/3rd Level Support

Customer Management


Billing

Provisioning

Logistics

Mediation Rating

Campaign Mgmt.

SIM Card Distrib.

Network Provisioning

Activation Customer Care

Product Management

SLA Mgmt.

Contract Mgmt.

Channel Mgmt.

Commissioning

Retention/Cancellation

Life Cycle Mgmt.

Network Operations

IT Operations Business processes impacted by the

introduction of MNP

MNP Impacts the whole business

MNP Import / Export

MNP Operator Helpdesk

Porting Cancel / Repatriate

Tariff Transparency

Business Units

Impacted Processes New Processes


MNP Reports Mgmt. Reporting

Helpdesk Incidences Mgmt.

IC-Billing Interconnection

Sales

Service Platform Pr. 2nd/3rd Level Support

Customer Management


Billing

Provisioning

Logistics

Mediation Rating

Campaign Mgmt.

SIM Card Distrib.

Network Provisioning

Activation Customer Care

Product Management

SLA Mgmt.

Contract Mgmt.

Channel Mgmt.

Commissioning

Retention/Cancellation

Life Cycle Mgmt.

Network Operations

IT Operations

The introduction of MNP impacts a wide range of established business processes and introduces new processes

Debt Management

Common number portability order processing ‘rules’

‘Ordering Business Rules & Regulations Porting Information Reports’

Requesting porting as part of ordering / Service Fulfilment process includes sending and receiving porting requests to and from a Centralised NP system •  NP transactions can be managed manually or they can

be automated •  Integrated with BSS/OSSs via a gateway system that

interfaces with the NP system



Centralised Order

Processing



retail

OSS / BSS

Prov/ Activation

Inventory

CRM

Other OSS / BSS

Customer Care

Network SCP

Network STP

Network SN

Number Porting Request and Response

Operational / Maintenance Subsystem

Outputs Processing Subsystem

Inputs Processing Subsystem

Customer / User Interface Subsystem

Processing and Control Subsystem

Fulfilment – Operator Perspective

Billing Call Routing Module

Service Activation

Module

Ported Out Register

Update Module

Service De-activation

Module

Routing Database Update

Module

Customer Request

Processing Module

Customer Communication

Module

Customer Validation

Module Port Request

And Validation Module

Service Initiation Module

Inter-carrier Communication

Module

Reporting Module

Alarm Management

Module

Fault Management

Module

Port Completion Notification

Module (to SP’s)


Fulfilment – Functional Modules


Service Activation

Module

Ported Out Register

Update Module


Module


Module

Customer Request

Processing Module


Module

Customer Validation

Module Port Request




Module

Reporting Module

Alarm Management

Module

Fault Management

Module


Module (to SP’s)


1

4

3

7

5

5a

5a 5a

2 6

7b

7a

Fulfilment – Flow for Gaining Operator


Service Activation

Module

Ported Out Register

Update Module


Module


Module

Customer Request

Processing Module


Module

Customer Validation

Module Port Request




Module

Reporting Module

Alarm Management

Module

Fault Management

Module


Module (to SP’s)


3

2

5

6

7a 7a

9

8 7

4

1

7a

Fulfilment – Flow for Losing Operator

Routing update information ‘Broadcast’

•  NP system broadcasts the updates on successfully ported numbers and their new serving operators

•  Each Operator needs to capture this new routing data and update its network elements for use to route voice/data to ported numbers

•  Information must be synchronised so that operators have the same information at the same time to avoid mis-routes

•  Should an operator database fail, it can be reconstructed from the reference database



Centralised Order

Processing



retail

OSS / BSS

Prov/ Activation

Inventory

CRM

Other OSS / BSS

Customer Care

Network SCP

Network STP

Network SN

Number Porting Update & Network Routing

Signalling & Call Routing

� Signalling & Call Routing require appropriate information

–  There are choices where this information is held

Donor / Transit / Terminating Network Originating

Network

Onward Routing – Fixed Networks

CON´s: •  No optimized routing •  Increase of call set-up time •  No possibility for billing differentiation •  Fails if donor operator goes out of

business •  Tromboning

Originating Recipient

Donor

Local routing tables

PRO´s: •  Used to be quickest to implement

•  Optimized Routing - No Tromboning •  Fail-safe if the donor operator goes out of business •  Minimal signaling impact •  Minimal increase of Call set-up time •  Minimal increase of network complexity

Direct Routing (AcQ) – Fixed Networks

Originating Recipient

Donor

Reference routing database, per operator or centralised

Direct Routing – Mobile Networks

Originating Network

Home/Recipient Network

Donor Network

Visited Network

Call and non call related

Reference routing database, per operator or centralised

Centralised Solution – Considerations

•  Generally perceived to be more expensive than bi-lateral to implement, although likely to result in cheaper on-going costs per port

•  The risk of a potentially lengthy period to reach agreement between operators on the subsequent contract terms

•  Operators may perceive a loss of control of the process

•  Solution works best when call routeing is managed via an ACQ or IN solution so that routeing information is automatically and simultaneously updated in all the networks

•  Each operator must implement a gateway to the network and OSS / BSS systems affected to support the electronic data flow

•  OSS / BSS gateway can be manual, developed in house or vendor supplied

•  MNP should be a positive and straightforward experience for the customer - A customer friendly process should be your aim

•  Make it easy to port, use multiple (all existing) channels

•  Business as usual, as easy as for normal ‘new customer’ acquisition, only difference: get customer’s number

•  Training of all customer facing functions extremely important

•  Don’t forget Customer Awareness and to inform of how, where and why

Keep it Simple – new entrant objectives

MNP – affect on the market place

•  One of the reasons why subscribers leave is because of the quality of the network and/or network coverage – improvements in these make it easier to gain and retain subscribers

•  Operators also improve their customer service operations & their offers to subscribers which benefits all new & existing subscribers

•  Operators will become much more price sensitive which benefits all subscribers

•  A recent study concluded that ‘The level of price decline is related to porting times. Where porting times are less than five days, the decline in prices is more significant.’

(Analysis Mason)

•  You have to ensure, pre-MNP, that you are doing the basic things as well as you can – why are customers staying with you / joining you today?

•  Are your customers satisfied with the network coverage and quality?

•  What about your customer care agents, are they providing a service that customers are happy with?

•  Are your packages popular – are you winning customers prior to MNP?

•  Is your price structure right – are customers satisfied that you are competitive?

•  Do you have a high churn rate prior to MNP – after launch expect this to increase in the short term

•  Identify churners now and try to understand the cause of their dissatisfaction

Customer retention activities

•  Start your marketing and sales activities well ahead of MNP launch

•  Look at what works and build on that •  If you have loyalty programmes in place – look to re-

launch ahead of MNP launch •  If you don’t have loyalty programmes then look to

build a marketing campaign around them •  The intention is to create Brand Loyalty •  Lock-in customers via handset upgrades, or other

fixed-price packages •  Look at ‘friends and family’ type pricing packages

which can lock-in groups of customers •  Offer more value to increase your stickiness

Loyalty & retention programmes

•  You have to accept that once MNP is launched it will always be there

•  There may be an increase in customer churn initially but it should return to (approximately) pre MNP levels

•  Customer retention activity remains important •  You must make efforts to understand why customers

move on – and work on those areas of the business •  Remember the golden rules about MNP:

•  It is a good way to gain a bigger market share – especially for new entrant operators

•  It is also a very good way for dissatisfied customers to leave you

•  Lastly, don’t throw money at customers to make them stay •  That may work in the short term, but if you stop they

may leave anyway


•  In some countries it has been the ex-incumbent (operator with majority market share) that has gained most from MNP

•  Why? •  It is widely assumed that it is because of the

following: •  New entrant operators often have better numbers due

to their new allocations – which means they gain customers initially

•  However, they have not got the network coverage and / or quality of the established operator(s)

•  Nor have they got their customer care training right •  Customers find they have more contacts on other

operators networks – on-net / off-net pricing differentials

•  They spend more money on advertising / marketing MNP


Documents

MNP – Network Implementation & Systems Integration