Case Studies
Click on links to read case studies:
- OSS : Automation of Telecom Switch Management
- Network Monitoring Software Development for a Large Telecom Network Management System
- Application Development : Customer Care Portal Development (e-service)
- Application Development : Web based Ordering System
- Application Development : Telecom Billing System Enhancement
- Application Development : Interface for Data Call Simulator
- Application Development : Inventory Management
- Application Development : NMS Customisation
- Application Development : Billing System Product Extension
OSS : Automation of Telecom Switch Management
System Level Automation by integrating various OSS applications involved in management of 4ESS and 5ESS Telecom Switches
Client
The company is a leading TIER I communication service provider in North America
Business Challenge
The customer wanted to deploy system level automation to accelerate solving business problems that include unutilized assets, revenue leakage, network inefficiencies, recovery of stranded assets, inadequate ROI etc.
STI Solution
The Subex consultants implemented a system level automation by developing a platform, System Rapid Automation Platform (SRAP). The core idea involved was effective integration of the various OSS applications like Inventory and Provisioning involving management of 4ESS and 5ESS switches.
The salient features supported include:
- Auto Ineffect of Nodal orders as a part of Network Provisioning Voice and Data Legacy Migration to recover back-logged (around 64,000) past due orders that have to be manually cleaned-up in the Transaction Order Processing System
- A clean up for the past due Nodal S1.5 add and disconnect STNOW orders (approximately 3500 backlogged Nodal S1.5 orders in STNOW) This backlog was causing delays in the end-to-end process due to order stacking and tied-up facility assets, including circuit facility assignments (CFA) and tie-down information (TDI).
- Local Service Automation, Asset Mining Transport Optimization and recovery of the stranded assets.
- Technologies and Tools: J2EE, HTML, C++, VB, XML, BEA WebLogic, IIS Web Servers, HP-UX, NT WIN2000, Oracle
- Capital Expenditure Reduction, the client recovered a few hundred million dollars worth of Network assets and saved 5% of new capital expenditure.
- Improved operational efficiencies by saving tens of millions of dollars in operational expenses for Asset recovery processes.
- Delivered Automation that optimized over 3 million T1 and T3 route miles in the Transport Network.
Network Monitoring Software Development for a Large Telecom Network Management System
Client
Leading Telecom ISV based in the US
Business Challenge
The client was supplying Network Management System software, and was in need of developing custom extensions driven by end user product usage. Utilizing the client's core product development team for these extensions was not optimal and also staffing full-time for these requirements was not a scalable solution. The client needed a "on-demand", scalable framework solution.
STI Solution
The project involved development of probes for several element management systems on a Solaris Platform as an extension to the base platform. The development approach consisted of steps of acquisition, parsing and testing for functionality and developing a field package for installation at end use.
The Data Acquisition part connects to the event source to collect the faults and events. The event source can either be element management system, network management platform or connection to the device. Various data acquisition mechanisms have been established for e.g. tailing a log file, socket connections, SNMP trap listeners, screen scraping etc.
The Data Parsing module upon successful connection would then start receiving events from the source and will convert this event stream into Tokens. The tokens generated as part of the parsing are dependent upon the format received. Knowledge regarding what tokens to be generated is got either by working with the customer, documentation from the vendor or a standard such as TL1 or SNMP. These tokens are then forwarded to the Object Server for further action.
Customer Benefits
- This engagement and the model helped our clients to increase their software usage and reduce the need for service provider customers to multiple EMS systems for network elements being added.
- Client's end customers saved on several hours and dollars in training their Network operators on multiple EMS software packages.
- Clients acquired the to service 'end user centric custom usage and product extension requirements, thereby enhancing customer satisfaction, better ROI for the product and additional revenues.
- Client obtained the ability to not only offer professional services, but do it on time and cost effectively.
Integrated Business Direct Portalfor customers to interact directly with the OSS
Client
The company is a leading enterprise business communication service provider (CSP) in North America
Business Challenge
Deliver a customer self-servicing portal / platform allowing business customers to create trouble tickets, initiate service orders, view inventory, enter disputes and pay bills. Fully integrate the portal with CSPs Concept of One Systems --- providing a customer self servicing capability using an innovative approach that allows customers to interact directly with CSPs highly automated factory without re-entry of data by the CSP Customer Care centers.
STI Solution
STI developed an e-business application, 'e-servicing' portal that integrated ordering, billing, payment, performance monitoring & customer bonding applications.
Customer Benefits
- Handles more than 20M transactions annually, thus eliminating equal number of calls / emails / faxes .
- Each value transaction performed electronically saves CSP more than $10 per transaction on average.
- 20% lower fallout rates than manually entered transactions.
- Currently supports more than half a million users and several thousand registered companies.
Customer Facing Integrated Order Management (CFIOM)for Business customers
Client
The company is a leading enterprise business communication service provider (CSP) in North America
Business Challenge
Deliver a customer self-servicing portal / platform allowing business customers to order business services, Service Specific order infrastructures to facilitate customer specific ordering of both standalone & bundled services.
STI Solution
Solution Features
The different services offered under CFIOM are
- MPLS
- BVOIP
- Virtual Networks (VPNs)
Data
- Frame Relay
- ATM
- Private Voice Line
- Dedicated Voice Line
- Switched Voice Service
- Local Voice Service
Different services need to be provisioned differently depending upon
- Equipment
- Technology
- Service
CFIOM provides the capability to place both Express (Flow-through) and the (Flow-to) Orders. The Linked Provisioning subsystem gives an administrator user the capability to easily provision an IOM application user for access to CFIOM with the authorized customer accounts and service types.
Project Architecture- The CFIOM project is a web-based application that consists of a series of web pages.
- The application is built based on HTTP, CORBA, LDAP and J2EE technologies such as Java Server Pages (JSPs) and servlets.
- CFIOM is a multi-tier system composed of presentation, business logic, database and external system tiers.
- CFIOM consists of following major modules.
- Client/User Interface.
- Server
- Database
- Interface to other external systems like USRP, USRPI etc.
- The CFIOM application is implemented using a Java Servlet architecture with Sun's iPlanet4.1 as the web server.
- Java, Unix, Oracle, Veritas Cluster Server and Netbackup to provide 7x24 system availability. MQ Series, BEA Tuxedo, java, C++, C, HTML, Sun Solaris and Oracle.
- Facilitates ordering of multiple services.
- Handles more than 10M transactions annually, thus eliminating equivalent calls / emails / faxes.
- Each value transaction performed electronically saves CSP more than $10 per transaction on average.
Enhancement of a Billing System for Standard Switch Interface
Client
Leading Billing Systems product company based in US serving Telecom Operators worldwide.
Business Challenge
The client needed to implement their core Billing System product into an operator environment which had Nortel DMS switch. The different modules like CDR collection, Provisioning etc. had to be customized and seamlessly integrated with the native system.
STI Solution
STI team carried out customization related design & development , interface development , integration & rigorous testing of the integrated system to ensure a "Carrier Grade" deliverable.
The engagement consisted of a set of sub-projects as described below:
CDR conversion Module
The CDR Conversion module was designed to receive the CDRs from different versions of the Nortel DMS MTX series switches and convert them to the standard format required by the Billing System.
Switch Provisioning System
The Customer Care application accepts mobile subscriber’s activation status (activate / deactivate / suspend) and subscribed features with feature options (like Call Forward, Voice Mail, CNIR, CNIP etc.) through GUI and updated various tables in the database. It then sends command to the switch manager through message queue. The switch manager retrieves the data from database, formats it and passes it to the relevant switch client. The switch client then forms the command sequence in the switch language and sends it to the switch.
CDR Collection interface for Real Time Billing System
This module facilitates transfer of CDR’s from Nortel DMS switches using AFT protocol to the real time billing system. This interface provides facility to pull the CDR files stored at Nortel DMS switch to the billing system platform on the pre-defined frequency.
Customer Benefits
- Complete customization, integration & testing were taken up by the Subex team , thus freeing up resources for core product development which was following a very aggressive roadmap
- Development & testing were done following Subex "Carrier Grade" delivery guidelines. This meant less re-work during the actual implementation phase.
- Complete project management including interaction with the operator was taken up by Subex, thus saving management time and attention.
Custom Interface development for Call Simulation Tool for ISVs
Client
Leading ISV in North America
Business Challenge
The client needed to implement their core Billing System product into an operator environment which had Nortel DMS switch. The different modules like CDR collection, Provisioning etc. had to be customized and seamlessly integrated with the native system.
STI Solution
The intent is to permit SimCall (a call simulation software product) customers who purchase LERG data to be able to load the purchased data in a variety of machine-readable input forms. In any event, the user of this new process should be able through an Intranet web browser to activate a process that would cause the SimCall application to find the LERG data and then generate the necessary files and / or tables and place them in the proper application path. All SimCall NPA NXX code data should have an effective date. Therefore, it may be necessary, during the initial database load, to associate an arbitrary effective date of the first of the month in which the load is being executed with each NPANXX.
This new SimCall facility was incorporated into the existing SimCall / WebSim design in order to give the user the same look and feel as was the case for those applications. All files generated for input to SimCall were in straight ASCII flat-file format.
Customer Benefits
- Development of a point solution to extend the simulator for new & emerging end use needs without having to reallocate resources or schedules of internal engineering resources.
Development of Inventory Management Software
Client
Leading ISV based North America, extending the Software Product Functionality
Business Challenge
The client had a need to create new functionality of their Software product to have new features to help their end users (service providers) to maintain the inventory of both the "physical" and "logical" view of the telecom world ('master-circuit', 'service-circuit' etc. that are based on using a particular bandwidth/time-slice, riding over a given type of physical equipment).as these are (re)assigned to customers/services. The "Inventory" application creates / allocates / maintains / reassigns / modifies these "inventoried assets" in a geographically dispersed, global environment.
STI Solution
STI undertook the development of this software on a turnkey basis under a Multi-site development model. The development was under Forte R3 (version 3.J.0.1) under Win-NT platform, TOOL (Forte programming language), Remedy APIs, Database Engines such as Oracle and SQL-Server. The Deployment environment Enterprise-wide networked environment that can be a combination of Windows clients and Windows 2000 Server or UNIX based servers.
The program developed as a multi-site effort, leveraging the teams at different locations for design, development, and test planning and product documentation. The onsite team undertook architecture, usability design; reviews with the client and most importantly 'Test' cycle using real world topologies and ongoing feedback. The product development, time, cost and quality metrics were completely managed by STI.
Customer Benefits
- Get an independent engineering team to quickly build a new software product line, leveraging the in-house architects and Product Marketing staff.
- Build new product in parallel to augment functionality to meet end-user needs 6 months ahead of time, instead of freeing up internal resources to undertake this.
- Timely, cost effective and yet high quality software product developed, ready to be supplied to end customers.
- Field staff training and package hand off to the client engineering team as part of the exit criterion.
Network Monitoring Software Development for a Large Telecom Network Management System
Client
Leading Telecom ISV based in the US
Business Challenge
The client was supplying Network Management System software, and was in need of developing custom extensions driven by end user product usage. Utilizing the client's core product development team for these extensions was not optimal and also staffing full-time for these requirements was not a scalable solution. The client needed a 'on-demand', scalable framework solution.
STI Solution
The project involved development of probes for several element management systems on a Solaris Platform as an extension to the base platform. The development approach consisted of steps of acquisition, parsing and testing for functionality and developing a field package for installation at end use.
The Data Acquisition part connects to the event source to collect the faults and events. The event source can either be element management system, network management platform or connection to the device. Various data acquisition mechanisms have been established for e.g. tailing a log file, socket connections, SNMP trap listeners, screen scraping etc.
The Data Parsing module upon successful connection would then start receiving events from the source and will convert this event stream into Tokens. The tokens generated as part of the parsing are dependent upon the format received. Knowledge regarding what tokens to be generated is got either by working with the customer, documentation from the vendor or a standard such as TL1 or SNMP. These tokens are then forwarded to the Object Server for further action.
Customer Benefits
- This engagement and the model helped our clients to increase their software usage and reduce the need for service provider customers to multiple EMS systems for network elements being added.
- Client's end customers saved on several hours and dollars in training their Network operators on multiple EMS software packages.
- Clients acquired the to service 'end user centric custom usage and product extension requirements, thereby enhancing customer satisfaction, better ROI for the product and additional revenues.
- Client obtained the ability to not only offer professional services, but do it on time and cost effectively.
Design & Development of Mobile Account Usage Tracking software
Client
Leading Billing Systems product company based in US serving Telecom Operators worldwide
Business Challenge
The client needed to design and develop a product to determine & monitor end-user's account usage based on pre-defined account spending limits. The product was to be tested and seamlessly integrated to the existing Billing System. This was an operator driven requirement and hence the need was to deliver a functional "Carrier Grade" solution in a limited timeframe.
STI Solution
STI team designed, developed and tested the billing sub-product. The tested product was seamlessly integrated with the core billing product to deliver an integrated solution. In the final phase , Subex team worked with the customer to deliver a functional solution working in a live operator environment.
Details of the developed product are as follows:
ASL (Account Spending Limit) tracks the assigned customers' usage, warning them via SMS or hot lining them to the customer care department at usage limits determined based on the subscriber's credit-worthiness.
This product augments the existing Billing system by interfacing with it through a TCPIP (IPC) module to get the CDRs and rating information at regular intervals and processing them on-line. The result of processing is sent to the SMS interface system for credit limit warnings or the Switch Manager (Provisioning) for hot lining through the TCPIP module. The TCPIP based communication application comprising communication server and client modules based on multithreaded architecture with server spawning separate thread for each client connection. The design catered to multi-client and mutli-server environment with the system having a peer-to-peer functionality.
Customer Benefit
- Design & development of a customer driven complete sub-product requirement without allocating resources from the core solution.
- Integration & Augmentation of the existing core product line.
- Effort parallelization leading to faster time-to-market.