NCC, CBOSS launch wi-fi in Nizhny Novgorod

Tuesday, 06 January 2009 01:00

NCC is assuming the new role of a broadband wireless Web access provider, having launched a wi-fi network in Nizhny Novgorod enabled by an end-to-end CBOSS solution. 

In today's mobile market, the demand for data services is growing. As such data services are highly profitable, telecom operators are actively pursuing this niche; they are steadily shifting their focus from traditional GPRS and EDGE services to WiMAX and Wi-Fi, which are an atttractive  alternative to 3G where 3G is problematic to deploy. In addition, the most successful operators on the market are those using universal and easily scalable convergent solutions enabling the fast and cost-effective launch of new services built into a user-friendly environment. 

Russia's Volgatelecom subsidiary NCC has selected CBOSSip to implement its metropolitan scale wi-fi network in Nizhny Novgorod. NCC is going to make this service available for a mass audience and for this purpose the solution also includes CBOSSstc, a service telephone cards system. 

NCC's IT Director Anatoly Ponomarenko said: "Regional leadership is a result of the deliberate efforts of NCC. Our company has always been committed to providing state-of-the-art services of the highest possible
quality. Wi-fi deployment in Nizhny Novgorod is the next phase in enhancing end-user services, which, as we hope, will help us satisfy user demand in innovative telecommunication technologies. We are sure that the CBOSS solution which has allowed us to implement the project at a minimum cost, will also provide for robust and efficient service operation." 

For wi-fi and similar services mobile operators most often adopt a pay-by-SMS approach. When a short message arrives at a dedicated service number, a fixed charge goes onto the subscriber balance and traffic quota is granted. This payment option is quite convenient and familiar to subscribers. And yet, it has some disadvantages. For example, a subscriber may be unaware of the actual traffic volume needed and may have insufficient balance to order another quota. To avoid this and certain other problems, continuous prepaid-based charging may be used as an alternative to the quota-based approach. 

It is noteworthy that the share of prepaid users in the subscription bases of modern telcos is quite high. So the telcos are interested in promoting services primarily for this, by far the largest, subscriber segment.
This means that real time rating of data services is of vital importance to service providers as a robust protection against fraud, as well as a profit booster. 

Besides this, for the complete utilisation of the wi-fi infrastructure and to accelerate the time to RoI, non-subscribers should also be given access to the service. This may be done by standard scratch cards used to top-up balances. 

To succeed in these tasks, the solution must include a real time mediation platform to register and charge for wireless access, using the resources of the billing system and the prepaid platform of the operator. 

The requirements specified for such a system are "implemented in the CBOSSip Web platform, developed by the CBOSS Corporation. CBOSSip can operate in both Postpaid and Prepaid modes, including scratch card support...The platform can enable charging both involving the universal billing system and/or prepaid platform of the operator, and a specialised IP-based charging subsystem. Both time-based and usage-based charging are supported." 

* Established by Volgatelecom in 1995, NCC was the first GSM network operator in Russia. Now fully owned by Volgatelecom, NCC is the 8th largest cellular operator in the Russian Federation, holding 35% of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast's mobile market.

• More info: www.cbossgroup.com

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