Aware networking – visibility and control

Ericsson’s Service Aware Charging and Control solution provides the deep packet inspection and pattern recog-nition functionality required to identify traffic carried over a network. The continuous development of the solution ensures that new applications (such as Voice over IP and other peer-to-peer applications) can be detected and managed in accordance with the desired policy for security, routing and charging. In short, it’s all about visi-bility and control.

Subscriber behavior – spotting the potential

In the increasingly competitive communications busi-ness, it’s crucial to pick up on new trends at an early

stage. The traffic analysis part of Ericsson’s Service Aware Charging and Control solution is a tool for this purpose. By analyzing subscriber behavior and the types of applications used, profitable decisions can be made concerning charging plans and the launch of new services.

Securing the quality of experience

The predicted widespread adoption and rapid growth of mobile data services does not only represent a signifi-cant business opportunity. A minority of subscribers using peer-to-peer applications can consume the bulk of network resources, and spoil the experience for other subscribers. To prevent this from happening, it’s crucial

SERVICE AWARE CHARGING AND CONTROL

Managing network resources and providing value for money

to manage the available bandwidth in an intelligent way. The features for bandwidth management and quality-of-service control in Ericsson’s Service Aware Charging and Control solution make this possible. The bandwidth allocated to certain applications can be restricted while giving priority to interactive and delay-sensitive applica-tions. The solution could even be used to block traffic or malicious users, who violate the terms and conditions of their subscriptions. This provides a cost-efficient net-work and optimizes the utilization of available resources while keeping subscribers satisfied. Different services – same charging model?

Even if the quality of experience meets their expec- tations, subscribers will not be completely satisfied unless they get value for money.

To date, charging has typically been based on the vol-ume of transferred data. With the deep packet inspec-tion and service classification capabilities of Ericsson’s Service Aware Charging and Control solution, the con-tent, events and effective usage time can also be taken into consideration, resulting in truly dynamic rating.

Simply put, the solution enables pricing models that have long been sought after and represent a crucial fac-tor affecting growth in mobile data traffic. It‘s now poss-ible to charge for services in a way that makes sense to, and is easily understood by, different subscriber segments. Furthermore, the flexibility of the solution makes it possible to quickly respond to changes in the competitive environment. New business models, includ-ing partners and other service providers on the Internet, are also facilitated by means of mechanisms for service authorization, real-time charging and revenue sharing.

Rewarding curiosity and encouraging usage

Loyalty programs are common in many industries and there is no reason why they can’t be used for telecom services. They represent an extremely effective tool for minimizing churn and further boosting the use of mobile data services.

Ericsson’s Service Aware Charging and Control solution enables many types of promotions and cross-bonuses. The solution can also be used to automatically re-direct call attempts to self-provisioning and top-up portals – another way to encourage subscribers to use current services and try new ones.

Ericsson ABSE–164 80 StockholmSwedenwww.ericsson.com

EN/LZT 108 9662 R1© Ericsson AB, 2007

• Service Control - Traffic analysis - Automatic re-direction - Service authorization - External subscription and credit update

• User Experience - Bandwidth management - Quality-of-service control - Multi-service APN

• Charging - Flexible charging1

- Dynamic rating - Real-time charging - Promotions and cross-bonuses

1 Based on volume, content, events and time

Main features of SACC

Figure and facts:

Peer-to-Peer

Voice over IP

Messaging

Downloads Streaming Browsing

Traffic Analysis

Bandwidth Management

Charging Options

GGSN*

Service 1

Service 2

Service 3

Default Allocation

Optimized utilization

Content

Event

Time

Volume* SACC stand-alone implementation also available (SASN)

Deep Packet Inspection and Pattern Recognition

Visibility and control – benefits of Ericsson’s Service Aware Charging and Control solution