Interconnect partner management
Interconnect Manager maintains full records for each partner agreement. It also provides near real-time monitoring of the current financial position with each partner. This makes it easy to spot re-filing and other issues, giving the opportunity for a proactive approach to managing interconnect agreements.
Traffic monitoring and reporting
Interconnect Manager directly monitors network traffic, showing the peaks and troughs throughout the day, and allowing comparison of expected routing with achieved routing. This helps to optimise network configuration, improving the RoI of existing assets. Interconnect Manager is equipped with a Business Objects “universe”, enabling flexible reporting through the industry standard reporting tool.
Interconnect places entirely different demands on the rating engine compared with retail billing. Interconnect systems need to manage a much smaller number of billable accounts (interconnect partners), but with many times more CDRs to be processed per account. The analysis of these CDRs in order to render regular reports and to carry out least cost routing and other forms of “what if?” exercises, requires repeated re-rating of the CDRs.
Interconnect Manager uses a unique system of CDR aggregation. This approach sorts incoming CDRs by a series of criteria such as partner name, destination, product type, size of call, time of day or date, point of interconnect and switch. The resulting aggregates can be manipulated quickly and easily, allowing for the highest possible performance in rating and making re-rating practical at any time. It also means that less hardware is needed to operate a high performance system.
Interconnect agreements have come a long way from their origins as long term agreements which were only reviewed and changed annually. In fully de-regulated markets it is now common for interconnect agreements to be continually re-negotiated as new entrants come in offering cheaper routes forcing the incumbents to compete, whilst also needing to manage agreements with the new entrants.
Interconnect Manager meets this challenge by providing a universal formatter for uploading partner tariff tables. This allows for bulk entry of new / amended tariffs in multiple formats, automatically loading them into Interconnect Manager. This dramatically reduces the time needed to maintain configuration data and gives greater interconnect choice and the ability to drive down costs and improve margins.
Interconnect Manager incorporates a comprehensive suite of Least Cost Routing (LCR) and optimal routing tools. These allow for comparison of rate offerings from a range of current (and potential) interconnect partners to determine the best value route for each destination. These are prioritised according to the route quality and level of savings available, enabling easy identification of quick wins or providing substance to negotiate improved rates with existing partners.
Interconnect Manager can also test offers against the current network topology compared with the impact of proposed network extensions, enabling financial decision-making based on real data.
Interconnect Manager provides a management dashboard detailing the status of all interconnect agreements at any time. End-to-end traceability enables drill down to the individual call level, and reject records can be viewed and re-processed in near real-time. Rejects are organised by class making it easy to correct the root cause of each problem; they are also organised by value, focussing attention on the issues that really make a difference.