Saunalahti Launches Prepaid Mobile and Number Portability Services in Finland
Munich, Helsinki -/11 Oct, 2004 - The Wi-Fi Technology Forum/- The European Computer Telecoms Group (ECT), Europe’s market leader for intelligent value-added services in fixed and mobile networks, has implemented an international intelligent network (IN) for the mobile arm of the Saunalahti Group. Saunalahti offers complete communication solutions for Finnish business and residential customers in mobile and fixed-line networks.
The ECT solution is based on the INtellECT® Intelligent Network. With its country-specific modules for Finland and Estonia, it serves as the cornerstone for Saunalahti’s prepaid mobile and number portability services. Further value-added services like the ECT Ring Back Tone Service and the ECT Mobile Office may follow shortly. The solution for Saunalahti was completed in the record time of 12 weeks. Being a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO), Saunalahti uses other carriers´ networks. However, Saunalahti has its own technology including Mobile Switching Centres (MSCs), meaning it can implement its own systems and differentiate its profile by offering unique value-added services. “ECT is an ideal partner for Saunalahti: we wanted to have a cost-effective integrated number portability and prepaid mobile solution with capabilities for the future services. Furthermore, we highly appreciated ECT’s professionalism and customer relations”, said Panu Lehti, COO of the Saunalahti Group.
Prepaid Mobile is one of the many value-added services of the ECT Group, Europe’s market and technology leader for prepaid service applications. The ECT Group typically implements Prepaid Mobile with the INtellECT® Service Control Point (SCP), offering customers flexible, reliable, and scalable solutions. In the prepaid mobile segment, the ECT Group provides F-SMSC and G-MSC functionalities, roaming solutions via CAMEL, USSD callback and SMS callback. As it is its standard, the ECT Group’s installation for Saunalahti is a turnkey solution with customized features and complete project management.
In Finland, the charging of special rate service numbers is in some cases determined using the number of pulses sent from the Mobile Switching Centre. The ECT Group developed a special feature which uses the pulses received to calculate the cost of the call.
The ECT Group’s application for Number Portability is also realised with the INtellECT®. As Saunalahti runs an international network, the INtellECT® provides number portability via separate logic modules for each country, all on the same platform. A special service key activates the country-specific logic of the INtellECT®. All outgoing calls are controlled by the respective logic of the INtellECT® Service Control Point and switched to the correct network.
“Over the past few years, the ECT Group has landed major contracts all over Europe from large fixed-line and mobile carriers. I am very pleased that we added Saunalahti to our list. And this is just the beginning – by the end of this year, we want to be in all the mobile networks in Finland,” said Reinier Meuwissen, Sales Director of ECT Benelux and Scandinavia.
Background information on number portability:
The intelligent network INtellECT® is the cornerstone of ECT’s application for Number Portability. Specifically, the INtellECT®’s modular Service Control Point (SCP) provides the Number Portability and Number Translation service. A basic IN architecture with INtellECT® includes the following key components: A redundant SCP, redundant SQL database, and a Web server. An INtellECT® implementation using the Mated-Pair Architecture, for example, ensures maximum availability and redundancy.
Some features of ECT’s application for number portability:
• Highest Availability: Providing n+n redundancy with redundant power supplies and load sharing on the INAP links, ECT’s solution is without a single point of failure. Availability is 99.997%, the equivalent of 16 minutes of annual downtime.
• Modular Architecture and Scalability: The INtellECT® SCP allows modular expansion. Each module hosts the complete Number Portability logic, handling up to 16 INAP links. Carriers can increase performance and redundancy by adding extra modules, which is especially important for pan-European carriers needing to realise multi-country installations.
• Central Platform, Central Management: Through one cost-efficient central NP platform carriers can control the entire system, even multi-country installations. In addition, they can manage the system through the Intranet or from remote locations via the Internet (e.g., access to statistical and alarm messages).
• Interface for Data Administration and Provisioning: The solution’s web-based administration allows carriers to enter and delete individual numbers, to display number portability data for individual numbers, and to administer the INtellECT® Service Control Point (e.g., to monitor performance, load, alarms, links and NP statistics).
• Open and Flexible Data Management: ECT uses a standard SQL database. Synchronisation can be done via several external interfaces, including SOAP/XML, ASCII, ODBC, FTP and others.
Background information on the INtellECT®:
On the IN platform INtellECT®, carriers can simultaneously operate different value-added services and/or country-specific customisations of the same value-added service. The INtellECT® SCP consists of a SCP base module and is flexibly expanded through separately licensed applications for value-added services. Specifically, the respective value-added service is controlled through the corresponding application. The INtellECT® can be used in fixed-line telephony with INAP (Intelligent Network Application Protocol) CS1 and CS2 but also in the mobile segment with CAMEL and GSM-MAP. The minimum architecture contains 16 INAP links (= 320 INAP messages per second), and this setup can be expanded depending on the user’s needs. Because the INtellECT® is a proprietary ECT development, customer-specific adjustments can be realised very quickly. This is especially important when it comes to adjustments to proprietary INAP versions by different switch-makers, enabling that additional commands can be executed on the command level. Due to its modular architecture and its redundant components and the mated-pair architecture, the INtellECT® earns top scores when it comes to availability and geographic redundancy.
About the Saunalahti Group:
Saunalahti Group Oyj focuses on two business areas: Internet and teleoperator activities in Finland and international mobile entertainment. In Finland, the Group offers Internet and telecommunications services for consumer customers under the brand name Saunalahti and for corporate customers under the brand name EUnet Finland. On the first half of 2004 (1-6/2004), the Group’s turnover was EUR 71,9 million. At the end of September 2004 the Group had over 371 000 GSM postpaid subscribers. Prepaid subscriptions were launched at 6th of October, 2004. At the end of 2003, the Group employed 222 people. Saunalahti Group’s share is quoted on the NM list of Helsinki Exchanges with the trading code SAG1V. Saunalahti is an Internet and telecom operator offering services for both consumers and small companies. Saunalahti produces and markets its services cost-effectively – and seeks to achieve extreme efficiency in all its operations. This enables it to achieve a good service price-quality ratio for its customers. Its main distribution channel is the Internet, which is rounded out by its telephone service and a cost-effective retailer network. EUnet Finland provides top-notch telecom solutions, primarily for large and medium-sized companies and organisations. EUnet’s competitive advantages are its expertise and uncompromising quality standards. EUnet’s product range includes non-switched Internet connections, hosting services, private network services, GSM, and voice services and data security solutions.
For further information, please visit:
http://saunalahti.fi
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