Billing: Dangerous Experiments. MTS to Become Ground for Extended Testing of Billing System Not Yet Deployed in Other Mobile Networks

Alexey BOIKO

MTS attempts a trailblazing experiment — deployment of a prepaid billing system by STROM Telecom, a Czech company whose majority shareholder is Scientific Center Concern (Zelenograd), a subsidiary of Systema JSFC. The Mforum author reflects on viability of the experiment.

Mforum.ru, 15.09.2004

As is known, most IT solutions that MTS has long been using for customer care (call rating solutions, the billing system, automatic call center and internet customer service system, etc.) were provided by one of the leaders in the Russian IT segment and a billing system provider, CBOSS Association.
CBOSS solutions oriented at MTS in many aspects have been serving subscribers in various MTS-branded networks. Now that CBOSS obtained a certificate for support of 25 million subscribers, these solutions successfully continue their operation.
Challenges that MTS faced and requirements to telecommunication products changed over the years, leading to development of new business support and customer care solutions. Often, these new solutions were produced and delivered to MTS by CBOSS.
As a result, MTS has deployed a wide range of CBOSS solutions including CBOSS (Convergent Business Operation Support System) and 12 value-added products implementing a number of key functions: interactive voice response, SMS routing, Web services and additional services streamlining MTS business processes.
Two years ago, MTS needed a solution to serve a large number of prepaid subscribers. CBOSS offered a temporary solution that now serves «Jeans» subscribers, having withstood the test of time and the boost in the number of MTS subscribers.
In early 2004, CBOSS acquired the world-known manufacturer of rtBilling prepaid billing systems with large-scale installations in various countries and experience in creating billing systems, thereby implementing its development strategy. CBOSS made several comments about the unique situation in the Russian market when companies can purchase a global brand at a lower cost. Whom this appeal was directed to is obvious.
Nevertheless, MTS turned a deaf ear to these rather attractive offers. As «Vedomosti» wrote, the company «is finishing the testing of a billing platform produced by STROM Telecom».
As is known to Mforum, the Moscow office of MTS is performing extended tests of FORIS OSS-IN (FORIS billing system produced by STROM and interconnected with the Siemens IN platform) to support 10, 000 «Jeans» subscribers. The company is likely to continue the experiment with a larger number of subscribers.
It means that so far MTS stays loyal to CBOSS products, particularly when several agreements for license expansion in Moscow and regions are being routinely signed by MTS and CBOSS. The larger part of 6.5-million license expansions announced recently by CBOSS accounts for MTS subsidiaries in Moscow and several regions.
To my mind, the probable decision of MTS to commence the FORIS commercial operation after the trial ends, is a concern for the company's subscribers, market analysts, investors and all those involved in the future of MTS.
We asked MTS specialists to comment upon the decision to choose this system. As far as we know, FORIS OSS-IN by Strom Telecom was never implemented in Russian mobile networks, it doesn't have a success story and the company has no experience with large cellular operators. We asked specialists the following question: «Is it reasonable on the part of MTS to buy a pig in a poke?»
A spokesman for MTS press service Pavel Nefedov answers the question:
«In September MTS started extended testing of FORIS OSS-IN real-time billing platform. This complex solution is developed by STROM Telecom. The new system serves a part of „Jeans“ subscribers in Moscow. In the nearest future, we will consider migrating to the new system that will support all the „Jeans“ subscribers and will announce our sales on the new platform. This long-term project is aimed to improve our customer care.»
Obviously, MTS didn’t even try to explain their choice of the vendor of the trial platform, as the company seems to have no convincing reasons for this choice.
Talking with MTS specialists on the phone, we heard no explanations other than the STROM system «is being actively operated by MGTS [Moscow City Telephone Network]». It is hardly a valid reason, because cellular business is peculiar, and billing systems for fixed networks are not used in mobile networks and vice versa. Besides, MGTS is also controlled by Systema JSFC, so the choice of a billing vendor made by MGTS is not to be paid much attention to.
It is up to the readers to draw conclusions. We can only wonder how the solid and business-sensitive leader trusted its billing business to the newcomer without experience in installing its products in cellular networks.
In conclusion, we would like to answer to «Vedomosti» and other mass media that hurriedly reported «advantages» of the STROM solution over CBOSS in terms of real-time billing. In our opinion, this statement resulted from incorrect comparison of solutions of different classes.
CBOSS product portfolio includes CBOSSrtb (rtBilling) that can satisfy the demand of any network operator for real-time billing and which, unlike STROM, is widely popular all over the world.