- CSC integrating InterconnecT into BOSS systems architecture
- Volume of ’24 by 7’ processing equivalent to a major PTT
ICO Global Communications, the $5 billion satellite personal communications company formed by a consortium of leading telecommunications carriers, has chosen InterconnecT from UK-based Intec Telecom Systems as the interconnect component of its groundbreaking BOSS (Business Operations Support System) architecture. As a result of its global coverage, ICO predicts that BOSS will have to process volumes of interconnect call information equivalent to a major PTT. The global nature of ICO’s business also means that Intec will be supporting a global ’24 by 7’operation, requiring the highest degree of robustness from all systems.
“Interconnect settlements represent a critical business responsibility for all mobile operators’ operations -- and for ICO the situation is no different,” says ICO’s CIO and VP Business Operations, Dr Sanjeev Ahuja. “Intec’s system will help ICO account for the highly complex interconnect environment within which we will operate. ICO’s business will depend on the reliability, accuracy and timeliness of financial information delivered by Intec’s solution.”
InterconnecT, which will be integrated into BOSS by prime contractor Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC), was chosen by CSC after a full market review. CSC concluded that InterconnecT was the best match with its extremely demanding and complex processing requirements, its multi-national, multi-carrier, multi-timezone interconnect agreements, and for its proven track record in both GSM-type and fixed-network carriers.
ICO’s innovative GSM-based satellite technology allows for complex cellular roaming, mobile, and semi-fixed services, through agreements with many different terrestrial cellular and fixed carriers. InterconnecT will need to process call data from voice, data, fax and messaging services from a wide variety of systems, demanding a high level of performance and flexibility from its call rating engine. CSC is working with ICO and Intec Telecom Systems to integrate Interconnect with other key BOSS components, including mediation and financial systems. “ICO is a unique and complex global telecoms operator that places heavy demands on its support systems,” says Walter Wilson of CSC. “BOSS is designed to offer a state-of-the-art business systems environment to ICO, using best-of-breed technologies. InterconnecT gives us a proven solution that is in use by dozens of carriers around the world, that has a technically strong and flexible architecture, and that is developed by a company committed to interconnect software.”
A critical feature of ICO’s system will be its integration into public land mobile networks (PLMNs). In most instances the satellite network will be viewed as a complementary service into which PLMN subscribers who wish to have the capability of making and receiving calls in areas not serviced by their PLMNs may roam. Roaming is a complex subject for interconnect system providers, and Intec Telecom Systems leads the market in developing advanced solutions for roaming.
ICO will run InterconnecT on a powerful Hewlett-Packard UNIX multiprocessor, with Windows NT clients and an ORACLE database for secure, high-performance storage of all call and system data. The location of the core system has yet to be decided, and will follow ICO’s geographical dispersion policy, but will accept call data from from carriers around the world, intermediated through the Comptel mediation platform.
“ICO is a flagship customer for Intec,” says Intec Telecom Systems MD, Kevin Adams. “Not only is it one of the most technically interesting telecoms projects running today, it also has substantial volume processing demands. ICO’s selection of InterconnecT underlines the ability of our three-tier, client/server architecture to handle even the highest processing volumes, and the complex nature of the BOSS requires the functionality that we believe only Interconnect can deliver today.”
ICO Global Communications was established in January 1995 to provide global mobile personal communications services by satellite, including digital voice, data, fax and messaging services. It has already raised more than $2 billion in equity contributions from 60 strategic investors, comprising telecommunications and technology companies from over 50 markets around the world. It is also quoted on the NASDAQ exchange under the symbol ICOGF.
ICO expects to commence full commercial operations in the year 2000. Its services will be marketed to international and domestic cellular users who roam outside areas covered by compatible cellular networks from business, industry and government organisations, mining, transportation, aeronautical, maritime, media and other specialist sectors as well as residents of rural and remote areas lacking adequate local communications.