Maxi-RoutE, a new product from Intec Telecom Systems, reduces network costs with automated Least Cost Routing

• Automated LCR, switch management and decision support based on real-world billing and network data.

February 20 2001 – Intec Telecom Systems, a world leader in Operations Support Systems, has announced the immediate availability of a new product, Maxi-RoutE™, to help telecoms companies reduce network costs and improve operating efficiency. Maxi-RoutE uses network billing information to automate the process of identifying the most cost-effective routings for telecoms traffic, while maintaining defined levels of service. Switch reconfiguration information can be automatically generated, reducing the time to implement network changes and maximising engineering staff productivity. Maxi-RoutE works with Intec’s InterconnecT family or other billing systems.

The international interconnect market is becoming increasingly competitive for telecoms operators. The process of pinpointing least cost routes using manual and semi-manual processes is expensive, time consuming and outdated. Maxi-routE performs Least Cost Route (LCR) calculations automatically, whilst taking into account the contractual commitments for service quality necessary to maintain customer loyalty. The system determines the optimum routes from those with the desired level of quality and ranks them according to costs derived from the intercarrier billing system. Man Machine Language (MML) is produced dynamically and can be fed into each switch electronically by a network engineer, avoiding costly and time consuming manual re-programming for each route.

“Carriers are working hard on ways to maximise the return on billion-dollar investments they have made in their networks and licences. A key aspect of that process is to minimise lost margin by not overpaying for interconnection when there are cheaper routes available” said Intec’s CEO, Kevin Adams. “Maxi-routE uses real-world cost and network information derived from billing systems to both automate LCR processes and to give real visbility of operating margins.”

Maxi-routE is a state-of-the-art software solution designed as a platform independent, standalone application that interfaces to switches from any manufacturer and with any inter-carrier billing system, such as Intec’s InterconnecT family. Information including reference data on rates, interconnect partners, destinations, services and network infrastructure can be exchanged quickly and efficiently as and when required.

Maxi-routE produces detailed analysis reports that allow the operator to examine a variety of financial and performance factors. This includes Margin Analysis, which allows comparison between costs and revenues on any given route and the associated profitability. The Analysis module compares the cost and revenues on the current routing plan to the optimal routing plan made by Call Cost Comparison. Maxi-routE aggregates the traffic sent over each route in the current routing plan, and compares current traffic cost to optimal traffic cost to pinpoint the switches and destinations where the greatest cost savings can be achieved. Network reconfiguration effort can be focused where the best returns will be gained, optimising engineering staff efficiency.

Manual network provisioning is a particularly time-consuming and error prone process that requires skilled programming. The amount of data involved makes it difficult to collate into a logical and sensible format from which provisioning decisions can be taken. The Maxi-routE MML Generator dynamically generates an optimised routing plan for each different switch on the network. The routing plan covers all routes accessible by the switch in question and is automatically optimised to eliminate duplication of data stored for the switch.