Abstract
OSS Strategies for Revenue Assurance examines in detail the potential for revenue loss during each of the following processes:
- product design - make a complete assessment of the product or service to ensure it is sturdy and not susceptible to fraud
- service provisioning and activation - learn how to check these processes effectively and prevent loss of revenue
- network operations - assure network integrity through the use of test call generators and related technologies
- mediation - make use of functionality that aids the auditing process, increasingly seen as key to revenue assurance
- collections - both in terms of handling late payments and deliberate non-payment (fraud).
Why you need to read this report:
- Discover current key trends in revenue assurance through independent analysis by market experts
- Find out through case studies how your competitors are tackling revenue assurance
- Profit from valuable suggestions as to how operators should adapt their strategies moving forward
- Access a comprehensive list of vendors and consultants that provide revenue assurance and fraud solutions and services.
Exclusive Industry Survey
Also covered in the report is an exclusive survey of industry professionals gauging opinion on fraud and revenue assurance and covering issues such as:
- Key success factors for preventing revenue leakage and improving your bottom line
- The impact of new services and related networks on revenue leakage
- The benefits of using the mediation system as a revenue assurance tool
- How big a problem is fraud and how are operators tackling it
- How Sarbanes-Oxley will permeate your organisation.
Table of Contents
1 Management Summary
2 Market Overview
- 2.1 Key definitions and concepts
- 2.1.1 Varied definitions of revenue assurance
- 2.1.2 Cost of revenue leakage
- 2.2 Market trends
- 2.2.1 Effects of investor pressure on revenue assurance
- 2.2.2 The impact of billing errors on customers and trading partners
- 2.2.3 Geographical trends
- 2.2.4 Operator trends
- 2.3 Sarbanes Oxley
- 2.3.1 What is it?
- 2.3.2 Impact on U.S. market
- 2.3.3 Ramifications of Sarbanes Oxley on other geographical markets
- 2.3.4 Other regulatory controls and best practice
- 2.4 Market solutions for aiding revenue assurance
- 2.5 How operators are approaching RA
- 2.6 Impact of new services
- 2.6.1 Voice over IP
- 2.6.2 Third Generation (3G) services
- 2.7 Fraud
- 2.7.1 Evolving threats
3 Industry Survey
- 3.1 Overview of survey - aims and methodology
- 3.2 Company analysis and geographical breakdown of respondents
- 3.2.1 Company characteristics
- 3.2.2 Geographical characteristics
- 3.2.3 Segmenting mobile operator respondents by subscriber numbers
- 3.2.4 Segmenting mobile operator respondents by ARPU
- 3.3 Answers to survey questions - all participants
- 3.3.1 Revenue Assurance - a growing problem?
- 3.3.2 Acceptable levels of revenue leakage
- 3.3.3 Revenue leakage - past and future trends
- 3.3.4 Main reasons for revenue leakage
- 3.3.5 Reducing levels of revenue leakage
- 3.4 Answers to survey- operator only questions
- 3.4.1 Relative importance of revenue assurance in todays network operators
- 3.4.2 Estimated revenue leakage
- 3.4.3 Revenue assurance strategies
- 3.5 Other conclusions from the survey
4 Addressing Revenue Leakage
- 4.1 Product design and pricing
- 4.1.1 The importance of pre-sales revenue assurance
- 4.1.2 Problems with number prefix allocation
- 4.1.3 Revenue leakage due to service cannibalisation
- 4.1.4 Revenue leakage due to incorrect rating tables
- 4.2 Revenue assurance in sales, marketing and distribution
- 4.2.1 The importance of marketing and distribution in the revenue assurance process
- 4.2.2 The importance of sales departments in the revenue assurance process
- 4.3 Revenue assurance problems in the mobile sector
- 4.3.1 Phantom subscribers
- 4.4 Problems in the billing process
- 4.4.1 Suspense and error recycling files
- 4.4.2 Bill frequency
- 4.4.3 Bill clarity
- 4.4.4 Handling errors and exceptions
- 4.4.5 Advantages and perils of EBPP
- 4.4.6 Example of RA leakage in billing and rating
- 4.5 Interconnect billing
- 4.5.1 Level of exposure to loss
- 4.5.2 Managing interconnect billing
- 4.5.3 Relationship between interconnect and retail billing
- 4.6 Outsourcing RA functionality
- 4.6.1 Definition
- 4.6.2 Service bureaux
- 4.6.3 Revenue assurance implications of the ASP model
- 4.7 Collection to minimise bad debt
- 4.7.1 Debt collection
- 4.7.2 Problems of third-party debt
- 4.7.3 Challenges of debt collection for new network services
- 4.7.4 Tools to control bad debt
- 4.7.5 Prepaid services
- 4.7.6 Debt collection agencies
- 4.7.7 Systems to aid collection of debts
5 Service Provisioning and the Network
- 5.1 Service provisioning
- 5.1.1 The importance of service provisioning in revenue assurance
- 5.1.2 Service provisioning in the organisation
- 5.1.4 Service activation and confirmation
- 5.1.5 Updating all business and operational systems
- 5.1.6 Distinguishing features of mobile service provisioning
- 5.1.7 Broadband cable provisioning
- 5.1.8 Provisioning in next-generation networks
- 5.1.9 Self-provisioning
- 5.1.10 Provisioning the value chain
- 5.2 Systems for automated service provisioning
- 5.2.1 Costs and benefits of service provisioning systems
- 4.5 Network provisioning errors
- 4.5.1 Problems in the circuit-switched network (fixed or mobile)
- 4.5.2 Problems in next-generation networks
- 5.2 Assuring network integrity
- 5.2.1 Test call generators
- 5.2.2 Call simulation testing
- 5.2.3 Using SS7 records
- 5.2.4 Test call generator, call simulation and switch verification products
- 5.3 Use of the network for non-revenue-generating traffic
- 5.3.1 Internal traffic
- 5.3.2 Revenue assurance issues associated with free calls and flat-rate services
- 5.3.3 Revenue assurance issues resulting from communication problems
- 5.4.2 Exploitation of SLAs
- 5.4.3 Good housekeeping
6 Mediation
- 6.1 The role of mediation in revenue assurance
- 6.1.1 Data filtration
- 6.1.2 The role of mediation in IP applications
- 6.1.3 Customer intelligence
- 6.1.4 Network measurement applications
- 6.2 Case study
- 6.2.1 The Customer
- 6.2.2 Challenges and Solutions
- 6.2.3 Results and further projects
7 Mobile Network Fraud
- 7.1 Types of mobile network fraud
- 7.1.1 Overview of mobile network fraud
- 7.1.2 Cloning and tumbling
- 7.1.3 GPRS technical fraud
- 7.1.4 Mobile device theft and fraud
- 7.1.5 Content Services
- 7.2 Combating mobile fraud
- 7.2.1 Securing the GSM network
- 7.2.2 Defending against cloning attacks
- 7.2.3 Safeguarding GPRS against attacks
- 7.2.4 Security measures to combat UMTS attacks
- 7.2.5 Securing handsets
- 7.3 Prepaid Mobile Fraud
- 7.3.1 What is prepaid mobile?
- 7.3.2 What is recharge?
- 7.3.3 What is prepaid fraud?
- 7.3.4 How prepaid fraud is committed
- 7.4 Roaming fraud
- 7.4.1 Reasons for revenue loss from roaming services
- 7.4.2 Extent of roaming losses
- 7.4.3 The importance of call data exchange in preventing roaming losses
- 7.4.4 Roaming agreements and risk sharing
- 7.5 Prepaid roaming
- 7.5.1 Overview of fraud risks from recharge methods
- 7.5.2 Fraud risk from voucher recharge
- 7.5.3 Fraud risks from ATM recharge
- 7.5.4 Fraud risks from direct debit recharge
- 7.5.5 Fraud risks from debit/credit card recharge
- 7.5.6 Fraud risks from Internet/m-commerce recharge
- 7.5.7 Fraud issues surrounding anonymity of prepaid users
- 7.6 Roaming content
- 7.6.1 Content theft and distribution
- 7.6.2 Content liability
- 7.6.3 M-commerce fraud
8 Fixed Network Fraud
- 8.1 Types of fixed network fraud
- 8.1.1 Subscription fraud
- 8.1.2 Clip-on fraud
- 8.1.3 Payphone fraud
- 8.1.4 Signalling System 7 Attacks
- 8.1.5 Slamming, cramming and mis-selling scams
- 8.1.6 Premium rate service fraud
- 8.1.7 Private Branch Exchange (PBX) fraud and Direct Inward System Access (DISA)
- 8.2 Combating fraud on fixed line networks
- 8.2.1 Solving subscription fraud for fixed line operators
- 8.2.2 Preventing clip-on fraud
- 8.2.3 Preventing payphone fraud
- 8.2.4 Preventing SS7 attacks
- 8.2.5 Preventing PRS fraud
- 8.2.6 Preventing DISA fraud
9 Fraud from Within
- 9.1 Definitions and key concepts
- 9.1.1 What is internal fraud?
- 9.1.2 The effect of internal fraud
- 9.1.3 Indicators of internal fraud
- 9.1.4 Motivation for internal fraud
- 9.1.5 Types of internal fraud
- 9.2 Combating internal fraud
- 9.2.1 Internal fraud policy
- 9.2.2 Risk management tools
- 9.2.3 Risk assessment
- 9.2.4 Staff vetting
- 9.2.5 Training and education
- 9.2.6 IT security and monitoring procedure
- 9.2.7 Good housekeeping
- 9.2.8 Internal fraud investigations
- 9.3 Fraud and sharp practice from partnerships, suppliers and distributors
- 9.3.1 Definitions and key concepts
- 9.3.2 Key issues concerning partnership fraud
- 9.3.3 How partnership fraud is committed
- 9.3.4 Cellular distributor and dealer fraud
- 9.3.5 Detecting and mitigating wholesale and interconnect fraud
- 9.3.6 Detecting and managing cellular distributor and dealer fraud
- 9.3.7 Using partner relationship management to reduce fraud
- 9.3.8 Partner auditing
- 9.3.9 Security and access control to corporate data
10 Subscription Fraud
- 10.1 Definitions and key issues
- 10.1.1 The impact of subscription and ID fraud
- 10.1.2 The operators role in subscription fraud
- 10.1.3 The motivation for subscription fraud
- 10.2 How subscription and ID fraud is committed
- 10.2.1 Three main approaches to subscription fraud
- 10.2.2 Acquiring false or stolen identities
- 10.3 Combating subscription fraud
- 10.3.1 The importance of processing and verification procedures
- 10.3.2 The importance of efficient staff training
- 10.3.3 Screening customers
- 10.3.4 Verifying the customers address
- 10.3.5 The importance of regular customer contact
- 10.3.6 Using deposits and probationary periods
- 10.3.7 Monitoring customer behaviour
11 Revenue Assurance and fraud solutions
- 11.1 Revenue Assurance software vendors
- 11.2 Fraud management software vendors
- 11.3 Other relevant software vendors
- 11.4 Consultants in the revenue assurance and fraud sector
