With more and more telecom users demanding intelligent network (IN)-based services, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) believes it is important that technical and regulatory parameters are put in place for introducing these services.

TRAI expects to issue the regulation in January 2006, based on the response of stakeholders and a committee comprising officials from TEC, C-DoT, BSNL, VSNL, Reliance, Bharti, MTNL and others.

In a run-up to this, it has released a draft regulation paper discussing the issues involved. These include inter-network accessibility in a multi-service, multi-operator environment along with consideration of network architecture, interconnection, interoperability, and charging and billing issues.

The draft emphasises the need to provide users access to IN services of their choice, and to ensure that no operator blocks users from accessing IN platforms.

According to TRAI, IN services add value to voice and data bearer services through number translation and alternate billing. These features are provided with the help of network databases (also known as service control points ?? SCPs) endowed with query response protocols, which can be used by underlying bearer network entities such as PSTN/ISDN switches, mobile switching centres and media gateways to communicate. The bearer network entities designated to communicate with the SCPs are known as the service switching points (SSPs).

While in most countries, IN services are easily accessible to subscribers of any access provider, in India, accessibility poses a challenge. This is due to issues such as:

  • Non-availability in many cases of the called party number at the originating network interface,
  • Alternate billing options, that is, calling party pays in full or part,
  • Called party pays in full or part or a third party pays,
  • Distributed location of functional entities,
  • Difficulties in transparent application of the interconnect regime that could be termed as equitable and mutually beneficial to the interconnecting operators.

    The key highlights of the draft paper are as follows:

  • TRAI favours the option (see figure) that permits access to IN services in multioperator, multi-network platforms for all subscribers throughout the country including fixed rural subscribers of BSNL even at remote places. Availability of the called party’s number is also ensured in this option with the originating service provider. This option is consistent with security considerations and gives more incentive to access providers.
  • Access providers will have the prerogative to deploy their IN.
  • IN services will be provided only by access providers as required by the present licensing conditions. National long distance operators (NLDOs)/international long distance operators (ILDOs) may also provide some IN services like calling cards, only if the mandated interconnection between all the 10 SSPs and SCPs is in place and mutual agreements with all the access providers exist in commercial terms.
  • In future, if direct access to subscribers gets authorised either through implementation of the unified service licence approach or as a separate amendment of the present NLDO/ILDO licence conditions, then long distance operators will be able to provide other types of IN services as well.
  • This regulation will facilitate early deployment of IN by access providers.
  • All the members of the committee are of the opinion that since charging, billing and sharing of the revenue depend on the service features, these may be decided by the concerned service providers through mutual commercial arrangement.
  • IN services as such are not a separate class of service nor does the NTP, 1999 recognise this as a separate service nor has the licensor categorised it as a separate service, it is only a different means of providing a service. Therefore, interconnect usage charges will be applicable for the services provided by the operator in a multi-operator scenario.
  • The authority is also of the view that call data records should be generated at the SSP and SCP for the purpose of reconciliation. The CDRs for IN calls can have additional parameters on IN services as per details worked out by the concerned service providers.
  • All service providers involved must ensure that there is no dilution in the quality of service (QoS) standards applicable to the underlying bearer network. As the set of IN services currently defined are all circuit switched or packet switched voice services, the already mandated QoS for voice services will apply.
  • The numbering plan for IN services would be as per the applicable National Numbering Plan.