IMPLEMENTING HIGH-QUALITY GLOBAL

VOICE SOLUTIONS
Key factors to be considered by communication service providers while
implementing switching & routing infrastructure for enterprise global voice solutions
 Executive summary

In todays highly competitive and complex telecom landscape, communications service providers (CSPs) are challenged by declining ARPU & margins
and must continuously invest in technology and infrastructure to remain competitive. With churn rate and quality demands of customers on the rise,
CSPs must focus greatly on retaining current customers and selling new products and services at higher quality while reducing costs.

One of the main revenue streams of the CSPs is their global voice solution for large enterprises and international contact centers that generate huge
outbound and inbound voice traffic to and from various global locations. The success and growth of enterprise voice business is largely dependent on
the quality metrics (ASR and ACD) of the CSPs global voice solution.

This insight elaborates some of the key factors that CSPs should consider while deploying the switching & routing
infrastructure to ensure high quality global voice services moving ASR (answer-seizure ratio) and ACD (average call
duration) above the industry benchmark.

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 Typical challenges faced by CSPs while launching enterprise global voice service

While a CSP might have a strong switching & routing infrastructure, they still face some of the critical challenges listed below when it
comes to launching global voice solutions especially for large enterprises.

Limitations in any-to-
any protocol
interworking required
Handling unpredictable by enterprises (e.g.,
traffic bursts from high ISDN PRI to SS7 ISUP,
throughput call SIP to SS7 ISUP etc.)
campaigns is a
challenge for even
experienced CSPs.

Limitations in doing
protocol stack-level
software changes on
Providing
the switching &
near-real-time
routing infra with
quality metrics
agility much required
reporting for
for improving the
enterprises.
quality metrics.

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 Required major tunings in the infrastructure to enable enterprise global voice
service launch 1/2
Tuning Core Voice
Switch

Integrated Advance Routing

Support for ISDN PRI and SIP
Support for high BHCA Engine: To support enterprise-
Upgraded to the right trunks to enable direct
(busy hour call attempts) wide routing requirements like
version that supports connectivity with enterprises
and unpredictable traffic QoS-based, ASR-based, policy-
maximum QoS (quality of TDM/IP PABX and SIP/SS7 for
bursts from enterprises based, SLA-based, and
service) parameters interconnection with
(e.g., during campaigns) percentage-based routing
international carriers
algorithms

Tuning CDR Mediation

Server

Custom adaptors to
Customized to process and
provide feeds to CSP
categorize enterprise-wide
billing platform,
CDRs in near-real-time and
customers
the capability to feed it
billing/reconciliation
into the enterprise care
systems, and revenue
portals
assurance systems

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 Required major tunings in the Infrastructure to enable enterprise global voice
service launch 2/2
Enterprise Admin Console
with Total Control

Configure routes with priorities based

Monitor real-time quality
metrics, trend analysis
Detailed CDR analysis and
bill analysis
on destinations, time period,
Raise and track trouble business need, and promotions from
tickets CSPs (e.g., choose premium route for
to Canada, standard VoIP route for
Mexico for next 3 days etc.)

Business Intelligence
(BI) Dashboard
Custom tool for the CSPs business team
to have a high level business view of all Top-10 enterprise Top-10
customers by revenue route/supplier
the enterprise customers on the choices
/traffic/destination-wise
platform: This tool should be fine-tuned
to provide insightful information to
enable promotions for upsell and cross-
sell, churn prevention, QoS Churn propensity
Enterprise-wide
improvement, customer experience quality metrics
report and trend
enhancement, etc. analysis
report

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 Key factors to be considered for improving the quality metrics technical deep dive!

Handling
Recommended customization features on SEQC
the switching platform for improving (switching
quality metrics - ASR (answer-seizure equipment
congestion)
ratio), ACD (answer call duration) and NEP
(network efficiency ratio). Infra with no Rule based
single point echo
of failure cancellation
(SPOF)

Capability to Support early

customize/increas ACM (address
e network complete
timers message)

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 Key factors to be considered for improving the quality metrics technical
deep dive! 1/2
Handling SEQC (Switching
Equipment Congestion)
Release Message

In a typical deployment scenario, the far-end switch(es) send ISUP switching equipment congestion messages (level-1, level-2 or level-3 warnings) to the CSPs switch
depending on its load. By default the CSPs switch would release the call on receiving congestion message. However, if CSPs switch supports custom SEQC handling
functionality, it can be configured to take appropriate action based on the business need (i.e., to release the call or re-route to alternate route or re-route to same route
until level-3 congestion message comes).This procedure can increase the ASR.

Echo
Cancellation

On the international voice path, echo is a common issue that affects the quality metrics. Switching Platform software should be customized to support enabling or
disabling echo cancellers based on various options: a) Specific routes or destinations; b) Enterprise customer category (standard/premium SLA); c) Circuit ratio (e.g 1 EC
per 16 voice circuits)

Support Early ACM (Address

Complete Message)

Enterprise PABX, after sending the SETUP message would wait for a limited time (as per default timer) and if the timer expires, would release the call even before the
CALL PROGRESS message comes from the CSPs switch. This might happen when the destination switch is still processing the call (maybe querying the SCP for balance
check) which typically involve four messages and might take a bit longer. To mitigate this issue, the CSPs switch should support sending ISUP Early ACM (called party
status = no indication) to the enterprise switch or PABX immediately upon receiving the SETUP message. This should be a configurable option that can be enabled based
on need.
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 Key factors to be considered for improving the Quality Metrics Technical
Deep Dive! 2/2
Capability to customize/
increase Network Timers

Network Timer Potential reasons for delay Solution

T7: awaiting address complete (ACM) timer (network protection
timer)
T7 is started in the CSPs switch when an IAM (initial address
message) is sent, and is canceled when the response message
(ACM) is received from the far-end switch.
When response is not received within timer limit, CSPs switch - Paging the mobile subscriber
releases the circuit with timer expiry cause.
Delays might incur at the far-end switch for Check the current T7 configuration and
various reasons like increase the timer within the ETSI standards
- interrogating the Location registers while
setting up the mobile call
- Processing delays at MSC, GMSS
- Satellite hops etc..

Other Timers to watch out

T8: awaiting continuity timer. In Inbound call scenario, T8 timer is started in the CSPs switch when an IAM is received with the continuity indicator bit set. If continuity
message is not received from the far-end switch within the configured time-limit, T8 expires, CSPs switch sends RELEASE to the originating node.

T9: awaiting answer timer. In outbound call scenario, T9 is started in CSPs switch when an ACM is received from far-end , and is canceled when an ANM(answer) is received from
far-end switch. It is recommended to keep T9 at optimum level to prevent circuits from being tied up for an excessive period of time when the destination does not answer.

No single point of failure

All elements within the switching & routing infrastructure should be built with no single point of failure. Every element should have dual power supply, dual processors,
dual line cards etc. Additionally a complete disaster recovery (DR) strategy is also recommended to achieve five nines availability and business continuity.

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 Benefits for CSPs

Implementing the strategies discussed in this insight would

enable a CSP to offer global voice services to enterprises
exceeding the industry benchmarks on quality metrics.
Answer-seizure ratio (ASR) and average call duration (ACD)

could be improved by 10 to 25% which in turn would help

enterprises do business more efficiently and grow revenues.

Improve
Differentiated customer
service offerings loyalty, Maximize
with higher increase service
quality uptake, remain revenue!
competitive

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 Credits

John Kingsly, Associate Director Insights & Presales

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