OSS Strategies for Achieving Revenue Assurance Incorporating fraud management strategies.

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