Business Control Layer

Business Control Layer (BCL) is a software layer in the provider's infrastructure residing between the network/OSS and the BSS. It allows providers to address customer service plans from a holistic business perspective bringing state-of-the-art capabilities like bundling, customer-recognition, and hierarchies to the OSS layer. Taking all customer interaction into account, from all services (voice, data, content) and all sources (telecommunications networks, customer-premises equipment, etc.) the business control layer is capable of dynamically adapting network or service behavior, at customer level, in order to improve operators' transaction revenue and at the same time, customer experience.

Business control layer key functions include:

1) Ability to simultaneously collect events from any source;

2) Balance management

3) Business rule engine or Business Control engine

4) Dynamic real-time execution and provisioning

5) On-line charging and rating.

In the emerging fields of service over the Internet Protocol (IP), IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), and Packet Cable Multi-Media (PCMM) the need for real-time network changes continues to grow.

Network Business Control allows service providers to

• Inject business sense into the network - Each customer interaction should be analyzed and handled from a business standpoint rather than from just the simple network management or charging perspectives.

• Analyse and monitor of customer-consumed services - Providers should be able to analyze, record and charge for IP services, placing value on every aspect of their service plan so that their services satisfy customers needs.

• Real-time control for IP sessions and events - IP services should be managed in real time, allowing providers to interact with the network during active sessions, with online responses (provisioning) based on customer or operator-defined business rules.

• Dynamically detecting and charging for IP services.

• Deployments - Integrates with operator legacy billing system or as a full billing for the IP services replacing the existing.

• Example of applications:

Boots an internet connection for a limited time. E.g. Download a movie.

Changing dynamically the bandwidth for a customer when reaching monetary values.

Charging for IP services - E.g. charge for VOIP traffic, charge for P2P.

Telenet, NV is the first company to deploy such a solution in their network. This solution is the underlying network intelligence behind their Broadband service and their TeleMeter (in Dutch). The technology underlying these services are built upon the Cisco SCE DPI device and the FTS Leap Business Control Engine BCE) - FTS Software.

See also

• Billing Mediation Platform
• Revenue assurance

Sources

1. Allot Communications "Bandwidth Management enables IP Service Optimization". http://www.allot.com/html/products_netenforcer.shtm. Retrieved 2006-08-24. 
2. Cisco Systems "Bridging the Infrastructure Gap: the Importance of Service Control in Broadband Networks". http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps6151/products_white_paper0900aecd801d8a83.shtml. Retrieved 2006-08-24. 
3. Reengineering Legacy Application to E-Business with a modified rational unified process
4. Aradial Technologies - Aradial Radius & Policy servers.