Home-zone calling, virtual private networks, customised usage, toll-free dialling and a host of new prepaid solutions are some of the fancy features planned on the Delhi and Mumbai cellular networks of Bharti Cellular and BPL Mobile. The two operators can now offer these services after the introduction of the `Intelligent Network' (IN) platform on their networks.
The IN platform is a software backbone that permits integration of various elements of the network to provide customised solutions quickly and effectively. Among the most popular of IN features, home-zone calling (or location dependent charging) bills cellular subscribers at a discounted tariff when they are at home and at normal charges at any other place.
This feature is among the most popular of IN-supported services and enables cellular subscribers to be billed at attractive rates. Technically, home-zone calling is supported by normal cellular systems, but the feature becomes more powerful when IN systems are used.
Bharti Cellular, which offers the Airtel brand of cellular services in Delhi, announced on Monday that it had introduced an IN platform into its network. The Ericsson platform _ comprising sophisticated software and top-end computing hardware _ is part of a Rs 50 crore expansion programme taking up the capacity of the network from 150,000 to 250,000.
Similarly, last week, BPL Mobile in Mumbai had also introduced an IN platform _ provided by Siemens of Germany _ into its network as part of expansion of its network. The operator has started offering three pre-paid cellular offerings _ the platinum, gold and silver packages _ targeted at the heavy, medium and low-end users.
Other enhancements made possible by the introduction of the IN platform are EFR (enhanced full rate, a digital coding technique which increases voice quality) calling, virtual private networks, toll-free dialling and other forms of advanced customisation of services.
Some of the advanced pre-paid solutions include the flexibility in shifting between a regular connection and pre-paid packages depending on prescribed parameters.
Targeted at corporates, the virtual private network enables seamless mobile coverage both in and out of office. Using an EPBX (electronic private branch exchange), subscribers can be reached both on the fixed phones and cellular phones.
For instance, technically, a Mumbai subscriber can be reached even if he is in Hong Kong on his office extension number. This facility also enables the subscriber to designate their own user profiles for their mobile phones, specifying the best way to reach them _ fixed telephone, mobile phone and voice mail.
