Torres Networks: Turned MNO's Quota Management into Real-Time (w/Cisco)

 
Following my previous post on Torres Networks' recent PCRF deployment announcement ("Torres PCRF Deployed for Quota and Time-based Policies" - here), I got the following update from Nandita Subbarao (pictured), Manager, Marketing, Torres Networks India:

"Torres has deployed two differentiating Fair-Use Policy use cases with real-time policy control, in the network of a South-East Asian mobile operator. 

Prior to the deployment, the operator offered data service packages with quota and speed limits. The subscriber’s quota limits, however, were not monitored in real time, but instead processed batch-wise at designated times every day. As a result, a subscriber could continue to enjoy additional quota without the system detecting the transgression in usage limit for several hours, leading to a loss of revenue for the operator. With the deployment of Torres Policy Engine, this leakage is now plugged in real time.

The second policy-based package enables and enforces quota usage depending on the time of the day. A subscriber who buys this plan can enjoy higher speed and a separate quota at off-peak hours. Because the policies can be layered and prioritized, the new policies do not interfere with each other, or with the operator’s existing plans or promotions. 

The operator will migrate its existing subscribers (approx. 1 million) to these two use cases in the coming weeks. Moving forward, the operator will offer these FUP services to its entire subscriber base of approx. 11 million. Torres is in the process of rolling out more use cases at the operator’s network.

The Torres Policy Engine protects future growth with an architecture that keeps use cases agnostic to the interface provided by the PCEF. The PCEF, currently in use at the operator’s network (Cisco SCE 2020) provides a proprietary interface towards the PCRF. 

In the coming quarters, the operator is expected to add PCEFs from vendors with 3GPP-compliant interfaces (Cisco SCE 8000, using both Gx/Gy and the proprietary interface). Torres Policy Engine will simultaneously support both the legacy PCEF and the standard PCEF for the use cases.

Torres Policy Engine is deployed on standard telecom-grade hardware with a Linux OS and Oracle DB".