Guangdong: the world's largest fixed line IN

Telecommunications International, Sept, 2003

WHAT MAY WELL lay claim in being the world's largest IN for a fixed network operator belongs to the Guangdong network of China Telecom. Even in international telecom terms, used to large numbers, the figures are impressive: a current capacity in excess of 200 million subscribers, and about 40 million subscribers currently active. For this population, the Huawei IN of China Telecom is able to accommodate some 1200 service requests per second.

Guangdong in southern China represents not merely a very large network demand but also one that well shows different subscriber behaviour. The region is home to big industrial and high tech communities and major cities with millions of workers in constant migration, a fact that impacts telephony demand. Because of this, the subscriber population has significant and increasingly sophisticated requirements for service take up and payment options. Guangdong Telecom has made a widely acclaimed success of its marketing and branding activities based around its "200" brand.

Implementation on the operator side has ultimately been the responsibility of one individual, Xu Zi Jian, who, as Director of the New Technology Department at Guangdong Telecom, has overseen the adoption of advanced IN technology to support the market demand. For Mr Xu, intrigued over a number of years by the potential of IN, it has been a journey of seeing IN confront market reality and demand, as he explained in an exclusive interview with Telecommunications [R] International magazine in his office in Guangzhou.

The Challenge

Guangdong Telecom was experienced in IN implementation from running two previous systems but one suffered from network compliance problems related to the C-INAP protocol, and the other was unable to meet the customer demand and failed during busy periods. Frustrated by the problems and the business impact they created, Guangdong Telecom decided to adopt standard IN systems but only after rigorous qualification procedures were organized by experts at the Guangdong Posts and Telecommunications Institute. The Huawei TELLIN IN system was eventually selected.

Why Choose Huawei?

Validation of the Huawei system, say Guangdong Telecom, depended on features that the Huawei TELLIN IN system provided including large processing capacity and stability at the same time as new service creation potential and open third-party interface capability and real time charging. Deployment of the Huawei IN system began in 1999 and saw rapid results. The system has proved scaleable and reliable, says Mr Xu, even in the face of massive subscriber demand.

The SMP capability alone makes it one of the most extraordinary telecom systems in the world--the database of the Guangdong Telecom system can support the records of at least 250 million active and inactive prepaid accounts. On an average day, the system makes 8 million separate billings, rising to 11 million on peak days. By its own estimation, the "200" brand of Guangdong has become acknowledged as the No 1 telecom brand in the province. The TELLIN IN system has been able to support service extension that sees the integration of telephone card, CCC, IP phone card, IC card and net account card systems onto the basic 200 prepaid card service.

What is the Outcome?

The ability to support prepaid in real time has had a major commercial impact on the operator, with some 10 million RMB (about USD 1.2 million) revenue flowing in on a daily basis as a result of prepaid sales. Mr Xu also has a positive attitude for his supplier-partner, Huawei. "It is a pleasure to work with Huawei," Mr Xu says. "The company is responsive to, and close

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