Architecture
Layers
An Amber system consists of up to three layers, namely the transport, core and application layers.
The transport layer is responsible for interfacing with other USSD gateways or with the core GSM network. It consists of protocol and session modules that implement native interfaces to each USSD standard.
The Core layer manages individual USSD session and includes logic for determining the correct application layer endpoint for a given USSD request. It also includes functionality for the real-time rating and billing of prepaid subscribers
The Application Layer provides actual functionality that subscribers can use. Amber support a fully modular application layer and nodes are available for locally hosted applications or for passing USSD requests on to other systems.
Amber likes integration!
The layered architecture makes Amber plug-and-play. Third parties can choose between TCP, HTTP or XML interfaces.
Not another USSD gateway!
What makes Amber special?
- Amber employs session-level isolation, ensuring that a single fault cannot affect more than one user at a time.
- Amber includes comprehensive rating and billing facilities - there is no need for an external billing system
- Amber can access the IN-platform directly - it uses the same rating system to charge prepaid subscribers in realtime
- Amber is a distributed platform. Components that require more resources can easily moved between different physical devices, without complex re-engineering or configuration
Amber has been used in production systems for more than nine years at the end of 2008. This makes it one of the oldest and certainly one of the most capable platforms available anywhere. Amber routinely handles three hundred or more simultaneous sessions across three different GSM networks at the same time and on the same hardware
Amber is reliable and affordable.
The Amber Story
Early in 2000, USSD as a commercial service did not exist. Call-Me did not exist. USSD was a vague acronym hidden in the depths of GSM 02.90.
We were guided by Guy Redford, a true visionary, to explore the possibilities of interactive services. He managed to organise a trial connection to the then prototype MTN service. This was the first ever use of USSD outside an operator in South Africa, possibly the world.
So Amber started. In the first two years it gained support for all the USSD servers that are now forgotten. There used to be "SMPP for USSD" and Aldiscon gateways. Amber can still speak these almost forgotten USSD dialects.
We added support for SEMA in 2002 on the Vodacom network. By this time, our modest content services were used by approximately 9 million South Africans on a daily basis. Peak traffic was around 400TPS. And Amber was running on a Pentium-III 333Mhz.
Because we insisted on running a commercial service, MTN introduced a new generation backbone and Vodacom developed the current premium model.
We added the SS7 gateway module to Amber's dialects in 2007.