Amber Prepaid Balance Enquiry
Solution Description
The Amber Balance Enquiry Module enables subscribers and airtime dealers to retrieve account balances from either an IN Platform or from Emerald Realtime using a simple USSD request.
In excess of 75% of the SMS messages processed by an Emerald Airtime Management system are prepaid balance enquiries. Operators simultaneously increase the overall system capacity while reducing SMS-C license costs by implementing them Amber USSD balance enquiry module in their network.
This module can either communicate with the IN directly or re-use the Emerald Realtime IN integration. In cases where the module connects via Emerald, operators can save licensing costs as this module does not require additional connection licenses.
Amber Call-Me-Back
Solution Description
The Amber CMB module enables a new business model whereby subscribers without sufficient funds on their mobile phone account can request another subscriber on the same network to call them back, without having to pay for the notification message.
Subscribers access this function via a simple USSD phase 1 call. The basic USSD string includes a short-code such as 123 and the MSISDN of the target subscriber.
Amber interprets this request and sends an SMS to the target subscriber requesting him or her to call the originator of the request. If the source subscriber registered a name, this name will be included in the SMS message.
Amber USSD Gateway for SS7
Connector Solution
The Amber USSD gateway connects directly to the core GSM network using SS7 and without requiring additional third party components or gateways. The gateway links to the HLR and uses either SIGTRAN or E1 signalling for carrying the USSD traffic.
The SS7 signalling gateway fits perfectly into the Amber architecture. It has the capacity to handle hundreds of simultaneous sessions, each isolated against common failure modes. The gateway includes control over all aspects of USSD, including managing the session time-outs, character encoding maps and overall security of the system.
USSD for Mobile Banking
Solution Overview
Unstructured Supplementary Services Data (USSD) offers a flexible yet simple menu-based alternative to SMS. USSD is always mobile originated, the subscriber starts a session by dialing a USSD short code such as *140# directly from a mobile handset. USSD is a particularly elegant access channel for Mobile Banking – no additional software is needed on the phone and it is inherently secure.
Amber SMS-C
- Bulk SMS
- SMS services for IP clients
- Aggregation
- High performance
- Low cost
The Amber SMS-C is a high-performance message centre designed for bulk SMS solutions and aggregation where a direct SS7 link or interconnect is available. The system supports SMS protocols such as SMPP and ISMI. It supports a flexible charging model for both prepaid and postpaid subscribers. For prepaid, the SMS-C links to an IN Platform to deduct SMS charges directly from subscribers' accounts.
Amber USSD Menu Builder
- Rapidly USSD development
- Prototyping
- Browser based
- Interactive testing
- Intelligent menu generation
The Menu Builder makes it simple to create USSD applications. It is fast, flexible and easy to use and solves many of the inherent problems of creating USSD applications. Access the Menu Builder from any Web browser – it requires no special skills from the developer.
The Menu Builder supports hierarchical menus and will automatically enable the new application with forward and back navigation options. It numbers items automatically. This feature makes it possible for the user of a USSD service to resume interaction with the service at the exact point in the dialog if the session terminates.