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Seminar Report

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Content
Concept of MMS Evolution SMS EMS MMS MMS Content Text Graphics Audio Images Video SMIL Representation Technical eatures Architecture Message Conversion !TA Configuration "ard#are and Soft#are MMS Centre $A% Gate#a& %rofile Server Value'added Services Emerging (ser Model %leasure #ith )usiness %ricing Model Mone& Spinners Implementing MMS %o#er Centre Interconnect and Roaming Realtime secure prepaid *illing and rating s&stem

Seamless connectivit& Customer service and mar+eting tools An MMS Implementation Scenario An MMS Solution Speed& Scala*le MMS Centre CMG,s MMSC at $or+ Realtime %prepaid )illing and Rating Connectivit& %ersonalised Customer Service Content and %remium MMS Applications Integration- Connectivit& and Sharing Meeting the Criteria Conclusion

C!.CE%T ! M(LTIME/IA MESSAGI.G SERVICES


Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) adds images, text, audio clips and ultimately, video clips to SMS (Short Message Service / text messaging). Simon Buckingham, CE o! Mo"ile Streams "elieves that# $%he transition !rom Short Message Service (SMS) to Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) is as important on mo"ile phones as the transition !rom & S to 'indo(s (as !or the )C. *t represents a revolution.$ +nlike other technologies like ',), Bluetooth etc - MMS o!!ers a complete development and "illing environment along (ith a chance to create compelling applications. %hus, MMS provides an opportunity to !oster an industry (here all players in the value chain may get an opportunity to earn revenue.

Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) is a messaging service !or the mo"ile environment that has "een standardised "y the ',) !orum and ./)). %o the end user, MMS is very similar to the short message service# it provides automatic and immediate delivery o! user-created content. %he addressing used is the phone-num"er o! the recipient and the "ulk o! the MMS tra!!ic goes !rom phone to phone. MMS also provides support !or email addressing. 0ence,messages can also "e sent !rom phone to e-mail and "ack. *n addition to content type used !or SMS text , MMS messages can contain still *mages, voice or audio clip, and presentation in!ormation. , multimedia message is a multimedia presentation created "y the sender using, !or example prede!ined templates alternatively the content can "e o"tained ready made !rom a third-party content provider.%he message can "e delivered using to a push to the recipient1s phone and the recipient is noti!ied only a!ter the (hole message has "een received. MMS transport is carried out using ',) protocols and any "earer capa"le o! supporting ',) can "e used. %here!ore MMS is "earer independent, i.e, MMS is not only limited to only /SM or 'C&M,. the (ireless session protocol('S)) speci!ied in the ',) !orum, is used !or message transport !rom phone to

MMSC and !rom MMSC to phone. in addition ',) push !eatures are used to deliver the message !rom the serverto the recipient. MMS uses ',) protocols, "ut is a separatephone application, independent !rom the "ro(ser. ,s the MMS concept is "uilt upon SMS the target o! service is to "ring a ne( !acility to the mass market o! MMS users.

Evolution
,s the !oremost provider o! end-to-end telecommunications solutions, Ericsson remains committed to !ostering a timely and seamless evolution o! the messaging market. %his approach is "oth user- and operator-!riendly, as it leads the market to(ards !ull mo"ile multimedia. %he key stages o! the evolution entail the se2uential release o! the !ollo(ing services# Short Messaging Service (SMS) 3 text messaging Enhanced Messaging Service (EMS) 3 illustrated text messaging Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) 3 !ull multimedia content exchange

SMS %he Short Messaging Service (SMS) (as launched in 4556 and has "ecome the most success!ul (ireless data service to date. SMS allo(s mo"ile phone users to send and receive text messages o! up to 478 characters in a costand time-e!!icient manner. SMS is a 9store and !or(ard:service, meaning that messages are not sent directly "et(een users "ut via an SMS centre. %his aspect allo(s !or a num"er o! key SMS attri"utes, such as instant delivery, nominal tari!!ing and message delivery unhindered "y net(ork tra!!ic. %he 9store and !or(ard: service also allo(s simultaneous SMS and voice capa"ility and international 9roaming: (ithout international !ees.SMS is also used to noti!y users o! incoming e-mail, voice mail or !axes, as (ell as to in!orm them a"out (eather !orecasts, ne(s headlines, stock 2uotes or other events they can su"scri"e to user. EMS EMS can "e re!erred to as 9enhanced SMS:, and adds li!e to the users1 SMS text messages. Messages sent (ith the ./)) standard EMS (Enhanced Message Service) contain a com"ination o! text and simple pixel-image and/or melody. +sers may do(nload images and melodies !rom the *nternet, or !or even greater sel!-expression, create them on their o(n directly in the phone. +nlike SMS messages, the text o! an EMS message can "e !ormatted using a variety o! !onts, si;es, type styles, etc. Ericsson1s EMS is "ack(ardscompati"le service, meaning that the text portion o! its messages can "e received "y terminals not supporting EMS. EMS is an open ./)) standard, and paves the (ay !or the introduction o! MMS.

MMS MMS is the pinnacle o! the messaging evolution. Currently "eing de!ined and speci!ied "y ./)) as a standard !or third generation implementation, theMultimedia Messaging Service (MMS) completes the potential o! messaging. MMS is expected to "ecome the pre!erred messaging method o! mo"ile terminal users, since there are virtually no limits to the content o! an MMS transmission. ,n MMS message can contain !ormatted text, graphics, data, animations, images, audio clips, voice transmissions and video se2uences. Sending digital postcards and )o(er )oint-style presentations is expected to "e among the most popular user applications o! MMS. /reatly anticipated "y young users in particular, MMS is pro<ected to !uel the gro(th o! related market segments "y as much as !orty percent.

adding progress to mobile messaging

MMS Content
Rich content to communicate the richness of our lives.

,lthough MMS is a direct descendant o! SMS, the di!!erence in content is dramatic. %he si;e o! an average SMS message is a"out 4=8 "ytes, (hile the average si;e o! an MMS message (ill (in the early stages) "e around .8,888 "ytes, "ut is actually unlimited. *n the !uture, the user (ill "e a"le to store a large num"er o! messages, including those (ith video clips. %he si;e o! these messages (ill "e a"out 488,888 "ytes. %hat is (hy the key (ord to descri"e MMS content is rich. Complete (ith (ords, sounds and images, MMS content is endo(ed (ith the user1s ideas, !eelings and personality. ,n MMS message can contain one or more o! the!ollo(ing# Text ,s (ith SMS and EMS, an MMS message can consist o! normal text. %he length o! the text is unlimited, and in the !uture it (ill "e possi"le to !ormat the text. %he main di!!erence "et(een an EMS and MMS message is that in an MMS message, text can "e accompanied not only "y simple pixel images or melodies "ut "y photographic images, graphics, audio clips and video se2uences. Graphics /raphs, ta"les, charts, diagrams and layouts are <ust a !e( examples o! the kinds o! MMS graphic capa"ilities sure to have a ma<or impact on the (ay (e (ork. Maps, dra(ings, sketches and animations are likely to play a larger part in our personal lives, helping us to !ind our (ay, !eel sa!e, express ourselves and have !un. MMS supports animated /*>s. Audio MMS provides the a"ility to add !ull sound to a message. ?ot only can users share a !avourite song (ith a !riend, "ut they can use the mo"ile phone to

record sound and send it along (ith a message. Because sound includes speech as (ell as music, this extra dimension o! an MMS message makes !or tremendously enhanced immediacy o! expression and communication. @ather than sending a do(nloaded "irthday <ingle in EMS, !or example, a user can send a clip o! his or her o(n personal rendition o! 90appy Birthday:. 'ith MMS in a mo"ile phone, the user can do(nload M). !iles, and the MMS standard also supports streaming o! sound as (ell as images.

Images By using either a digital camera attached to the mo"ile terminal (ith a ca"le or a "uilt-in digital camera, users can take a snapshot and immediately send it to a recipient. %he a"ility to send images is one o! the most exciting attri"utes o! MMS, as it allo(s users to share meaning!ul moments (ith !riends, !amily and colleagues. Mo"ile image transmission also o!!ers inestima"le utility in "usiness applications, !rom sending on-site pictures o! a construction pro<ect to capturing and storing an interesting design concept !or later revie(. Editing an image "y adding text allo(s users to create their o(n electronic postcards, an application that is expected to su"stantially cut into the traditional postcard-sending market. Video %he ultimate extension o! MMS1s digital imaging capa"ilities, MMS video content, once developed, could initially comprise something like .8-second video clips. *nstead o! using, !or example, the mo"ile device1s digital camera and media editor to photograph a scene, la"el it (ith text and add

appropriate audio, users (ill "e a"le to record the scene and transmit the clip to a recipient. *n the !uture, streaming o! video clips (ill "e possi"le. %his (ill "e a popular !eature !or people su"scri"ing to ne(s and entertainment services. %he list o! possi"le applications o! this extremely exciting type o! MMS content is virtually endless. SMIL presentations Standing !or Synchroni;ed Multimedia *ntegration Aanguage and

pronounced 9smile:, SM*A allo(s !or the creation and transmission o! )o(er )oint-style presentations on the mo"ile device. SM*A is an advanced BMA-"ased protocol, and Ericsson MMS supports a su"set o! this protocol. +sing a simple media editor, users can incorporate audio and video along (ith still images, animations and text to assem"le !ull multimedia presentations. %he idea o! SM*A is to allo( the user to customi;e the page timing in )o(erpoint presentations. %he user can decide in (hich order the image and text (ill "e displayed, as (ell as !or ho( long the images and text lines are to "e sho(n in the disolay. Essentially ena"ling the mo"ile terminal to serve as image processor and conveyor, Multimedia Messaging accommodates the exchange o! important visual in!ormation as readily as it !acilitates !un. Business and leisure usage o! MMS (ill "e dynamically merged, resulting in enhanced personal e!!iciency !or users and increased net(ork activity !or operators. *n short, MMS a!!ords total usage !or total communication. Because MMS uses ',) as its "earer technology and is "eing standardi;ed "y ./)), it has (ide industry support and o!!ers !ull interopera"ility, (hich is a ma<or "ene!it to service providers and end users. Ease-o!-use resulting !rom "oth the gradual steps o! the messaging evolution and the continuity o! user experience gained !rom interopera"ility is assured.

%he MMS server, through (hich MMS messages are sent, supports !lexi"le addressing (to "oth normal phone num"ers (MS*S&?) and e-mail accounts), (hich makes user inter!ace more !riendly and allo(s greater control !or operators. %he MMS server, moreover, is responsi"le !or the instant delivery !eature o! MMS. so!t(are, limited access outside the (orkplace, etc.).

Technical eatures
Architecture %he MMS Centre (MMS-C) is comprised o! the MMS Server, the MMS )roxy-@elay and the MMS Store. %he MMS Centre is the central element o! the MMS net(ork architecture, providing storage and operational support, ena"ling instant delivery o! multimedia messages !rom terminal to terminal and terminal-to-e-mail, and supporting !lexi"le addressing. %he centre1s MMS )roxy- @elay interacts (ith the application "eing run on the MMSena"led terminal to provide various messaging services. ',) is used as "earer o! an MMS message "et(een the MMSC and the MMS client (application). %he ',) /ate(ay is used !or delivery and retrieval o! messages.

Message conversion %he MMS-C is a"le to per!orm limited messageconversion - !or example, !rom MMS to SMS - so that processing and air time is not (asted in sending messages to mo"ile terminals that do not have ade2uatecapa"ility to receive them. *t also handles service aspects such as store and !or(ard, guaranteed delivery, su"scri"er pre!erences, operator constraints, and"illing in!ormation. %he MMS-C also vouches !or high 2uality messaging, e.g. "y !ormat conversion. %his means that the MMS-C recogni;es (hich !ormats are supported in the mo"ile phone, and adapts the MMS messages to these !ormats. !TA configuration +sers can easily get MMS into their phone. MMS supports %,, meaning

that the user does not have to con!igure the settings manually. %he

con!iguration is done "y the operator.Supported !ormats Currently "eing standardi;ed, MMS is likely to support the !ollo(ing !ormats. *mage - C)E/ and /*> DE, D5a, 'BM) Fideo coding - *%+-% 0.67., M)E/ = (simple pro!ile), ,udio - M).. M*&*, ,M@/E>@ (!or speech) Fideo-M)E/=,067.

"ard#are and soft#are


%o launch MMS a num"er o! practical preperations have to "e made in net(ork prior to the service launch#

MMS centre %he MMS centre (MMSC) is the store and !or(ard net(ork that delivers the messages !rom the sender to the recipient. %he MMSC concept is similar to an SMSC G i.e. the server stores the message only during the time that is re2uired to !ind the receiving phone. ,!ter" the reciving phone has "een !ound, the MMSC immediately !or(ords the multimedia message to the recipent and the message is deleted !rom the MMSC. %hus the MMSC is not a mail"ox server, "ecause it does not store the message i! it can "e delivered. %he MMSC is a ne( net(ork element that is needed to launch the MMS services. %he SMSC can not "e upgraded to an MMSC in term o! so!t(are, as the capacity and inter!ace re2uirements are di!!rent. MMS is primarily targeted at phone to phone tra!!ic. %here is al(ays a possi"ility that the receiving phone can not "e reached due to "eing s(itched o! !, having a spent "attery or poor net(ork coverage. %he MMSC is needed to store the

MMS messages until the receiving phone can "e reached. *n addition, the MMSC host a no o! inter!aces !or connecting to other net(orks,e.g. the internet, and an external application inter!ace to ena"le delivery o! value added services. %he MMSC may also have an inter!ace !or E-Mail. $A% Gate#a&0 ,lthough the MMS user experence is similar to SMS, MMS is not transsmitted in a SMS channel. %he SMS transmission channel is too narro( !or transsmitting multimedia content.teh ?okia vie( is that any cellular data carriar providing at least 4=.=k"its/sec is su!!icient !or MMS. n the protocal level, MMS is transported using the ',) (irless session protocal('S)). *n addition, the light(eight MMS protocol data units de!ined "y the ',) !orum used.the ',) "ro(ser is not involved in MMS. nly the ',) transport protocols are used to ena"le the use o! the ',) protocols in the MMS message trans!er, a ',) gate(ay is needed to connect MMSC to the (ireless',) net(ork. Segmentation and reassem"ly(S,@) is a so!t(are !eature o! ',). *t ena"les large messages to "e sent in small packet reducing the retransmission time !or lost packets, S,@ also reduces the net(ork load due to the more e!!icient retransmission schemes. %rofile Server0 )ersonalisation is key to any service, the (ireless device users desire and expect to control the messaging domain. )ro!iling (ill ena"le user and operators to e!!ectivily supply,control and manage value-added services.the pro!ile server should "e !ast (ith high capacity net(ork element optimised

!or read re2uests, insuring that MMS net(ork elements share an e2ual vie( o! su"scri"er pro!ile in!ormation. Value'added Services0 %he com"ination o! high capacity multimedia messaging and application provides a comprehensive multimedia solution. %he applications (ill complement person to person messaging. %(o MMS !eatures that are invalua"le in any operator services are provided# support !or non-multimedia terminals(commanly re!erred to as legacy phone support) and storage. Aegacy phone support (ill "e crucial to the initial deployment o! MMS services. %his (ill increase the num"er o! su"scri"ers (ho are a"le to send and receive multimedia messages thus ena"ling MMS to reach an important mass status. %he main !eatures# permanent massage storage (ith multiple access allo(es all users to store and manage message there!ore providing net(ork storage to the exiting terminal storage. %o seamlessly com"ine the internet and mo"ile messaging (ords, !ormat conversion are re2uired. %he MMS solutions converts messaging !ormats that are supproted on the internet and mo"ile net(orks to address important compati"ility re2uirements. Emerging user model0 %he mo"ile device has "ecome Hpersonal1 and ever-presentG almost a part o! our dress attire. *nitially, mo"ile users <ust needed to communicate or "e contacta"le at all times. ?o(, they need to in!orm and "e kept in!ormed. , ne( po(er!ul and demanding mo"ile-user model is emerging, (here instant communications and in!ormation are taken !or granted. Messaging is a natural (ay to communicate# instant, location-independent, personal and

!un. >irst and !oremost, Multimedia Messaging is a"out !un messaging can also "e generational. %oday1s youth, gro(n up on video games and the *nternet, has adopted SMS as an icon and is expected to em"race MMS as (ell. ,nd there is potentially a ne( user group# su"scri"ers (ho consider recording a voice memo, !or example, easier than composing an SMS message. ,s "usiness and (ork-related activities sometimes intrude in our private lives, mo"ile devices (ill "e used increasingly !or leisure and other personal activities, and the "oundary "et(een the traditional "usiness and consumer user (ill start to "lur. *! the SMS experience is *mplementing Multimedia Services 'ithin , Comprehensive Messaging Strategy I CM/ 'ireless &ata Solutions 6884 5 used as a model, the uptake o! MMS (ill most pro"a"ly start among consumers, especially the young, and certain Hniche1 pro!essionals, "e!ore "usiness users discover its attraction and s(itch over in increasing num"ers. %leasure #ith *usiness MMS messages can "e !un and exciting, like do(nloading cele"rity video clips o! !amous pop artists, sharing holiday experiences "y attaching a spontaneous snapshot (ith ver"al annotations and sending it to !amily and !riends. %hen there is the 2uestion o! convenience. Some su"scri"ers (ill "e delighted (ith the simplicity o! an MMS voice-memo instead o! typing in a text SMS message. ,nd utility, perhaps not a"solutely necessary, "ut it (ill "e very handy to "e a"le to receive a map o! the local area alongside ver"al or textual instructions, !or example. MMS is also !or pro!essionals. , <ournalist (orking under di!!icult conditions in the !ield could !ile a report (ith images and sound. *mplementing Multimedia Services 'ithin , Comprehensive Messaging Strategy. %ypical MMS applications &riven "y MMS, other services, such as ne(s, sports and location-"ased in!ormation,

are also expected to "ene!it !rom ne( !unctionality and capa"ilities. Su"scri"ers can expect ne( applications, like *nternet-"ased interactive video games, or having their simple text messages em"ellished (ith a cele"rity <ingle, animation or video clip. ,nd su"scri"ers (ill also have access to a )ersonal Store to save their !avourite MMS messages, as (ell as, a photo al"um and li"rary o! images and sounds.

some typical MMS application

%ricing model )resent connect-time pricing models (designed (ith voice in mind) are not suita"le !or data tra!!ic "ecause they tend to re(ard slo( net(orks (ith higher payments "y the su"scri"erG thus hampering mo"ile data services. %hank!ully, this is a"out to change (ith al(ays-on, high-speed net(orks, (here the model is most likely to "e "ased on data volume. 0o(ever, the MMS pricing model should "e similar to the SMS one, in order to accelerate the introduction and acceptance o! the service. Success!ul pricing (ill "e on a per-message "asis and (here the initiating party pays. *n addition, premium rates can "e applied to high-value content and, to a lesser extent, to richer media !ormats. Mone& spinners

MMS exploits su"scri"ers1 experience and !amiliarity (ith SMS to help it over the acceptance threshold. ,nd it is "eing assisted "y other technologies. >or example, the rapid gro(th o! digital imaging and instant (digital) photographyJpictures delivered instantlyJis <ust the impetus needed to set the multimedia "all rolling. Based on the SMS experience, the ma<ority o! MMS messages (ill contain sel! created in!ormation, in some !orm or another. *n many cases, this (ill "e personal text (ith a digitised photograph attachedG or a personal note (ith some novel em"ellishment, (hich can "e do(nloaded !rom a (e"site (service providers, take note). Moreover, coupled (ith a mailing service and a distri"ution list, a holiday postcard can "e sent to all relatives, !riends and colleagues in one single action. >or operators, MMS o!!ers competitive di!!erentiation and can induce customer loyalty, as (ell as attract content providers and su"scri"ers. ,ll o! this is expected to create su"mit store MMS Centre MMS )ersonal Store deliver Built-in digital camera create Built-in microphone

*mplementing Multimedia Services 'ithin , Comprehensive Messaging Strategy stimulate service usage, (here operators (ill pro!it !rom a signi!icant gro(th in revenue !rom higher message volumes and larger messages. &ue to "e commercially launched in 6886, MMS is expected to reach critical mass "y 688=.

Implementing MMS0
&emanding technical speci!ications and operational re2uirements add to the challange o! !inding an *% solution that satis!ies MMS su"scri"ers1 high expectations. *mplementing Multimedia Services (ithin , Comprehensive Messaging Strategy o! a 2uality user experience. ,pplying the e!!ectiveness and e!!iciency criteria (outlined in the previous section) to MMS produces the !ollo(ing re2uirements# %o#er centre %he exciting user experience o! "and(idth-hungry multimedia comes at a high cost to net(ork and message-processing capacity and per!ormance. %his means high capacity net(orks (/)@S or ./) and highly relia"le MMS centres. 'hile high-capacity net(orks are expected to alleviate net(ork congestion (/)@S net(orks (ill practically deliver speeds "et(een 6= and =8 kilo"its per second, and ./ net(orks even higher speeds, high per!ormance MMS centres (ill "e re2uired to handle the exponential rise in "oth multimedia-message si;e and volumes. ,s more sophisticated mo"ile devices "ecome availa"le, the MMS message si;e is expected to gro( !rom 48-488KB in the early years, and even !urther as video and audio streaming come online. %here is also the 2uestion o! the Hsmoothness1 o! the service. 'hile delays in Basic SMS (person-to-person) may "e tolerated, !or

applications, such as *nteractive SMS, delays are unaccepta"le "ecause they drastically degrade the user experience. Considering that even Basic MMS could contain streamed video or audio contentJ applications especially sensitive to H<erky1 receptionJlatency "ecomes an even "igger issue (ith MMS. Compare the current throughput re2uirement (in the order o! mega"its per second) !or high-per!ormance SMS centres, (ith the typical throughput MMS centres are likely to demand (in the order o! tens or even hundreds o! mega"its per second), and the need !or po(er!ul messageprocessing engines "ecomes clear and o"vious. >urthermore, as MMS popularity and pro!ita"ility rise, so (ill the demand !rom operators, service providers and su"scri"ers !or an uninterrupted service. %his (ill mean highavaila"ility centres that are also scala"le and can "e upgraded onsite (ith minimum disruption. Interconnect and roaming 0ighly availa"le MMS also implies a service availa"le any(here. %his means that an operator1s MMS centre and "illing system should "e a"le to interconnect (ith other national and international net(orks and MMS in!rastructureG thus ena"ling su"scri"ers to exchange MMS messages (ith other su"scri"ers in any net(ork, even(hen roaming. %hus, an anytime, any(here 2uality service. Realtime secure prepaid *illing and rating s&stem )repaid su"scri"ers have "een seen as a driving !orce "ehind SMS and are expected to play a key role in MMS as (ell. !!ering prepaid MMS means operators need to install a prepaid "illing system that can match the per!ormance and relia"ility o! their MMS centres, and is e!!ectively

integrated. &i!!erentiated charging (rating) is critical !or MMS "ecause o! a (ider selection o! )remium Services and a much longer and "roader content classi!ication. >urthermore, (ith a higher (average) transaction-value, revenue risks (ill also increase accordingly. perators are also "urdened (ith an average monthly loss o! +SL M88,888 in prepaid !raud, and security procedures need to "e in place (including *mplementing Multimedia Services (ithin , Comprehensive Messaging Strategy in the prepaid "illing systems) "e!ore launching m-commerce applications. %his means secure prepaid systems (hich do "illing and rating in real-time. %his is not only to prevent the creation o! !raud (indo(s, "ut also operational "ottlenecks. >inally, prepaid "illing systems (ill need to cater to MMS roaming, re2uiring !ull mo"ile originator and terminator charging. ,lso "usiness users (ill "ene!it !rom the rich experience o!!ered "y Multimedia Messaging. Seamless connectivit& 'ith the expected uptake o! external and internal applications, and the continued use o! legacy services, like SMS, operators need to ensure their MMS centres can "e connected to and inter-(ork (ith other application servers or message centres. %his (ill heighten the user experience (ith a seamless path !rom one service to the next and (ith uni!orm, consistent and user-!riendly inter!aces. Customer service and mar+eting tools ,s a market, such as MMS, gets more sophisticated, so do its consumers. , recent article= in The Economist says it all# 9 n the !ace o! it, companies seem keener than ever to sell you their stu!!N But (hy do you so rarely !eel that you are getting special service, or that the company kno(s the !aintest

thing a"out (ho you are or (hat you really (antN%he right approach to retaining customers starts (ith trying to understand more a"out them, and then (ork out (hat to do (ith the kno(ledge.: *n other (ords, e!!ective personalised customer care. >urthermore, operators and service providers need to proactively Htrack1 the market to "e a"le to anticipate and ade2uately respond to su"scri"ers1 needs (tailored marketing)# O%he (inning operators (ill "e those (ith, !or example, a thorough and HKeeping the customer satis!ied1 and having accurate understanding o! (hat services the market actually (ants, and the a"ility to market these services e!!ectively,O says Ben &onnelly, Mo"ile %elecoms ,nalyst at >rost P Sullivan. %o "e a"le to o!!er prompt proactive personali;ed customer service, operators need e!!icient and e!!ective tools that track and analyse the market, as (ell as customer "ehaviour and pre!erences, as (ell as have access to relevant in!ormation ("illing history, !or example). *n this case (as !or realtime "illing) He!!ective1 means the marketing tools must "e a"le to keep up (ith the rate at (hich the MMSCs process messages.

An MMS Implementation Scenario


An MMS solution Aet us consider an example o! ho( MMS can "e implemented and revie( it in the context o! the !rame(ork already discussed. CM/ 'ireless &ata Solutions has "een involved in mo"ile messaging since the early 45581s (hen it (as asked to design and develop a SMS Centre !or a ?ordic consortium. Since then, it has "ecome a leading glo"al supplier o! (ireless messaging, mo"ile *nternet and customer care and "illing solutions !or the telecommunications industry, and is reno(ned !or its 2uality o! service solutions. Building on other market successes, most nota"ly in SMS, CM/

o!!ers a complete, turnkey MMS solution , (hich provides many "ene!its over multi-vendor solutions in the area o! 2uality o! service, cost o! o(nership and managea"ility. >urthermore, CM/ maintains a policy and reputation !or consistent 2ualityJhigh scala"ility, capacity and relia"ilityJ across all solutions. By opting !or separate, dedicated and "est-o!-"reed components, CM/ o!!ers a 2uality solution made up o! 2uality parts. %his contrasts (ith the HS(iss army kni!e1 approach availa"le in the market today, (hich comes (ith !ull !unctionality, integrated and Hunder one roo!1. 'hile this does not actually meet the specialised needs o! the operator in implementing an MMS strategy, the HS(iss army kni!e1 solution might appear to "e Hhandy1 and less time consuming to implement. 0o(ever, its individual !unctions typically lack 2uality, !lexi"ility and scala"ility.

Speed& scala*le MMS Centre ,t the core o! the solution is its Multimedia Messaging Service Centre (MMSC), (hich processes MMS messages to and !rom an operator1s net(ork, as (ell as external net(orks and applications. %he MMSC1s !unctionality is distri"uted over !ive main modules# 4. 0ttp @eceive# receives MMS messages !rom mo"ile devices connected to the operator1s o(n net(orkG 6. 0ttp Send and Message Store# has a dual !unction. *t sends MMS

messages to mo"ile devices connected to the operator1s o(n net(orkG and temporarily "u!!ers (stores and retrieves) all MMS messages !or !urther handlingG

..

SM%) @eceive# receives MMS messages !rom external operators1

net(orks or *nternet applicationsG =. SM%) Send# sends MMS messages to external operators1 net(orks or

*nternet applications. M. MMS +ser &ata"ase# maintains extensive su"scri"er in!ormation and

service pro!iles containing su"scri"er pre!erences and optionsG also shared "y such !unctions as prepaid "illing, customer care and marketing.

CMGs MMSC

CMG,s MMSC at #or+


%his distri"uted, modular architecture (a"ove !igure) makes it seamlessly scala"le %o virtually unlimited per!ormance re2uirementsJonly physical

and net(ork constraints, limit its si;e. *n line (ith other CM/ products, MMSC1s per!ormance and capacity are matched "y its relia"ility ((hich translates into availa"ility). *t has no single point o! !ailureG the system as a (hole can continue to !unction in the event o! net(ork !ailures. %here is redundancy in processors and critical devices, and each !unction module has the capa"ility to operate independently !rom the other modules in the !ace o! partial net(ork and system !ailures. >urthermore, hard(are components meet ?EBS Aevel . standards !or relia"ility and availa"ility o! 55.555Q. %his means any component !ailure (ill never lead to data loss. %he lo( mean time to repair also means !ull service capa"ilities are 2uickly restored. Cost o! o(nership is lo( "ecause running and maintaining the MMSC is virtually automated. 0uman intervention is only re2uired in the event o! hard(are !ailure or ne( so!t(are installations. Even then, upgrades to the MMSC can "e done online and (hile the system is still running. CM/1s MMSC comes (ith rich !unctionality. *t supports a num"er o! user !eatures, like legacy-handset support, (ith message !ilters and S),M and virus control. Realtime prepaid *illing and rating Crucial to an MMS "usiness, CM/1s )ayment Broker o!!ers a !lexi"le, high per!ormance (capa"le o! 6888 transactions per second) prepaid rating and "illing *mplementing Multimedia Services (ithin , Comprehensive Messaging Strategy I CM/ 'ireless &ata Solutions 6884 68solution. *ts high-speed, realtime "illing, rating (!or )remium MMS di!!erentiated charging) and credit checking prevents "illing "ottlenecks and eliminates prepaid !raud. *n addition, the )ayment Broker o!!ers such advantages as M and M% charging, !ull roaming support and secure m-commerce

transactions ((ith encryption, payment authentication and digital signature), and has "een designed to o!!-load vital net(ork components. Connectivit& >or content and service providers, the MMSC o!!ers a Hlarge account1 or corporate inter!ace, o!!ering a secure MMS *nternet-connection to an operator1s su"scri"er "ase. *n addition, the MMSC allo(s operators to act as service provider and o!!er their o(n (or trusted) applications and content services to their su"scri"er. Because these applications are secure sources, the connection "et(een the MMSC and external application is !ast, ensuring !ast delivery o! MMS messages and lo( latency, critical !or interactive applications and a 2uality user-experience. Control over content gives operators the !lexi"ility o! di!!erent charging schemes. Moreover, "ecause operators o!!er these services directly, their pro!it margins are "roader. n the net(ork side, CM/1s 'ireless Service BrokerR contains an excellent ',) /ate(ay solution, re2uired in an MMS operation to connect mo"ile devices to the MMS Centre. %he 'ireless Service BrokerR, designed according to CM/1sscala"ility, relia"ility and high-per!ormance speci!ications, can cope (ith gro(ing data tra!!ic levels and extensive !eatures to create service packages !or di!!erent end-user segments. *n an MMS operation, its )ull and )ush Service Brokers !ul!il t(o key !unctions Jthe su"mission and delivery, respectively, o! MMS messagesJin the exchange o! messages "et(een the MMS Centre and MMS-ena"led mo"ile devices.

%ersonalised customer service Collectively called %he Business %ools, this state o! the art so!t(are suite provides !unctionality to easily access and analyse ra( operational and "usiness data, trans!orming it into 2uality "usiness kno(ledge. *t is possi"le to store and analyse su"scri"er usage in!ormation to understand user trends and pre!erences and o!!er personalised and use!ul services, thus "uilding customer con!idence and rein!orcing the relationship. +nderpinned "y the Customer @elationship Management concept, %he Business %ools provides an important means !or operators to o!!er Htailored and targeted1 services, and hence increase pro!ita"ility o! the services as (ell as customer satis!action. %imely tra!!ic in!ormation means that operators can predict net(ork peaks and "ottlenecks more accurately. %his means proactively managing the net(ork, rather than reacting to pro"lems a!ter they occur, as is o!ten the case. >urthermore, 2uality in!ormation means more accurate !orecasting and "etter resource planning !or operators, leading to more e!!ective resource utilisation and lo(er costs. Content and %remium MMS applications *n addition to providing operators (ith the tools to o!!er )remium MMS directly (using the MMSC Su"scri"ed Services inter!ace), CM/ also o!!ers o!!-the-shel! applications and content through its )artner )rogram. %hese applications have "een integrated (ith CM/1s MMS solution and can give operators a head start in marketing )remium MMS. ,nd more importantly start making pro!its. *mplementing Multimedia Services 'ithin , Comprehensive Messaging Strategy I CM/ 'ireless &ata Solutions 6884 64.

Integration- connectivit& and sharing >urthermore, CM/ integrates its MMS o!!ering (ith its other mo"ile messaging solutions, like SMS and +ni!ied Messaging (+M). *n addition, CM/ connects its MMS environment to internal and third party applications and external in!rastructures, andintegrates its o(n products to legacy or third-party products. ?ot only does this make the (hole mo"ile messaging operation seamless, "ut common !unctional components, like "illing and customer care and marketing, can "e shared "y other services. Meeting the criteria CM/1s MMS solution more than meets the SoS and e!!iciency criteria that are so key to operators implementing a mo"ile messaging strategy. Most nota"ly, all critical componentsJsuch as MMSC, )repaid Billing and ',) /ate(ayJare highly relia"le and al(ays provide enough capacity to handle peak message and transaction volumes, as (ell as the large messages MMS (ill generate. ?ot only does this solution prevent message "ottlenecksG it also ensures high availa"ility and a smooth user experience.

Conclusion0
'hen preparing the MMS service launch, it (as recomeended that the operator !ollo(s the SMS !ormat. %he same service pricing principles, (here the sender pays a !ixed !ee per message sent, should apply. %he user experience should also "e the same as (ith SMSJthe message is recently delivered to the recipient1sterminal,(ith automatic presentation. *n short# MMS should "e the same as the SMS expext !or richness o! the message.

%o stimulate the market and to ensure a rapid uptake o! MMS !rom the day o! launch, the operator needs to o!!er value-added services that can "e en<oyed "y su"scri"ers (ho still do not o(n an MMS terminal. %he MMS service roll out has already started. %he operators should commence the MMS trials using the commercially availa"le mo"lile MMSC and terminal prototypes to ensure that the customer care, "illing systems are prepared !or the service launch.

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