Download MIS553_SMS_CellularArchitecture_2012

CELLULAR ARCHITECTURE FOR SMSTXT BASED MOBILE MARKETING
Course Faculty: Mrs Yasmin Malik
Venue: IBA City Campus, Karachi
Course Start Date: Spring 2012 (Feb 1)
MIS553: Mobile Marketing Strategies
Some Notes on Basic Cellular Network
Architecture
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Every mobile network essentially has two components:
 The “wireless” part
 The “wired” part
The “wireless” part encompasses the mobile subscriber/phone, the
associated Base Station (BS) and Base Station Control/Switching Unit and a
Gateway (often called the Gateway Mobile Switching Centre or G-MSC)
The “wired” part starts at the Gateway and involves what is known as the
“Backbone” or “Wired Backhaul” which usually makes up the long distance
part of the network
Any SMS-Txt campaign (and its associated software) must, at some point,
make use of the “wired” part of the network
2G/2.5/2.75G Cellular Network Architecture
Mobile Subscriber/User
2G/3G
Mobile
networks
Access Service Network (ASN) =
Cellular Base Station + Gateway
PSTN
BS Outdoor RF Section
(BTS = Base Station Transceiver Station)
Other Operators
CSN
BS Control and
Switching Unit
(BSC)
Connectivity Service
Network (CSN) that allows
ASN or MSC Gateway
connected to IP Core
The Base Station Subsystem
(BTS + BSC) handles radio
communications between
2G, 2.5 G and 2.75G mobile devices
or mobile users
The ASN Gateway is more
commonly known as the
G-MSC or Gateway Mobile
Switching Center
(It interacts with the associated HLR
- Home Location Register- and VLR
– Visitor Location Register –
databases to determine subscriber
data)
inter-connection to other
networks and manages the
ASN/subscribers:
Billing, Authentication, CRM,
DNS, IMS
Short Message Service
Centre (SMSC)
Architecture Diagram
SMSC:
1. Responsible for handling
SMS operations
2. Upon sending from the mobile
user, the SMS message
first reaches the SMSC
3. It is then forwarded by the
SMSC to the destination
number/mobile user
4. Main function is to route and
regulate the SMS delivery process
5. Normally there is one SMSC per
MSC
MSC:
Connects the mobile user
on the wireless part of the
network to the nearest
SMSC and acts as a gateway
between the “Wireless” and
“Wired” part of the Operator’s
telecom network
Some Notes on the SMSC
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The first point of interaction for a text message or SMS message is the SMSC (Short Message
Service Centre)
When a mobile user sends an SMS message to another mobile user, the message gets stored in
the SMSC that is directly relevant to the sender i.e. that which is directly associated with the
sender according to the user’s location and Operator
The SMSC delivers the SMS to the destination user when they are available on the network i.e.
when their mobile phone is switched on and registered onto the network
SMSC basically operate on a “store and forward” principle
The main function of the SMSC is to route and regulate messages
For example: If the recipient is unavailable in case their mobile phone is switched off, the
SMSC will store the SMS message
The SMS gets forwarded when the recipient becomes available on the network
An SMS message is stored temporarily in the SMSC if the recipient mobile phone is offline. It is
possible to specify a cutoff period after which the SMS message will be deleted from the
SMSC
Note that once deleted, the SMS message will no longer be available for dispatch to the
recipient mobile phone (even if it becomes online)
SMSC also handle things like Message Status Reports: users can set a flag in the SMS message
to notify the SMSC that a status report about the delivery of this SMS message is required
This status report is sent to the SMS sender in the form of an SMS message
Some Notes on Short Codes
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Short Codes Definition = Special telephone numbers, usually 4 to 6 digits long, used in mobile
marketing campaigns where mobile subscribers can participate in any given campaign by
sending a test message to the advertised short code.
Short codes are widely used for value-added services such as television program voting,
ordering ring tones, charity donations and mobile services.
Messages sent to a short code can be billed at a higher rate than a standard SMS and may
even subscribe a customer to a recurring monthly service that will be added to their mobile
phone bill until they text, for example, the word "STOP" to terminate the service.
In Pakistan, short codes comprise 4 digits and have to be purchased from the telecoms Regulator
i.e. the PTA which allocates specific short codes and their usage duration.
Media buying agencies (MindShare), technology/content provider companies (Converge) or the
telecom Operator can undertake the short code purchasing process with the PTA on behalf of
the brand (Lux).
Operators usually charge a premium for texting in to the short code to recover costs and to
generate additional revenue.
Short codes in Pakistan can be typically charged at Rs 5-25 depending on the type of
campaign, the strength of the brand or the overall cost of the campaign. In the industry, this rate
is often referred to as the “price point”
Revenue sharing of short code is typically 60-40 where the Operator usually retains the higher
percentage i.e. 70% of the cost of the short code. But it can also be 70-30 (Telenor) or even 9010 (Mobilink) depending on the bargaining power of the Operator…
Hence short codes are a very lucrative source of revenue for Operators!
Tracking of Txts Sent To/From Short Code
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In a simple Short-Code based campaign, a fairly simple tracking mechanism (software) can be
utilized to:
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Account for how many SMS are sent to a short code
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Generate correct response SMS (e.g. “Thank you for participating. You have entered into
a prize draw) is sent out to mobile subscriber
Automated prize draw and resultant SMS notification to winners
The software can be part of the Operator’s infrastructure or can be an independent software
operated by a third party (Converge) which has been given access to the Operator’s SMSC
network
However, more sophisticated SMS campaigns require more than simple tracking and
automated delivery of SMS…