Description
The CAMEL Intelligent Network (IN) Gateway is a key element for the successful deployment of intelligent applications which require real-time control of calls, SMS and GPRS sessions in the telephone network.
Modulo’s CAMEL Gateway is used to provide mobile subscribers with real-time Intelligent Network (IN) and prepaid services, in the home network or while roaming.
Rather than implementing complex transaction flows using native INAP or CAMEL APIs, our product offers a set of built-in pre-defined flows that can be triggered by the network or executed through a RESTful HTTP interface by a 3rd party application controller.
Power Intelligent Network Services with Modulo’s CAMEL Gateway
The Modulo CAMEL Gateway is a powerful enabler for fast and easy development of Intelligent Network (IN) Services for mobile networks. Our CAMEL Gateway enables IN Services for both subscribers using the home network as well as for roaming subscribers.
The Modulo CAMEL Gateway’s Horizontally scalable architecture provides high reliability and extensive scope to increase system throughput in pace with network growth. Supporting SS7 & SIGTRAN with no vendor specific dependency, Modulo’s Intelligent Camel Gateway can scale from 4 LSL up to 744 LSL or the equivalent in SIGTRAN bandwith. One of the unique features of our Camel-GW is the ability to customize the scenarios and the interfaces involved in a specific call flow. For example, you could easily translate an initial DP message (service request) into a RADIUS request towards a third party system.
The Intelligent Camel Gateway does not implement service logic but could be customized to do so. Typically the logic of services provided to subscribers is determined by external applications that interact with mobile networks through the Intelligent Camel Gateway using a common IP interface.
This approach is much more flexible in comparison with traditional SCP architecture because the solution provider receives a powerful and flexible tool for creating new services with out creating any constraint on the development environment he is familiar with. Telco OEMs can dramatically decrease time to market while deploying innovative services that will enrich its offering and strengthen competitive standing. The CAMEL Gateway solution allows for easy creation of new intelligent services with a RESTful Run mode that converts HTTP to CAMEL.
RESTful run-mode
The RESTful run-mode allows a 3rd party web application server to implement an intelligent application by exchanging Json objects through RESTful HTTP requests.
CAMEL (CAP) to Diameter Interworking (IWF)
There is currently no standard for converting CAMEL Application Part signaling to Diameter signaling. The CAMEL Gateway product can be used in ‘conversion mode’ to convert Mobile Network SS7 signaling transferred using CAMEL (CAP) to signaling based on the Diameter protocol, or the other way around, to convert from Diameter to CAP. This sometimes-critical interworking function allows network elements which use different protocols to seamlessly communicate with each other.
A critical use case for CAP-Diameter conversion is for real-time billing. When a mobile operator with a 3G infrastructure wishes to replace their 3G OCS, which uses CAMEL for signaling, to a 4G OCS that uses Diameter, it will need an interworking function to convert the signaling between the 4G OCS and the 3G MSC. It also works the other way around, if an operator deploys a 4G infrastructure but wants to lower their upgrade costs by keeping the old billing system, which works well. The CAMEL Gateway solves all of these types of problems.
Conversion-mode
The conversion-mode can be used to convert SS7 dialogues into DIAMETER Ro requests by mapping the SS7 transaction components parameters to attribute value pairs.
Conversions performed by the Modulo CAMEL Gateway
- CAMEL to DIAMETER (CAP-Diameter)
- DIAMETER to CAMEL (Diameter-CAP)
- CAMEL to HTTP
- HTTP to CAMEL
- HTTP to DIAMETER
- DIAMETER to HTTP
System Features
- Provides a wide range of services to subscribers with real-time control in home and visited networks
- Real-time control of incoming, outgoing, and forwarded calls in home and visited networks
- Control and logging of outgoing SMS messages in home and visited networks
(available in CAMEL Phase 3 and higher) - Real-time control of GPRS sessions in home and visited networks
(available in CAMEL Phase 3 and higher) - Using voice prompts and announcements available at the MSC where the subscriber is registered
- Determining current subscriber status (e.g. busy, out of network range, etc.)
- Management of call processing logic and service logic by external applications connected via API
- Flexible adaptation of data formats included in Call Detail Records to conform to requirements of operators and service providers
- Allows interaction with the Specialized Resource Function (SRF) or Intelligent Peripheral (IP)
- Number Translation service support
- Flexible implementation of intelligent services based on the CAMEL phase 2 and phases 3 features and API application features.
- Full clustering for redundancy
- Protocol conversion with custom mapping from SS7 to RADIUS, SS7 to DIAMETER, SS7 to Restful HTTP API
- Proxy functionality
- Virtual Private Networks (VPN) implementation
- Advice of Charge (AoC) support
- Service statistics log
- Flexible SS7 & SIGTRAN configuration
- Logging transaction results with various levels of detailing
- Configuration and monitoring using any kind of remote access technology. All system parameters may be configured through editing configuration files and/or using the web-based administration software.
- Alarm logging with SNMP support.
Functional Specifications
| Host | General purpose server with Linux OS |
| TDM Interface | PCIe E1/T1/J1 adapter with MTP2 software |
| IP Interface to Telephone Network | M3UA, M2PA, M2UA over SCTP |
| IP Interface to Local Area Network | HTTP RESTfull AP, DIAMETER Ro or Radius |
| SS7 Links | 4 to 744 LSL |
| SIGTRAN Associations | Up to 1024 |
| E1 Interfaces | 4 to 24 per cluster |
Sample Use Cases
Number Translation Service
A use case where the network switch triggers the Intelligent CAMEL GW as an SCP to perform number translations such as 1800 numbers or short code numbers.
Realtime Charging
A use case where the Intelligent GW gets triggers from the MSC and reports to the charging system using diameter, radius or http. It will provide an interface for the charging system to terminate the call or continue the call according to the current subscriber balance.
Call Interception
A use case where a prepaid call is intercepted because it is out of credit and it is transferred to an automatic re-charge service.
Pricing
To receive a price offer for our Intelligent CAMEL Gateway, please contact us at sales@modulo.co.il. We also offer a combined MAP and CAMEL intelligent gateway.
