Optimizing the value of your subscriber data

White paper
 Abstract: The expectations of today’s mobile subscriber
are driving market trends. Subscribers’ desire for
personalized and converged applications and services
on any device, with high quality of experience, is
changing the way mobile network operators (MNOs)
and their subscribers interact.
Whereas, in the past, MNOs attempted to anticipate
subscriber interests and needs, now subscribers are
directing MNOs on the types of services they want and
how they want them delivered. New networks (for
example 3G, 4G, and IMS) required for the delivery of
these services and applications must co-exist with legacy
services causing data complexity to grow exponentially.
To provide these services, MNOs must manage a
growing amount of data for each subscriber, driving
up cost per subscriber and reducing profitability.
Effective management of the subscriber profile in today’s
convergent environment has become a key success
factor and differentiator for MNOs. Yet MNOs are often
prevented from using subscriber data to its full and
Future outlook for mobile
network operators
Today’s mobile network operators are faced with
an ever-changing and evolving landscape that is
characterized by converged applications and activities,
social networking, targeted broadband product
offerings, and technological advancements in device
handsets and mobile data services. To keep up with
market demands and succeed in the future, mobile
network operators must leverage their key corporate
asset, subscriber data, to achieve their business goals.
Industry analysts concur. A Light Reading article on
managing subscriber data suggests that MNOs need to
take a broader view of subscriber profile information.
“Network operators need to combine information sitting
in the data warehouse behind their operations and
business support systems (OSS/BSS) with information
generated dynamically in the network. Next-generation
subscriber management solutions must match next-
generation service goals, including the ability of
subscribers to hop between fixed and mobile networks;
move from being a business to a personal user on the
same device; and transfer services between terminals.
The subscriber- and service-aware network is the key
to (generating future) revenue.”
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useful potential. Cordoned off in inaccessible database
silos, the lack of centralized access to or central location
of subscriber data increases provisioning and update
costs and complexities, which slows the deployment of
new personalized services to subscribers. Centralized
data access and location can help to simplify
provisioning and make adding new services easier
and less costly.
MNOs hold a distinct, but by no means permanent,
advantage in their ownership of organized and
maintained subscriber databases. With the right
subscriber management tools, MNOs can manage,
enrich, and capitalize on these core assets of subscriber
information to better serve their customers’ needs for
blended offerings and higher quality of service (QoS),
as well as create new value for their business in the
long run.
Another article also stressed that subscriber data
management in the future will be about more than
just replacing aging (data) silos, but an opportunity
to capture the personalized content information of the
subscriber, including contextual data such as location
and presence. This data can be dynamically segregated
into separate personas, and then used to target
personalized services to customers.
Mobile network operator
business goals
The key business goals of MNOs include:
• Fostering customer satisfaction and retention through
improved service offerings and higher QoS
• Containing operating and capital costs as they relate
to subscriber data management and the development
and deployment of personalized service offerings
• Creating new revenue streams through the delivery of
personalized services and third-party involvement
The attainment of these business goals relies on effective
access and analysis of the subscriber data currently
residing in their networks. Let’s examine each of
these goals in a little more detail.
Subscriber satisfaction and retention
Subscribers want services that go beyond traditional
mobile network operator offerings of dial-tone, video,
and messaging, and expect more reliable and
responsive service.
While MNOs are faced with growing competition
from Internet players and social networking sites such
as Google and Facebook, MNOs have a significant
competitive advantage over other market players.
MNOs own and operate an organized and maintained
set of subscriber databases that contain information that
allows them to offer a degree of personalized services
that other providers (such as ISPs) can’t match. If MNOs
possess the right tools to access, manage, and analyze
the subscriber data in their networks, they can use
subscriber service needs, preferences, and usage
pattern information to provide subscribers relevant
products and promotions as well as improved
service levels.
MNOs have an opportunity now to benefit from a
By harnessing this subscriber knowledge and using it to deeper subscriber relationship that will enable them to
develop a deeper relationship with their subscribers, develop and deliver personalized services that meet
MNOs stand to benefit from improved customer subscriber needs, resulting in greater subscriber loyalty
satisfaction and retention and competitive and increased profitability.
positioning against other market players.
Containing costs
In today’s networks there are many applications
accessing and updating data across multiple
databases and network infrastructures. As subscriber
data complexities grow, MNOs are looking to
manage subscriber data in a more efficient and
cost-effective way.
Adopting a centralized view of subscriber data­—
possibly even including the creation of a single
unified database for all applications operating across
converged, fixed, and mobile networks—will reduce
operating and capital costs through simplified subscriber
data management operations. This centralized view will
simplify provisioning for ordinary network operations as
well as reduce the maintenance costs of updating and
maintaining multiple disparate databases. A centralized
approach will also improve efficiencies in current service
delivery and allow MNOs to better organize and use
the information they need to offer personalized services
to subscribers. The ability to limit the number of queries
a new service has to execute to fetch static and dynamic
subscriber data to one single query—compared to a
meshed point-to-point approach—is more cost effective,
reduces time to market, and eliminates unnecessary
revenue leakage or operational deficiencies.
Creating new revenue streams
MNOs today feel pressure to create and enable new
services that meet their customers’ expectations, which
go beyond basic connectivity. This has resulted in a
shift to a more product-driven, personalized services
approach. While MNOs already possess valuable
information in their networks about their subscribers,
such as presence, location, status, and spending habits,
they need a more efficient way of accessing and
analyzing this information in order to deliver the
personalized services that subscribers want.
By opening subscriber data to other business units
such as marketing and third-party development
organizations, mobile network operators can offer
subscribers more targeted product offerings and
services. New revenue can be generated from value-
added third-party or MNO-grown services or premium
service packages; more organized billing notifications;
a greater ease of sign-up; and targeted advertising
campaigns. By leveraging the subscriber data in their
networks, MNOs can develop and generate revenue
by charging subscribers for these products and
services, compared to subscribers receiving similar,
but not personalized services, from other providers.
Mobile network operator challenges
MNOs today hold within their networks a key asset,
subscriber data, which has tremendous potential for
their business. Many MNO networks, however, are not
taking full advantage of this asset and the opportunity to
offer relevant and reliable services to their subscribers.
This is caused by the MNOs’ lack of a centralized view
of subscriber data in their networks and the inability to
collate and use subscriber preference and usage pattern
information to inform their marketing activities. MNOs
face the following challenges to achieving their
business goals:
• Growing subscriber dissatisfaction and competition
• Subscriber data management and organizational
complexities
• Architectural limitations
• Cost-containment challenges
Growing subscriber dissatisfaction and competition
MNOs are in the midst of a subscriber revolution.
Subscribers often cite poor service from their mobile
network operator due to the time-consuming process of
changing their preferences, the need to input the same
information over and over again when subscribing to
a new service, and a lack of relevant service offerings.
With subscriber growth waning in mobile networks,
mobile network operators need to reduce subscriber
turnover and increase average revenue per user (ARPU)
by improving subscriber satisfaction with current services
that provide improved quality of service, new and
easy-to-use features, and new targeted offerings that
meet their personalized services expectations.
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 In today’s market, subscriber retention is critical for Organizationally, MNOs also face the challenge of
business and acutely affected by rising competition from knitting together different systems and approaches and
Internet-based companies such as eBay, Facebook, and many different categories of systems information. Today
Google, who are collecting information on the same MNOs don’t have the tools required to bring together
customers as mobile network operators, and striving to their IT and network assets. This requires a big leap for
gain control of the customer relationship. Whereas, in a service provider, going from tracking the subscriber
the past, subscribers turned to their MNO to meet all phone number to managing a full social networking,
their electronic communications needs, today subscribers status, location, and preferences profile for their
can choose between a variety of ISPs and mobile subscribers.
network operators for the delivery of voice, video, IM,
Architectural limitations
and other services. MNOs that can differentiate
Mobile networks today possess a wide range of
themselves through better and more personalized
subscriber database architectures. Over time, as MNOs
services will improve retention and increase revenues.
have added vertically oriented services, the result has
Subscriber data management and organizational often been a collection of multiple, disparate customer
complexities databases, containing duplicated information, with each
Subscribers today have many different identities and database maintaining only the components of the
roles (work, family, social network member, etc.). overall customer profile needed to provide the respective
Increasingly, much of the subscriber’s own current service. Figure 1 illustrates how multiple vertical service
persona data is being created and maintained outside silos contribute to a fragmented and inconsistent
his/her visibility and control. The data associated with approach to subscriber data management. This
these identities is stored and managed in a fragmented architectural framework creates challenges in managing
and segregated way in multiple application databases existing services and deploying new ones, and ultimately
and network infrastructures with limited visibility and the ability to remain competitive and capitalize on new
control for the user. Historically, MNOs have responded revenue opportunities. Subscriber data therefore resides
to these challenges by investing in network equipment in multiple databases tied to these specific network
and infrastructure both at the core and access level elements and service applications. Interfaces that are
(2G, GPRS, 3G, HSDPA, and IMS but also VoIP and developed to provide coordination or communication
fixed broadband for convergent operators). In today’s between them are brittle and must be expensively
environment, the inability of network operators to reworked as any database model changes. This complex
incrementally access and act on subscriber data in an network is not only difficult to maintain and update, it is
efficient and effective way means increased operational also a challenging environment in which to deploy new
costs and limits to market development. services. New service introductions can exacerbate data
complexity, as this new data must synchronize with
Furthermore, customer expectations for services that
existing subscriber data. The net results are high costs
bind multiple enablers together to produce new services,
and delays in the deployment of new applications.
such as combining presence, location, group lists,
and voice to create a rich voice and IM conferencing Cost-containment challenges
capability, have led to a growing demand for rich The difficulty in containing costs for mobile network
applications to be launched. These applications, each operators is evident in two areas. First, the cost to
with its own embedded database, have both traditional perform routine provisioning actions is increasing due
and nontraditional data sources (e.g. online social to subscriber behaviors such as churning in and out of
networking sites). This results in increasing use of the network, and subscribers owning multiple SIM cards
subscriber data within a single network, duplicated or multiple mobile subscriber integrated services digital
subscriber databases, larger subscriber profiles, and network numbers (MSISDNs). While both churn and
data complexity issues maintaining this data for multi-numbering can positively impact subscriber-based
multiple services. revenues, this movement drives up operating costs due
to the great expense of changing subscriber data across
According to Reed’s law, the use of large networks,
all of the data silos where subscriber data resides. With
particularly social networks, can scale exponentially
a subscriber data management solution, subscriber
with the size of the network. As networks are expected
changes and updates are sent only once from a single
to evolve to 3G technology and beyond, and as new
client compared to many times by multiple clients to
IP-based applications continue to enter the market, data
multiple databases. Second, data housed in independent
complexities will grow exponentially as new services
domains creates unnecessary revenue leakage.
and legacy services co-exist for many years. This will
translate into an exponential increase in the amount of
data that needs to be provisioned for each subscriber.
To cope with this growth, MNOs need to invest in a
subscriber data management system that can handle
the increased operational load and meet their
business needs.
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Figure 1. Isolated databases create the silo effect. Application A Application B

Subscriber Statistics Subscriber Statistics

As new applications are provided, each comes with

new and different data structures for normal operations Billing Rating Billing Rating
(provisioning, billing, rating, management). Each new
iteration increases the management load, making it
more and more unwieldy.
Application C

Subscriber Statistics
HSS GLMS IM

Service enablers
Billing Rating
Text
messaging
PoC
Presence Location PoC OSA
Presence SIP AS
SCF
Diameter

Camel
Calendar
Cell ID-based
P-CSCF I-CSCF S-CSCF SIP
server
location SIP SIP

SIP

Video Multimedia Application D

Roaming
status
resource MRFC MRFP MGCF MGCF
function
Subscriber Statistics

Gaming Instant MGW

messaging
Billing Rating

Video
Browse
sharing
favorites
Music
streaming
Application F Application E

Subscriber Statistics Subscriber Statistics

More applications = more provisioning
and management databases.
Billing Rating Billing Rating

As the size of the networks grows, the value of the subscriber services. Its increased subscriber data
user profile within the network also grows because management efficiency and operating cost reductions
of the amount of user data in that network and the greatly ease new service introduction efforts by
interconnections between the data. While this is shortening time to market and ultimately increasing
true, today’s mobile network operators need to take MNO profitability. The HP solution is built on these
advantage of the growing amount of subscriber data main features: a unified user profile; data management
residing in their networks. MNO investments in network through consolidation, replication, and federation;
infrastructure and traditional integration services will not HP Communications & Media Solutions Support and
solve the problems of operating in today’s environment Services; and flexible implementation.
of rising costs and competition. MNOs need a subscriber
Unified user profile
data management system and architecture that meet
The heart of the HP solution lies in the creation of a
cost challenges and can handle unpredictable
unified subscriber data profile—the unified user profile—
market growth.
that has a central view of the subscriber data residing
in disparate databases across multiple networks and
The HP solution applications. Subscriber data generated from
applications in real time can be federated with data
MNO subscribers are asking for an enriched experience from legacy applications into a unified and consolidated
over what is available today, one that is fun, reasonably view. The creation of such a view enables the building
priced, and tailored to their needs. The HP Unified of data-less applications and leverages existing
Profile solution based on the HP OpenCall Profile subscriber data to reduce the cost of experimentation
Manager and HP Virtual Identity and Profile (VIP) Broker and support quick time to market. The end result to
is a comprehensive subscriber data management the subscriber is a more personal experience at lower
solution that enables MNOs to realize the potential of total cost of ownership for the MNO, which enhances
their subscriber data assets by managing subscriber the MNO position against the new, nontraditional
data more efficiently, controlling costs, and generating competitors.
new revenue opportunities through personalized

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Figure 2. HP Unified Profile solution
Note that IMS components also
make use of the access methods
Text
messaging
PoC HSS GLMS
Presence
Service enablers
Calendar
Cell ID-based
location Presence Location
Video Roaming
P-CSCF I-CSCF
status SIP
Gaming
Instant
messaging
Video
Browse
sharing
favorites
Music
streaming
Data consolidation, replication, and federation
The location of data throughout the network and the
data usage requirements demand that different data
from different applications requires different treatment
or handling. HP offers a flexible approach to data
management as the MNO is not limited to one but can
implement a solution that includes consolidated data,
replicated data, and federated data. This approach
allows our offering to unify the entire MNO view of
a subscriber across organizational boundaries and
extend that unified profile view beyond the traditional
mobile network.
Figure 2 illustrates the HP subscriber data management
solution, which uses a consolidated and federated data
store with a centralized, single point of data access.
The advantage of centralizing data access means that
applications/features can be introduced into the
network without complicated provisioning integration,
and feature development and data integration are
simplified.
Data consolidation centralizes subscriber data
management activities and reduces operating costs
for performing basic provisioning tasks such as
upgrades, and the maintenance and troubleshooting
costs of maintaining multiple subscriber databases.
Data replication updates user data in both the
consolidated and legacy databases allowing MNOs
to bring real-time read and write capabilities to data
residing in a legacy database.
Data federation gives MNOs access to real-time
and static subscriber data residing in network and
application databases, enabling them to create a
comprehensive subscriber profile and identity. Using this
enhanced subscriber profile, MNOs can develop and
deliver the relevant and personalized services through
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IM
Unified provisioning
PoC OSA
methods—LDAP,
SIP AS SPML, XML, CORBA,
SCF
Diameter etc.
SIP Camel
S-CSCF server
SIP
SIP
Consolidated/federated
Multimedia data store
resource MRFC MRFP MGCF MGCF
function
MGW
Access methods: LDAP, SPML, CORBA,
Database equalization
XML, GUP, etc.
mated-pair N+1
third parties, and through their own innovation, that
today’s subscribers seek.
Delivery services
HP believes every MNO network is unique and
collaboration is elemental in building and supporting
solutions that work for individual networks. HP service
professionals are experts in evaluating network issues,
designing a plan, integrating applications, and building
access to data across multiple technology environments
—with a proven, consultative approach. This expertise
enables them to address the challenges that are specific
for the environment and weighted based on business
priorities. The results of the collaboration between the
MNO and HP include a data management strategy
that best aligns the data management needs of the
MNO—tearing down the architectural walls that limit
the view of a subscriber in a network today—and
provides a strategy for incorporating new data as new
services are introduced into the network environment.
Flexible implementation with industry-
knowledgeable support
Data management done correctly is a process that is
implemented gradually as needs are separated from
wants and business priorities trump both. The HP data
management architecture, access methods, and data
storage are designed for maximum flexibility to allow for
incremental investment. The design and implementation
plans focus on which objectives have the most impact
from a cost-containment and revenue-generation
perspective. Once implemented, the HP Unified Profile
can evolve to address new business challenges or
priorities. This flexible implementation is backed by
support from HP industry-knowledgeable support
technicians available 24x7 as well as premium support
offerings that include support staff in region or onsite.
Key unified user profile elements
When HP VIP Broker is combined with HP OpenCall
Profile Manager, the HP Unified Profile solution key
elements include:
• The brokerage of static and dynamic information from
multiple disparate back-end data sources as a central
virtual profile, a “use in place” approach to subscriber
data. Data location, schema, access protocol, and
primary identity keys are abstracted from applications.
• A secure, single high-speed web-services-based (XML)
application interface to retrieve a customer profile
assembled dynamically from multiple disparate
data sources.
• Real-time profile caching, with the ability to centrally
write or provision create, update, and delete (CUD)
profile data via a common service bus into a central
common cache. These changes can also be
propagated to other external data sources.
• An Extensible Markup Language (XML)-based
enterprise service bus architecture, capable of
supporting create, read, update, and delete via XML
to a central store. Direct CUD transactions via Java™
Database Connectivity (JDBC) from the original sources
(authoritative masters) of data are also available.
• Additional specialized data access and distribution
interfaces, such as Lightweight Directory Access
Protocol (LDAP) (read), and publish/subscribe (Pub/
Sub) change notifications.
• The ability to support physical master data
management initiatives such as consolidation
migration and single-source provisioning of disparate
data sources into or via a central data store, as
desired.
Solution benefits
Adopting the HP Unified Profile solution affords MNOs
wide-ranging benefits, all of which are designed to help
MNOs meet their operational and business goals. The
flexibility of the HP Unified Profile solution is crucial, as • The ability to send targeted notifications and inform
it offers MNOs options to:
• Retain existing databases and access needed data
through dynamic federation, including data outside
the MNO’s network
• Consolidate data on a new database
• Migrate existing databases to a central store
while maintaining the integrity of current
application interfaces
• Centrally cache, synchronize, or replicate data from
existing databases
• Adopt a combination of all of these strategies
This flexibility enables the MNO to avoid the high cost
of moving non-critical or non-revenue-generating data
and gives MNOs the opportunity to make investment
decisions that align with an overall corporate strategy.
Enhancing data management and operational
efficiencies
Data management and operational efficiencies are
enhanced by the HP Unified Profile solution via:
• Built-in data integrity systems to provide that data
updates are made consistently and safely with proper
access and authentication controls
• A meta-tool that handles multiple versions of the data
model and updates the data model with new columns
and attributes
• A transparent replication facility for all data under
its management regardless of platform or database
technology to enable high availability
• Geographic redundancy through data synchronization
and replication for all consolidated or federated
databases under the HP Unified Profile solution’s
control
• Support for standard interfaces and development
frameworks that facilitate communication between
different database types and network infrastructures.
Interfaces include JDBC, LDAP, etc. that support
multiple database types and platforms (NonStop
Enscribe, PostGress, Linux TimesTen, and more)
as well as a set of development frameworks, or
application programming interfaces (APIs), greatly
reducing compatibility issues and enhancing
operational efficiencies.
Containing costs
The HP Unified Profile solution reduces costs and
simplifies provisioning via:
• A centralized provisioning system that simultaneously
propagates changes through existing application
programs and provides notification of changes to
designated datasets
• A simultaneous federation and consolidation data
architecture that allows multiple database
technologies to co-exist and work together
subscribing services that unified user profile managed
data has changed thus eliminating the need to
provision all instances of affected subscriber data
several times
• A logically centralized data repository and data
model that provides a unified view of subscriber data
in a coherent and accessible data model
Creating new revenue streams
Helping MNOs create new revenue streams is supported
in the HP Unified Profile solution approach via:
• A network- and application-independent subscriber
data profile unit that promotes new product and
service innovation in spite of changing environments
and complexities
• A flexible and tailored subscriber data management
that adjusts to MNO’s needs
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Figure 3. Simplified provisioning use case
1. Provision HLR to enable subscriber data capabilities
2. GPRS HLR provisioning to data-enable subscriber
3. Provision AAA to enable the service
4. Provision the service for the subscriber
5. Provision the business system to ensure subscriber is charged for service, data plan, and minutes used
MNOs may choose between federating or replicating
subscriber data to a central view or fully migrating data
in a consolidation move. Either choice enables MNOs’
central access to existing and real-time data stores,
and opens up the subscriber data in their networks to
existing or third-party applications in the environment,
helping them meet subscriber demands for a wider
range of personalized services.
And to speed the development and deployment of
new network elements and applications (and also to
support the migration of legacy systems, if desired),
the unified user profile data architecture provides
built-in provisioning, data replication, and data
modeling meta-tools.
HP Unified Profile
solutions use cases
The advantages of the HP solution are most effectively
illustrated when shown in use cases. The following
cases demonstrate how the HP solution will help mobile
network operators to:
• Manage their data assets more effectively through
simplified provisioning processes
• Enrich their customer’s experience, through data
federation and notification technology, and the
ability to self-define/change user preferences when
service expectations are not met
• Capitalize on new business opportunities with third-
party providers, providing turnkey personalized
services and applications to end users
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Single provisioning
input distributed to multiple
federated databases
Manage: simplified provisioning case
Problem: A voice subscriber who wants to add an
interesting data service to his existing set of services
would normally first call the mobile network operator’s
customer service representative (CSR). To help the
subscriber provision this new service, the CSR would
navigate through multiple interfaces to enable the new
service for the subscriber. This process is both lengthy
and costly for the mobile network operator, and
inconvenient and frustrating for the customer.
Solution
The HP Unified Profile solution can help simplify carrying
out this new service provisioning task quickly and
efficiently. Rather than complete a series of manual,
independent actions for each application, HP Unified
Profile enables the CSR to launch a single business
provisioning request that will automatically be directed
to the multiple database stores needed to complete the
required provisioning actions. Figure 3 illustrates how
many provisioning steps can be combined into one
using the HP solution.
Using a single provisioning update command leveraged
for multiple applications reduces the per-subscriber
provisioning costs by streamlining the provisioning work
of the CSR, while also helping to ensure a consistent
and predictable set of provisioning actions. The HP
Unified Profile solution can also support customer self-
provisioning actions to further enhance usefulness and
help reduce subscriber provisioning costs. As customers
become more involved in selecting their own services, a
way to coherently capture these multi-database actions
will be possible through use of a unified user profile.
Figure 4. HP provisioning architecture
Provisioning request comes in. Provisioning
interface
Data access manages secure
distribution to the data layer.
Data OA and M
management Data model
Data model ensures data goes layer
to the right place in the
right form.
Common
data layer
Consolidated
Data layer data is replicated in data HLR data
geographically disparate mate. e.g. HSS/AAA
HP provisioning architecture
The architecture of the HP Unified Profile solution
is flexible and includes a selection of provisioning
interfaces to facilitate the new streamlined service
subscription process. HP supports and can adapt
to multiple provisioning interfaces including LDAP,
SOAP/XML, and CORBA-based. The HP provisioning
architecture—highlighting the HP OpenCall Profile
Manager—is illustrated in Figure 4.
Central provisioning unit
In order to reach multiple databases using a single
command, MNOs can use a central provisioning unit 4. Some data (i.e., HP OpenCall HSS data) can be
that communicates requests via an established enterprise
service bus (ESB), and uses the SOAP/XML protocol for
provisioning, as depicted in Figure 5.
While today the provisioning unit sends integrated
single provisioning requests to update profile information
in multiple HLR/HSS/AAA data stores, in the future, new
or existing interfaces will be initialized or migrated to 6. Although not shown in the diagram, if an update
the HP OpenCall Profile Manager solution for support
within the integrated provisioning interface. Ultimately,
the resulting ESB provisioning requests will reach the HP
OpenCall Profile Manager federated data in the HLR,
AAA, and/or HSS databases. Additional service or
profile data in a more expanded network example can
also be provisioned through this central provisioning
interface, as depicted in figure 6, which illustrates how
a single SOAP/XML provisioning request can update
multiple databases.
Customer
OSS management BSS
systems
Centralized
Provisioning
Data replication Data access provisioning
rules
HP OpenCall Profile Manager
Legacy
service
data
1. A SOAP/XML provisioning request is received
across an ESB. This request could originate from
either an OSS/BSS system, a web services client,
or a Service Delivery Platform (SDP) application.
2. HP Virtual Identity and Profile Broker (HP VIP Broker)
translates the SOAP/XML request into an HP
OpenCall Profile Manager API.
3. HP OpenCall Profile Manager consults its dataset
configuration (stored in the HP OpenCall Profile
Manager meta definitions) and applies the
provisioning request to the appropriate dataset(s).
hosted locally or consolidated into the HP OpenCall
Profile Manager locally managed data store.
5. If the data is hosted in the HP OpenCall HLR, HP
OpenCall HSS, or AAA, the HP OpenCall Profile
Manager applies the request to its respective HLR,
HSS, or AAA OC HLR database.
attempt fails, the HP OpenCall Profile Manager will
provide that the request is rolled back, undoing the
request’s updates and sending a failure response to
the requester.
7. When the HP OpenCall Profile Manager successfully
finishes processing the request, the HP OpenCall
Profile Manager builds and sends a response to the
HP VIP Broker.
8. HP VIP Broker creates the SOAP/XML response
based on the response from HP OpenCall Profile
Manager and sends it to the requester to complete
the request.
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Figure 5. Central provisioning unit
SOAP/XML
OC PM APIs
HP VIP Broker
HLR HLR data
External data repository
holding federated data
AAA AAA data
OC PM data
HSS HSS data repository
Profile/service data that
has been consolidated into
the OC PM data repository
Benefits
For the mobile network operator
• Reach multiple data tables with a single, safe
provisioning operation to simplify the job of customer
care, reduce network loading, and help ensure data
is kept consistent through the update process.
• Reduce operating costs by spending less time
implementing provisioning changes for individual
customers, and reduce the demand for customer care
with the introduction of customer self-provisioning.
• Save on new service rollouts that can take advantage
of the HP central provisioning interface and the ability
to market subscriber data in a controlled fashion.
• Access integrated and comprehensive customer data
for customer care purposes to increase service
satisfaction and streamlined provisioning operations.
• Retrieve cross-services data and updates to increase
provisioning accuracy and reduce costly errors.
For the end customer
• More responsive customer care experience with less
time on the phone waiting for service changes to be
provisioned
• Fewer calls to customer care with self-provisioning
support
Enrich
The HP Unified Profile solution is positioned to help
content and service enablers achieve quick time to
market and develop rich, integrated, personalized
customer applications. The following use case is
provided to illustrate how MNOs could enrich
customer experiences using the HP solution.
10
Applications
IP Abstracted view of the HP OpenCall Profile Manager
data model presented to northbound clients
Agnostic access
Users
OC PM meta
configuration
HP OpenCall
Profile Manager
Enrich: data-less application creation
case (example of how it works)
The data-less application creation use case is an
example of how a solution can be created building
from the 360 degree view of the subscriber that the
unified user profile data provides. It illustrates how
quickly a new service can be created by focusing on
the building of the application layer while leveraging
the data available in the integrated profile that results
from the unified profile view and leveraging the current
provisioning environment. It further demonstrates how
easily applications can be modified to use data from
other applications as they are incorporated into the
HP Unified Profile solution.
In this scenario, the engineering team within the
mobile network operator is creating a Safe Zone
application—which leverages location data from a
variety of elements within the mobile network, as well
as presence information to send notifications to the
parent based on the physical location of a child’s
handset. This application would also allow a parent
to virtually monitor the location of his or her child
and elect when to receive automatic notifications as
well as query the child’s location at any given time.
This case shows how a responsive network core can
more quickly and easily implement changes to more
aggressively compete in the market.
Figure 6. With the central provisioning interface, a single SOAP/XML provisioning
request can update multiple databases.

OSS/BSS Web service SDP Service ESB HP VIP Broker OC PM OC HLR OC HSS OC AAA

1. SOAP/XML request
2. Data request 3.

4. If data is local, process locally.

5. If data hosted on HSS, process

against HSS data.

5. If data hosted on HLR, process

against HLR data.

5. If data hosted on AAA, process

against AAA data.

6. If update fails, OC PM provides

7. Data response that request is rolled back.
8. SOAP/XML response

Scenario Solution (value of what it brings)

The following event flow illustrates how the data-less The HP Unified Profile solution allows application
application can be conceived, created, and quickly developers to quickly develop access to the valuable
implemented into a network. It also shows how the network data that it manages (HLR, HSS, PDE, etc.).
applications can add value to the end subscriber. In Additionally, the HP Unified Profile provides the new
this example, it is assumed that the mobile network application with mechanisms to add new data to the
operator has a unified user profile that includes the HP solution data model and immediately be able to
OpenCall Home Location Register and HP Unified provision that new data. Data managed by the HP
Profile solution: Unified Profile also enjoys a built-in replication
mechanism so that the Safe Zone application will never
1. Determine and design Engineers must create a new application
the application that is in order to remain competitive in the be brought down by back-end database failure.
going to be created. market and have a tight deadline. They
choose to create an application that The HP Unified Profile is flexible in how it can work with
provides notification based on the handset
a new application—allowing it to either consolidate all
location and subscriber-defined presence
preferences called the Safe Zone of its data in the unified user profile or allowing it to
application. maintain a hybrid solution in which some data is shared
2. Identify which data Based on the functional feature with and maintained by the unified user profile and
elements are needed in capabilities, engineers determine which
some data is kept local to the application. The HP
the application. data elements that are currently defined in
the unified user profile can be leveraged Unified Profile can also provide a fully replicated system
by the Safe Zone application today. where the data is mastered by the application and a
3. Create new data values Any new data values can be incorporated near-real-time copy of the application data is kept in
as needed and into the current data model so that they
incorporate them into can be leveraged by new applications—or
the unified user profile central data view.
the data model. even trigger an action from an existing
application. These three approaches allow an application builder
4. Write the application The application is written considering
to flexibly implement his data design according to the
with data reads and multiple scenarios across technologies unique combination of requirements levied by the
writes referencing the such as Safe Zone, which will use cross- application in a customer’s specific core network.
unified user profile. technology information from the unified
user profile view of the 2G, 3G, and 4G
world.
5. Create the provisioning Because there is a defined data model and
interfaces leveraging the predefined data structure, the engineering
existing provisioning team only needs to create new screens in
infrastructure. order to provision the new application.
6. Leverage Safe Zone Services can leverage Safe Zone information
data in new follow-on with data aggregation software provided
applications. in the unified user profile’s HP Virtual
Identity and Profile Broker application that
federates a view of the unified user profile
data to external access entities.

11
Figure 7. Distributed data model
Consolidate data from Data access
new applications. options C++ CORBA
Replicate legacy data.
Data
Data model OA&M
management
Maps central Statistics,
layer view to the real tracing, and
Federate data from data below licensing
independent databases.
Choose data access option.
HP OpenCall Profile Manager
Database
Provision all applications options Enscribe
with one interface.
The ability of HP Unified Profile to provide a
centralized view of subscriber data in multiple core
databases (HLR, HSS, and AAA) represents a significant
advance in opening up the core network subscriber
data silos. At the same time, the HP Unified Profile
solution offers toolkits and documentation to allow a
new application to consolidate its data with the unified
user profile core data. This allows for centralized
provisioning to all of these key databases and provides
an environment in which data safety is assured and
maintained with centralized tools and software
components. This simplifies the creation of data-less
applications such as the Safe Zone application
described in the example.
Data-less application architecture
Figure 7 illustrates the architectural elements that
participate and support creation of data-less
applications with the HP Unified Profile solution.
1. During the design stage, an application’s data
requirements are defined to support the needs of the
application. The HP Unified Profile solution provides
data modeling creation, reporting, and update tools
that allow an application developer to easily map
the application’s data requirements to those already
existent in the HP Unified Profile data model. This
allows for rapid access to existing data enabling the
developer to concentrate on the unique and new
data the application requires.
Being able to leverage existing data in the network
reduces the effort of implementing a provisioning
interface since the existing data has a working
interface already. Additionally, any data columns
added to the HP Unified Profile data model can
easily be accommodated by that existing
provisioning interface.
12
JDBC LDAP SOAP
ADR Data access Centralized Real-time query
Data copied to Rules to map provisioning and data
mated system for requests to the rules aggregation
disaster right database Routing and
protection rules checks for
provisioning
HP VIP
Broker
TimesTen Other Independent
databases
Another work reduction factor is that when an
application uses the HP Unified Profile for its
database, it automatically gains the built-in
capabilities the unified user profile data enjoys
such as data replication and failover, and data
update notification capabilities.
2. If an application must incorporate a specific
database type that is not currently operating in the
HP Unified Profile solution, that new database can
easily be added into the operational schema. For
instance, if a prototype application was working off
the shelf with MySQL, that database could easily
be added to the unified user profile by taking
advantage of the HP Unified Profile solution’s data
layer abstractions that allow for disparate database
technologies to heterogeneously exist in the same
core. Essentially, an object can be created that
chains the HP Unified Profile data tasks to the
specific calls used by the MySQL database. The
data management layer then employs these
abstraction techniques to maintain a single look
and feel between data elements.
3. As more applications are added to the network, the
HP Unified Profile solution offers multiple choices
to access data. Access to the unified user profile is
facilitated by several different interfaces that allow
read and write capability into the core. The HP
Unified Profile solution’s data management layer
provides multiple access points into its unified or
federated data scheme.
 The data management layer also includes active
intelligent agent technology providing data-initiated
notifications. This approach mitigates hot-polling by
providing a publish/subscribe mechanism between
requesters and actors. An application may interface
with the HP Unified Profile solution by requesting
notification of key data changes and receiving
asynchronous notifications of those data changes.
4. The data management abilities of the HP Unified
Profile solution additionally provide several other
general benefits in the safe management of your
subscriber data. The first of these is rules-based
processing to correlate data access with specific
(and configurable) rules to provide that the data
integrity is maintained. The HP Unified Profile data
model employs version management to provide that
fresh content, based upon the capabilities of the
requester and the availability of the physical data, is
always supplied. Finally, access to the unified user
profile is governed by multiple methods to enable
security and privacy attributes for differing data
components while access control enables safe
access from outside the boundary of the HP
Unified Profile physical data store.
Benefits
For the mobile network operator
• Ability to generate new revenues by offering premium
services to the user
– Target subscribers according to their needs
regardless of the need to span multiple subscriber
data sources.
• Quickly provide new applications that span multiple
domains allowing a great deal of flexibility in user
devices and roaming capability.
For the end customer
• Improved access to applications that meet subscriber
needs for personalized services
• Compatibility for applications with multiple
device types
Capitalize
Mobile network operators need a flexible profile data
management solution in order to capitalize on new
business opportunities with third-party providers or to
provide turnkey personalized services and applications
to end users. Many of these new services will be
introduced as IMS-based applications, in the form
of value-added services (VAS), or through a service
delivery platform (SDP). These new services could
conceivably require both new profile attributes to be
added to the data model, and also a view of existing
profile data already specified in the network data
model. An MNO’s ability to quickly deploy these
services will rely on the HP Unified Profile solution’s
ability to securely utilize existing data in the subscriber’s
profile, and the flexibility with which new required
attributes are introduced into the working data model.
Capitalize: leveraging subscriber
data to create value
There is no question that the Internet and a greater
dependence on mobile communications are changing
the way MNOs interact with their subscribers, giving
digital identity ever-greater importance to both
individuals and companies. Individuals benefit from
access to a larger array of highly personalized services
that have been built to leverage user-centric information.
Companies benefit with fast and seamless access to
virtualized, aggregated identity that improves company
productivity and enables easier and more efficient
collaboration across the enterprise and throughout
the digital content and services ecosystem.
The broad spectrum of information that people have
associated with them may be fairly static—as in the
subscriber’s home address and marital status—or
dynamic—such as their current location and availability.
Information may even be created outside of the MNO’s
domain, such as data from online banking or medical
data, Snapfish, Myspace, Google, and Yahoo.
Together, these “virtual personas,” made up of an
individual’s physical location, online interactions,
subscriber information, can be used to build a virtual
identity or profile. In the ever-changing world of user
content and user-centric applications, the creation,
management, and use of these digital personas is
critical to a successful user experience and to MNOs
who want to serve these complex needs.
While competitive advantage can be gained through
the fulfillment of such needs, because better business
outcomes can only be achieved by keeping customers
loyal, virtual identity works to improve the total customer
experience by eliminating the need for people to track
multiple personas and aliases and to continually
re-enter personal profile information as they work,
shop, and play online.
To illustrate how an MNO might leverage the use of
digital identity, let’s set a backdrop: social networking.
One phenomenon that has emerged in recent years
has been the rise of social networking sites to publish
and exchange data about oneself and one’s
experiences. Information created in these contexts is
potentially useful for “mash-ups” with other applications
or elements of an online experience. But value for the
mainstream mobile user has been limited and has been
made more complex by the self-proliferation of personal
data, a point that can be readily illustrated:
13
 • A subscriber may have six to ten contact lists: a mobile • Secure authorization: Users can receive an
phone, a home-based IP phone, home and work
e-mail, multiple photo sites, multiple social network
sites, and even contact lists specific to a given
application such as Push-to-Talk. Family contact lists,
which are often useful across a family group,
cannot be jointly created or maintained.
• A subscriber may use multiple sites to publish the
same or similar data: several photo sites, Myspace,
Twitter, and YouTube entries as well as personal URLs.
Seamless linkages of these social sites with one another,
or with more traditional MNO devices, environments, • XML request/response: The virtual profile of the user is
and mobile communications services, have been elusive.
For example, it is estimated that upwards of 90 percent
of photos taken with a mobile phone never leave the
phone, and only 30 percent of mobile subscribers
ever download an application. To mainstream the
application, natural inertias like these must be overcome.
To address these needs, the HP Unified Profile solution
leverages the HP VIP Broker. The HP VIP Broker provides
single-point, single-protocol, single-transaction access to
user-centric data from multiple independent data stores
within or across service provider networks, enterprises,
and silo services. HP VIP Broker provides a user-
centric data service to support services development,
enabling third-party applications to consume
subscriber data from a single interface. The use cases
below illustrate how ready availability of profile data
through HP VIP Broker adds value to both the MNO
and the subscriber.
Increase productivity, loyalty, and
revenue use cases.
MNOs want to achieve greater customer satisfaction
and loyalty while simultaneously looking for
opportunities to increase revenue-sharing opportunities.
The value proposition of this first use case is as follows:
any photo taken by a new mobile subscriber is
automatically available to that subscriber on the HP
Snapfish photo-sharing and printing site “out of the
box,” without any intervention or “technical” measures • Publication/subscription: An application can subscribe,
taken on the part of the subscriber to achieve this. This
easy photo upload and sharing capability enables
subscribers to have instant communication with their
business or social networks—and the resulting instant
gratification or improved productivity. Simple Web 2.0
applications, working in XML via the HP VIP Broker
interface, can leverage the following HP VIP Broker-
based services to provide further richness within
this context:
14
automatically generated SMS to authorize the creation
of a Snapfish account, securely authenticated by their
mobile password, and then created and provisioned
using XML-based subscriber profile data available
via HP VIP Broker.
• Publication triggers within HP VIP Broker pluggable
control logic: An application can register, and be
notified, when new subscribers have been created
and the subscriber has authenticated and authorized
the service via SMS.
then available to a provisioning application in an XML
document from HP VIP Broker. HP VIP Broker presents
to the application on request an aggregation of all
necessary information from any number of systems
within the MNO’s domain regardless of protocol and
access key. This data is presented in a web-friendly
XML document (LDAP is also available), thereby
enabling the provisioning of the Snapfish account.
• Secure publication and release: The fine-grained
access controls of HP VIP Broker will secure the release
of photos to only those specified individuals, or self-
defined groups, that the user allows. A simple user
portal enables the subscriber to define group names,
group membership, and individual and group
permissions under the control of HP VIP Broker.
Alternatively, subscribers could use the portal interface
of the Snapfish site to define these permissions on
their newly created account.
• Dynamic virtual view: HP VIP Broker leverages
capabilities of XML to support dynamic configuration
of a virtual profile, enabling data from external
websites (in this case, photos or photo links from
Snapfish) to become part of the subscriber’s
virtual profile “tree” for the consumption of other
applications, if they are authorized access. One can
readily see how information within a virtual profile
could be “propagated” to other applications readily
because of its availability within the virtual aggregated
profile itself.
and be notified, when new photo content has been
made available in the profile, enabling consumption,
propagation, publication, replication, and more. With
regard to propagation and replication, some social
network brokers are already selling services to a tech-
savvy subscriber base to publish the same information
to multiple social sites. HP believes MNOs are well
positioned to cannibalize such a market acting as a
profile broker, given their unique relationship with
mobile subscribers.
This second use case focuses on several key abilities
of HP VIP Broker to improve productivity and increase
subscriber satisfaction by solving and creating more
value from what is currently a difficult problem for all
well-connected users: redundant and disjointed
contact lists.
Each platform or environment a subscriber uses may
contain different information about that user, which may
contribute to his or her virtual persona. Some elements
may have overlapping purposes or information, such
as buddy or group lists. Each data source has its own
operational need for the data it houses, and must retain
unfettered and undisturbed access to that data in
whatever form it currently exists. While this data is
potentially useful to other applications, without a
brokered solution, the MNO has no way to maintain
or link that data on the user’s behalf, especially if that
data exists outside the MNO domain.
The ability of HP VIP Broker to dynamically aggregate,
into a single virtual profile, information from many
data sources without disturbing the use of that data
within its current silo, enables HP VIP Broker to create
an aggregate of contact lists from any number of
sources. For example, a typical user will have at least
a mobile contact list, work and home e-mail contact
lists, and may also have routine interest in or use for
the contact lists of their family unit. Other specialized
applications—such as a home-based IP phone, Push-to-
Talk phone, or any number of social networking and
photo-sharing sites to which the subscriber may
belong—may have their own specialized contact
lists, including the use of “groups” to aggregate and
manage these contacts.
Using native interfaces—such as XCAP (to an XDMS),
MAPI (to Exchange), or specialized JARS interfaces—the
HP VIP Broker can aggregate (virtually and dynamically)
any number of contact lists into a single virtual profile
of a subscriber. Moreover, the use of “associations”
within the HP VIP Broker could be used to enable
family members to share such contact lists “across the
boundary” of an individual’s identity and into the family
unit. Many applications of this approach can be
envisioned, from automatically synchronizing contacts
across applications and users, to making home repair
service contacts widely available, to parents monitoring
the contacts of children.
Through the use of Identity Aliasing within HP VIP
Broker, multiple subscriber identities can be provisioned,
tracked, and used to access data from multiple data
silos, including those identities outside the direct control
of the MNO, e.g., identities created by the user on
social networking sites.
The ability of the HP VIP Broker to leverage a broad
spectrum of specialized protocols on the “back end,”
while presenting XML or LDAP on the front end to an
application, gives the HP VIP Broker an important ability
to virtually aggregate and present this data, using it
“in place” without affecting or disturbing its ongoing use
within the data silo. Since HP VIP Broker can use the
native identities created for that silo to access the
data, no requirement exists to physically aggregate or
consolidate this data into a central location before
the MNO can leverage its use to create a richer user
experience. Given this capability, seamless linkages
between traditional MNO strengths—such as location,
availability, mobile contacts, SMS, MMS—and social
networking sites can be readily envisioned and
realized to provide richer user experiences and
higher customer satisfaction.
Conclusion
Mobile network operators currently are not exploiting
the full value of their most valuable asset—the
information they hold about their subscribers. While
mobile network operators may be sitting on a gold mine
of subscriber data, they do not have the tools they need
to exploit it. With subscriber data massively dispersed
in hundreds of different silos, mobile network operators
need to make the right technological investments and
process improvements to release subscriber data and
make it available to the right areas of their business.
Through a unified view of subscribers and services,
mobile network operators can leverage subscriber
data into an important competitive advantage. Mobile
network operators have a window of opportunity
now to put in place a strategy and architecture for
the management of their subscriber data and use
this information to capitalize on current market
developments. The HP Unified Profile solution from HP
Communications & Media Solutions can support MNOs
with a full range of software, integration, and consulting
services to help MNOs achieve maximum value from
their subscriber data management opportunities.
15
 This is an HP Indigo print.

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