Challenges:

• Identify heavy broadband users
  
• Provide more flexible pricing strategies
  
• Minimize impact on network performance

Solutions:

• The IPC billing & analytics suite
  
• The IPC SAMIS interface

Real-Time, Detailed Usage Tracking
Cable MSOs have long struggled to effectively monitor high-speed broadband usage, to identify heavy users that can impact overall service quality. Past attempts at solving this problem have often resulted in severe performance impacts to the network, or an inability to capture and analyze all the traffic because of the sheer volume of data. As networks carry more data-intensive applications such as video, broadband network operators must have an effective tool to identify abuse as well as charge fair usage fees. Today’s simple tiered pricing structures mask the problem and put the financial burden on the operator.

Primal offers Cable MSOs with cable access networks based on Cisco CMTS routers a real-time capability to capture, track, monetize, and manage broadband usage. Our solution employs the detailed per-subscriber account and billing information present in the SAMIS-formatted Management Information Bases (MIBS), which are embedded in Cisco uBR7246VXR and Cisco uBR10012 universal broadband routers. The SAMIS format is specified within the Data-over-Cable Service Interface Specifications (DOCSIS) Operations Support System Interface (OSSI) specification and is supported for cable modems compliant with DOCSIS 1.0, 1.1, and 2.0.

Our solutions can be deployed to provide the rich analytical insight needed to manage broadband usage patterns, and/or to provide flexible billing of usage.