Real-time automatic message accounting data transport

In today’s operation, all usage records for billing, regardless of their source, and service type are put into a file/stream and delivered to the downstream revenue accounting office for processing. The revenue accounting office operates in a batch mode, then scans through the records and separates those which are required for special processing by other applications, like fraud management and customer access to network usage data. However, there is a significant delay between the time the usage records are generated to the time they are available to the other systems. This paper proposes solutions to support real-time transfer of automatic message accounting (AMA) records and files. First, the existing automatic message accounting teleprocessing system (AMATPS) architecture is analyzed to study its limitations. Next, transport mechanisms are identified and analyzed. Finally, an alternative to the existing AMATPS architecture is discussed.