Feature Description
For a voice or text (short message) calls originated by prepaid subscribers, the serving MSC formulates an INAP IDP message, destined for a prepaid engine, to check subscriber credit status.
The IDP Screening for Prepaid feature provides a mechanism to intercept the IDP message and decide whether checking the credit status of prepaid subscribers is required before routing the calls to the prepaid engine.
In-network voice and text (short message) calls from prepaid subscribers, with specified "unlimited" call and texting plans, are not subjected to credit checks (routing to a prepaid engine) and are delivered by the MSC to the intended destination.
Voice Calls - Unlimited Call and Text
The vSTP intercepts IDP messages and determines whether checking credit status is required prior to routing the calls to the prepaid engine.
Voice calls originated by prepaid subscribers with specified "unlimited" call and text plans are identified by a predefined Service Key value that differs from the one used for other originating voice calls (either originated by prepaid subscriber with specified "unlimited" text plans, or prepaid subscribers not subscribing to "unlimited" plans). The value assigned to the Service Key is set by the originating MSC when the call hits an Intelligent Network (IN) trigger.
For voice calls originated by prepaid subscribers with a specified "unlimited" call and text plan, the vSTP examines whether the calls are in-network. In-network calls are calls from a subscriber to another subscriber, and are described by a list of prefixes. For in-network voice calls, the vSTP returns an INAP Continue message to instruct the MSC to continue the calls (bypass the prepaid status check). For any other type of calls, the vSTP relays the IDP message to the prepaid engine using Global Title Translation (GTT).
For voice calls that do not originate from prepaid subscribers with a specified "unlimited" call and text plan, the vSTP relays the IDP message to its intended destination.
Text Calls - Unlimited Call and Text
Text Calls - Unlimited and Text
Text calls (short messages) originated by prepaid subscribers with a specified "unlimited" call and text plan use the same Service Key as voice calls.
For text calls that do not originated from a “24/7 Call and Text Unlimited” or a “24/7 Text Unlimited” prepaid subscriber, the vSTP relays the IDP message to its intended destination.
Text calls originated by prepaid subscribers with a specified "unlimited" text plan will be identified by a predefined Service Key value that differs from the one used for calls originated by prepaid subscribers with a specified "unlimited" call and text plan or prepaid subscribers not subscribed to the specified " unlimited" calling plans.
When text calls originate from prepaid subscribers with a specified "unlimited" text or "unlimited" call and text plan, the vSTP examines whether the call is an in-network call. If it is an in-network text call, the vSTP returns an INAP Continue message to instruct the MSC to continue the call.
For any other types of calls, the vSTP relays the IDP message to the prepaid engine.