Paris, 23 April 2012
launches @first, the first comprehensive anti-fraud offer to protect operators’
revenues
Orange has launched the first fully-integrated wholesale offer that provides large protection for telecoms operators against fraudulent interconnect and revenue leakage. As a global network operator with broadranging expertise in telecommunication security, Orange is ideally positioned to bring such a service to the market. The @first offer, which stands for Anti Fraud Interconnect Roaming & Security of Transactions, is designed to provide operators with protection against fraudulent interaction with networks for on-net and off-net
calls as well as providing additional services such as revenue assurance and security of transactions.
The telecom industry has become a prime target of criminal organisations due to the complexity of network infrastructure, and in particular the way in which different networks interact with each other. Indeed the widerange of interconnection equipment between different operators’ networks and the lack of visibility over the exact route that calls take has made it possible for criminals to exploit weaknesses in the system. A particularly well-known example is SIM-box fraud in which international calls are filtered through national SIM cards, allowing companies to illegally bypass the call termination charges. This has now become a global issue that costs the industry billions of dollars every year as increasingly sophisticated techniques are used.
But in addition to threatening operator’s revenue streams, fraud is also causing considerable damage to operators’ reputations by degrading quality of service. This is a particular challenge in a context where the quality of service is a crucial factor in increasing customers’ loyalty regarding traditional services as well as new ones, including payment services.
“Orange believes in the importance of fighting fraud in a cooperative and coordinated manner. Due to the highly interdependent nature of operators in the wholesale market, they must work closely to end this growing phenomenon. Operators need to take collective action to develop both technical and legal means to protect their interconnect revenue” said Alexandre Pébereau, Executive Vice President for International Carriers at Orange.
Orange’s @first offer extends and reinforces the protection of operators’ revenue
Orange has leveraged its experience in both its wholesale and retail activities, along with the expertise of its “Orange Labs” R&D centre, to offer the @first suite, a comprehensive set of technical and professional services to recover traffic and increase revenue streams. The flexibility of this solution allows operators to build the customized protection they need, based on four modules offering various combinations for an optimal level of protection:
- Bypass detection – against fraudulent interconnect
- Quality of service – traffic analysis and interconnect monitoring
- Revenue assurance – securing revenue from leakage and monitoring billing errors
- Security of transactions – controling mobile airtime’s integrity and money transfers
This innovative anti-fraud offer provides a wider scope of protection compared to current market solutions,including the reduction of revenue leakage and the increased integrity of transactions.
@first is a non-intrusive solution for information systems and network equipment. It allows end-to-end monitoring of rating or billing errors through smart and powerful reconciliation tools. As a result, it can be combined with operators’ existing anti-fraud solutions. In addition, the @first offer also benefits from Orange’s extensive network of probes and its large international footprint, which enables the system to efficiently detect SIM-box fraud. Orange has also developed a range of professional services, including additional technical support, the evaluation of revenue streams at risk from fraud and estimations of the its potential financial impact as well as mitigation strategy.
In today’s context of increased competition in the international voice and data traffic market, the need for wholesale players to protect their revenue is even more crucial. With @first, Orange is well positioned to become the trusted partner of third-party operators in their fight against fraud.
About Orange
France Telecom-Orange is one of the world’s leading telecommunications operators with 172,000 employees worldwide, including 105,000 employees in France, and sales of 45.3 billion euros in 2011. Present in 35 countries, the Group had a customer base of 226 million
customers at 31 December 2011, including 147 million customers under the Orange brand, the Group’s single brand for internet, television and mobile services in the majority of countries where the company operates. At 31 December 2011, the Group had 167 million mobile customers and 14 million broadband internet (ADSL, fibre) customers worldwide. Orange is one of the main European operators for mobile and broadband internet services and, under the brand Orange Business Services, is one of the world leaders in providing
telecommunication services to multinational companies.
With its industrial project, “conquests 2015”, Orange is simultaneously addressing its employees, customers and shareholders, as well as the society in which the company operates, through a concrete set of action plans. These commitments are expressed through a new visionof human resources for employees; through the deployment of a network infrastructure upon which the Group will build its future growth; through the Group’s ambition to offer a superior customer experience thanks in particular to improved quality of service; and through the acceleration of international development
France Telecom (NYSE:FTE) is listed on Euronext Paris (compartment A) and on the New York Stock Exchange.
For more information (on the internet and on your mobile): www.orange.com, www.orange-business.com, www.orange-innovation.tv,or to follow us on Twitter: @presseorange.
