GP's new billing system gets the Oracle touch

The newly installed system provides enhanced security, smoother operation and maintenance capability of the system and user level access control

NA: Could you give a brief background about your company and the industry as a whole?

LR: GrameenPhone Ltd. started its service on March 26, 1997, the Independence Day of Bangladesh. GrameenPhone is an international joint venture among four companies from four countries in three continents: Telenor, the largest telephone operator of Norway, Grameen Telecom, a non-profit organisation and a sister concern of Grameen Bank, Marubeni Corporation, one of the largest trading companies of Japan, and Gonofone Development Corporation, a New York-based investment firm. GrameenPhone presently has more than one million subscribers.

Some 700 people are presently employed at GrameenPhone

which presently has coverage in 58 districts including all six divisional headquarters.

GrameenPhone also has an internationally acclaimed project known as the Village Phone Program. It is administered in cooperation with Grameen Telecom and Grameen Bank. It is a unique initiative to provide access to telecommunications services in remote rural areas where no such facilities existed before. Presently, there are nearly 40,000 Village Phones in operation in as many villages around the country.

NA: Before implementation of the new billing solution, what kind of hardware and software system infrastructure did you have?

LR: Previous billing system was running on Alpha server with OPEN VMS O/S. The application database was Ingres and subscribers call details were maintained in indexed flat files.

NA: When did you realise the need for a software/system upgrade? What were the limitations of the previous system?

LR: Certain constraints of the previous system pushed us to think for upgrading of the billing system:

- Scalability of the old system to cater for the growth of GP.
- Concurrent rating and on line access restriction during billing in the old system.
- Slow performance of call rating.
-Required more smooth operation and maintenance capability.
- Seeking for enhanced security of the system.
- Support service constraints for Ingres databases.
- Security and user level access control.
- Online access restriction to the subscribers call details due to flat file constraint.

NA: What were the macro and micro level goals that needed to be achieved with upgradation of the system?

LR: Efficient and concurrent operation, smooth maintenance, online data access and strong support were the micro-level requirements for the new system whereas robustness with increasing capability for quick and enhanced data analysis and managing frauds, increasing customer satisfaction, enhanced disaster management capability were the macro-level requirements that needed to be gained.

NA: What made you opt for an Oracle-based solution?

LR: Oracle-based solution was preferable for its reputation and robustness in huge data handling, efficiency and strong support service capability.

NA: Any specifications for the Oracle solution implemented in your organisation, such as modules, products etc.

LR: Oracle server version 8.1.7.3 for HP UX-11i is running on clustered solution of HP UNIX servers. The active modules are Oracle database server, Net8 client and enterprise module utilities.

NA: What was the role and responsibility of the solution provider (implementation partner)? How were they able to achieve/materialise your Macro/Micro Level goals?

LR: As solution provider is the same vendor for previous system, we have shared the short term and long term requirements for the system considering our needs. We along with the solution provider identified the required platforms, database and resources for the system.

NA: After the upgrade what areas do you find most benefited in the IT Department?

LR: Efficient access and availability for data, capability of prompt support to users, subscribers, smooth as well as secured and controlled operation, faster call rating, ease of maintenance have become the achieved advantages for day to day activities in IT.

NA: Has the Oracle-based solution helped in managerial decision making process? And how has it changed the overall way in which you carry out business on a day to day basis?

LR: For managerial decision making data availability, quick extraction capability and efficient analysing ability are the prime needs. These aspects have been improved significantly in some cases due to Oracle's strong and efficient DBMS supportability.

NA: Which features of the Oracle based solution have supported the scalability requirements of your business?

LR: Robustness and huge data supporting capability of Oracle to maintain / efficient processing for rapidly increasing subscriber's call details and base line information are the prime reasons for complying with the scalability requirement.

NA: Was compatibility an issue? Expansibility? Security? Cost?

LR: Expandability and security were issues and to support these factors, compatibility was a required feature as well.

NA: Since you have 24X7 operations how did you find the performance of Oracle based systems?

LR: For smooth and continuous fault free operation, Oracle is a very good solution for business critical applications.

NA: How successful have you been in achieving your macro and micro level goals with the implementation of this system?

LR: We have succeeded in most cases to reach the objectives and we are in the path to make it more fruitful in coming days step-by step.

NA: What was the time period for the system to go LIVE?

LR: The new system is in operation from December 2002.

NA: What are your future plans with regards to Oracle based software usage within your organisation?

LR: We are in the process of developing and adding more checkpoints and procedures for ensuring smooth performance of the system. Improving performance and efficiency of the system are also concerned issues that we are considering to improve further.