Industry Leader in Telecom Data Analytics and Revenue Assurance

In the modern hyper-connected world, telecom networks are the backbone of the digital age, keeping us connected in our personal lives and running essential businesses and services. But disruptions like fraud, outages, or dropped calls can cause some serious headaches to both the service provider and their customers.

Traditionally, anomalies within telecom networks were only uncovered at the end of each billing cycle, if detected at all, requiring analysts to comb through seas of data. But now thanks to Machine Learning (ML), we can process and analyze huge stacks of data records to spot trends, detect suspicious outliers, and create connections that humans may have overlooked.

In this blog post, we'll explore how our Event Storage & Analytics Platform (ESAP) puts statistical analysis and machine learning to work for telecom companies, unlocking valuable insights that were previously hidden within their data.

The fourth quarter's contribution factor has been announced by the FCC to be the highest ever at 34.5 percent. How exactly does that affect your Universal Service Fund (USF) fees for this quarter? This post will dive into case examples to demonstrate the potential cost savings achievable through traffic studies.

Last week, the FCC announced the proposed Universal Service Fund Contribution Factor for the fourth quarter of 2023. At a staggering 0.345, or 34.5 percent, this figure marks an unprecedented high in the history of this vital telecommunications fund.

The Universal Service Fund (USF) has become a topic of concern in the telecommunications industry, and rightly so. This crucial fund plays a pivotal role in ensuring that telecommunications services are accessible and affordable for all Americans. To comprehend why this factor has been on the rise, let's delve into the various programs it supports and why it's in dire need of reform. 

Predicting customer churn holds a key role in helping telecom companies effectively retain customers. The expense associated with acquiring new customers far outweighs the cost of retaining existing ones. That's why voice providers are diving into AI to identify customers who might be considering switching to another service and take proactive measures.

Amid ongoing shifts in the telecom industry, better-priced deals and packages are driving more people to switch carriers, leaving providers at times feeling powerless as they witness waves of customer departures.

As the disbursement of Broadband Expansion and Deployment (BEAD) funds to states is underway, eligible entities, including Internet Service Providers (ISPs), counties, and other organizations, are actively formulating plans to secure and allocate these resources to promote digital equity.

You can download our new whitepaper at the bottom of this blog post. 

July 11, 2023 – FRANKLIN, TN –Advanced Technologies & Services unveiled an innovative new platform called the Event Storage & Analytics Platform (ESAP)® today. ESAP has been designed as a robust data warehouse and advanced analytics solution tailored to meet the demands of service providers handling a large amount of Call Detail Records (CDRs).

Through the application of state-of-the-art analytics techniques, ESAP® effectively uncovers patterns, trends, and correlations that often-times lie dormant within service providers' data repositories. By delving deep into the wealth of CDRs, telecommunication companies can acquire a better understanding of their customers, operations, and the dynamics of the market. This valuable knowledge empowers them to make informed decisions, adapt to changing circumstances, and effectively navigate the ever-evolving landscape of the industry.

Community Anchor Institutions (CAIs) have been inaccurately reflected in many broadband service maps, which can create barriers for counties and ISPs to receive the correct funding for these institutions.

This was a significant problem with the initial FCC Fabric map, with many anchor institutions appearing as grey due to the FCC determining that most schools, libraries, and medical care facilities, are more likely to subscribe to customized, enterprise-grade internet service (as opposed to mass-market internet service), and therefore are not Broadband Serviceable Locations (BSL).

The recently proposed NTIA State Challenge Model aims to address data inaccuracies of CAIs, with the introduction of a challenge allowing any CAI labeled as receiving 1 Gigabit service and as 'served' to contest this designation if their actual speeds are slower, which would classify them as 'unserved' and eligible for funding. 

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has recently proposed a guideline for State Map Challenges, providing State Broadband leaders the option to follow the proposed guidelines or develop their own challenge process. It is anticipated that several states will adopt these guidelines, with states such as Louisiana already announcing their decision to adopt the guidelines once officially released.

The purpose of the state challenge process is to allow for challenges from "a unit of local government, nonprofit organization, or broadband service provider" against the state's initial determination of eligibility for BEAD funding, including identifying unserved or underserved locations along with inaccurate Community Anchor Institution (CAI) data.

States are developing strategies to allocate the funding they receive from the BEAD program, which has a total budget of $42.5 billion to cover some of the costs of deploying broadband in unserved rural areas. However, this is complicated by concerns about the accuracy of the FCC National Broadband Map. Although the federal map will serve as the basis for allocating funds to each state from the BEAD program, states have the liberty to decide whether they wish to use the federal map for dispensing funds to relevant recipients or use other methods that utilize internal data. 

In the current market where Universal Service Fund fees have reached historical highs, providers are looking for ways to use their data to have an impact on cutting down their customer’s costs.