GSM subscribers frequently demand the same service capabilities when registered at their home network or while travelling. Unfortunately, prepaid subscribers very often need to follow complicated methods to make a call or even simply cannot use their account when roaming internationally. As a result, prepaid subscribers end-up buying country-local Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards or simply stop using their mobile while travelling abroad, with a valuable revenue loss for the home network.

Deployment of CAMEL infrastructure to support CAMEL-capable subscribers seems to be the natural path to offer a seamless prepaid roaming experience. However, to provide CAMEL roaming services, CAMEL must be supported both at home and specially at the visited networks where both the MSCs and VLRs must be upgraded. Unfortunately, as the investment and effort to enable CAMEL can be very high, this technology is still only deployed in a reduced number of networks.

AerVox CAMEL-Hub is a carrier-grade solution enabling MNOs or Roaming Hub service providers to offer wireless services to CAMEL prepaid and post-pay subscribers even when they attempt to roam into a visited network having a non-compatible CAMEL or even non-CAMEL network.

Key Benefits

Operators commercial benefits

Increases home operators’ revenue allowing outbound prepaid subscriber to roam into more potential VPMNs without buying local SIMs, etc.
Increases serving operators’ revenue by accepting prepaid inbound roamers from CAMEL-enabled roaming partners.
Ensures revenue protection by preventing bad debt through real-time credit control and fraud prevention.
No additional CAPEX/OPEX investment for customer operator.
Reduces cost by minimizing inter-operator integration test – tests are only needed with the CAMEL-Hub.

End-user benefits

Enhances user experience by offering an easy way to do prepaid roaming.
Expands the number of countries and VPMNs where the prepaid cards can be used.
Eliminates the need to buy and manage multiple SIM cards.

The CAMEL-Hub offers a low-cost solution implementing CAMEL capabilities to provide roaming subscribers’ with an easy way to do prepaid and to access any other value-added service while travelling abroad, regardless of the CAMEL support provided by the roaming partners’ network. 

Main Features

CAMEL ph.1 and ph.2 support.

Optional extension support for services CAMEL Ph.3 - CAMEL-SMS and CAMEL-GPRS.

Different models support – different serving operators:

Installed in the VPMNs.
Installed in a Hub service provider.

Different Scenarios support:

Interworking between non-CAMEL VPMNs and CAMEL HPMNs.
Interworking between VPMNs and HPMNs with non-compatible CAMEL versions.

Traffic screening functionality by means of black and white lists - based on the Home and Visited operators’ CAMEL agreements.