It is crucial for mobile operators to offer innovative services that enable subscribers with depleted prepaid limits stay connected at all times. Solutions that allow subscribers to initiate a call and alert the called party of their desire to get connected even when they do not have any credits address this problem and generate additional revenue streams for the operators.

1.       Product Overview

Zero-Call is a service deployed by Viettel Telecom Corporation that enables subscribers with insufficient prepaid credits to initiate calls that are terminated with a missed call that appears of the called party’s handset call history in a controlled environment.

Placing a call and hanging up before the called party answers thus leaving a missed call is a common prepaid subscriber behavior. This is widely used among the low budget, youth and enterprise segments. And over 35% of the called parties tend to call back upon receiving such missed calls. However, prepaid subscribers with low or zero balance are not allowed to place a call and have no means of alerting their friends and family to call them back. Zero-Call service overcomes this problem. When the calling party does not have enough credits to complete the call, Zero-Call informs the caller and places a missed call to the called party. The solution allows the caller to place as many missed calls as desired increasing the rate of returned calls.

The Zero-Call does not require any subscription or service fee and can be seamlessly accessed from any mobile handset without any need for a prefix or a short code. The solution is triggered by calls made to both on-net and off-net subscribers independent of whether they are prepaid/ postpaid, outbound/ inbound roamer, or corporate/ individual subscribers. This is currently being implemented in Cambodia and Vietnam

Over 35% of the called parties tend to call back upon receiving missed calls alert (Image: Internet)

2.       Key Benefits

The Zero-Call service help operator increases call completion rates and voice revenue, self-marketing features boost service penetration, enhances subscriber experience and reduces churn.  Because deployed as a platform the solution enables third party services to terminate with a missed call, enhances subscriber experience and reduces churn. Zero-call service is a cost-effective solution with lower CAPEX (Capital Expenditures), integration with Collect Call/ Micro Credit solutions, reliable field proven solution backed with world-class managed services and ability to integrate with mobile marketing solutions to offer adverts

3.       Key Features

The Zero-Call service deployed base on operator’s infrastructure, so that it is transparent with subscribers. Its direct dialing for service access without prefix or short code, support for any type of called party: on-net/off-net, prepaid/postpaid, outbound/inbound roamer, corporate/individual subscriber, prevents overlapping with other call completion services and other features as:

- Support for and limitations on number of call attempts per MSISDN (Mobile Station International Subscriber Directory Number)

- Support for closed user groups

- Daily/weekly/monthly call reporting – number of calls; off-net/on-net calls

- Daily/weekly/monthly subscriber reporting – unique number calling/called party

- Call success reporting

- Intuitive and user friendly administration and customer care modules

- Advertisement insertion support

- Redundant and scalable architecture with high availability

- Fast integration with existing operator infrastructure

- Easy to customize for operator specific requirements

4.       Key Subscriber Benefits

- Continuous communication experience even when out of credit

- Easy-to-use service without any need for predefined short codes or prefixes

- Ability to leave multiple missed calls increases rate of returned calls for emergencies.