The number of user connections keeps soaring as people rely on reliable communication for almost everything. They use mobile networks to keep up with work demands, check on their loved ones, track their health, order food, book flights – everything!
And per the current projections, eSIM devices will have hit the 6-billion mark by 2025. That is remarkable, considering we were only at 1 billion devices in 2020! At the center of all this is the role of entitlement servers, the platforms that have eased these user connections. We look at what they entail and what impact they can have on your business:
What Are Entitlement Servers?
Entitlement servers give you access to various service entitlement capabilities, enabling the operator to determine which subscribers can use particular services. Take the example of VoLTE. You can use the entitlement server to determine which subscribers should access this service. So, as the term implies, entitlement is much like privilege accorded to the end users.
Why Do You Need Entitlement Servers?
Projections show that subscribers have at least two connected devices at a time. So, besides a smartphone, they also have wearables and IoT devices that are crucial to their lives. For example, most people have smartwatches to track their health and fitness. This increased connection has paved the way for entitlement servers which aid service operators in the following ways:
- They help you manage more connections as the number of mobile devices grows,
- They enable you to offer new services, such as simplified eSIM provisioning, thus boosting your revenue growth,
- They provide an accessible platform where you can manage all your services to boost service quality and manage high traffic efficiently, and
- They generate statistics that you can use to gauge service usage among subscribers.
Let us also note that these servers help you stay ahead of the game as they are scalable to the growing needs and services.
The Elitnet Entitlement Server
Elitnet’s Entitlement Server enables you to determine access to the following services by ensuring that only the devices which have been authenticated and authorized can access the services:
- VoLTE,
- 5G,
- VoWiFi,
- Hotspot,
- eSIM on wearables and other secondary devices.
- Other services.
This allows you to enable these services only for certain subscribers, for example only enterprise or consumer market subscribers, only subscribers using certain charging plans, only subscribers paying for the extra service, etc.
Additionally, the Entitlement Server handles the following:
- Primary device positioning of eSIMs allows subscribers to switch from a SIM-based primary device to an eSIM-based one and download an eSIM without visiting the operator’s sales point.
- Secondary device provisioning helps subscribers download eSIMs for use in secondary devices such as smartwatches.
- An eSIM transfer option that enables subscribers to transfer eSIMs between their devices.
- Two-Step Authentication allows subscribers to verify their identities by receiving codes on their phones before accessing services.
How Does it Work?
Authenticating subscriber access to services requires seamless integration of the Entitlement Server with your network. Whenever a device checks an entitlement status of a particular service, it is notified by the Entitlement Server whether access is permissible on the given device. The Entitlement Server is integrated with the following network components:
- AAA,
- BSS/Provisioning,
- SM-DP+,
- Monitoring platform.
These integrations pave the way for device and eSIM provisioning, authentication of access to services, and additional functionalities as deemed fit by your company.
Elitnet’s Entitlement Server, available at https://elitnet.eu/, provides a selection of use cases which allow the operator to better monetize services such as VoLTE and 5G as well as provide its subscribers with additional convenience of using eSIM devices.
