Cisco Content Services Gateway (CSG) Hardware gateways/controller

Content Services Gateway (CSG) Hardware The Cisco® Content Services Gateway (CSG) is the ideal solution for service providers seeking to apply advanced processing of IP flows through dynamic application-layer content examination, subscriber service access control, subscriber account balance enforcement, and content filtering. The Cisco CSG is a specialized line card designed for the Cisco Catalyst® 6500 Series Switch and Cisco 7600 Series Router. It provides the capability for billing, content filtering, service control, traffic analysis, and data mining in a highly scalable, fault-tolerant package

The Cisco CSG Release 7 introduces capabilities integral to mobile operators' commercial deployment of on-demand services. With voice services in many worldwide wireless markets reaching saturation levels, mobile operators are turning to new applications and services to generate new revenue streams by delivering on the demands of an increasingly data-oriented world. Data services offer mobile operators the ability to differentiate their services in ways that voice services cannot.
Mobile subscriber growth has resulted in large part from the prepaid segment, as high as 80 percent in many markets. "Pay-as-you-go" models, in which the subscriber prepays for the service and recharges the account as demand arises, are especially attractive at a time when mobile data services are still being developed. Content and value-added mobile services are seen as important sources of differentiation and are essential to creating brand value and loyalty. Price has traditionally been the main factor in attracting and retaining prepaid subscribers, but the use of innovative mobile services and billing models targeted at the prepaid market segment can both increase average revenue per user (ARPU) and build consumer loyalty. The coupling of the prepaid subscriber base with mobile data and content services is becoming an essential go-to-market focus for mobile operators.
The Cisco CSG gives service providers the flexibility to create a differentiated billing model through the creation of services-the grouping of URLs, HTTP and Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) header attributes, server IP addresses, and server port numbers-that are individually accounted for on either a postpaid or prepaid basis per subscriber. The Cisco CSG authorizes subscriber service-access attempts with the billing system, reports the detailed service usage, and meters the balance allocation per service for the billing system in the case of prepaid billed services. When a prepaid subscriber's balance is depleted, the Cisco CSG operates in conjunction with the operator's billing system to redirect the subscriber to a replenishment website for a balance recharge. The original service can then be re-accessed, resulting in additional traffic, additional revenues, and an enhanced user experience.
The Cisco CSG enables whitelist and blacklist control for URL traffic, giving providers the ability to dynamically filter content for the protection of "vulnerable" users, offering age-restricted content to user segments and access control for corporations, providing protection from corporate liabilities related to inappropriate usage and content.
As part of the Cisco Mobile Exchange framework, the Cisco CSG brings value to all network access types. Cisco Mobile Exchange is a standards-based framework that links the radio access network (RAN) to IP networks and their value-added services. It comprises numerous components, including packet gateways, mobile services, load balancing, public wireless LAN, security, and network management services delivered on a range of Cisco platforms and application modules. Together, these components successfully address the many challenges that face mobile network operators as they seek profitability from their second-generation (2G), 2.5G, 3G, or next-generation mobile packet infrastructures and their 802.11 public WLAN hotspots. However, the Cisco CSG (Figure 1) works in both wired and wireless IP environments and can support content-billing requirements for operators running multiple access technologies simultaneously.