Cellusys is a global vendor of mobile networks solutions for signaling security, A2P monetization, roaming, IP analytics, and IoT, with over 800 million subscribers. The company has been voted a Tier 1 vendor in the ROCCO Signalling Firewall Vendors Benchmarking Report for four consecutive years by mobile network operators (MNOs).
The report includes key performance indicators (KPIs) for performance and leadership as well as other metrics, such as value for money and technical expertise. Cellusys ranked first in 35 out of 36 categories and scored 5/5 in 27 of these, including reliability, SS7 attack types, and hubbing solutions.
Cellusys was rated at 100 in the Net Promoter Score (NPS), which indicates strong customer advocacy, whereas the other Tier 1 vendors received only neutral or negative scores. In order to further verify customer satisfaction, operators were asked if they would change vendors, to which 100% of respondents answered they would not because they are satisfied with Cellusys.
Protect is a signalling security solution that Cellusys offers in cross-protocol mode, or as individual protocols based on the particular needs of a network. The Unified Signalling Firewall is designed to protect networks against location tracking, interception, denial of service (DoS), and fraud. It is compatible with all networks, including 2G, 3G, and 4G/LTE. The Protect product range includes:
- SS7 Firewall
- Diameter Firewall
- SIP Firewall
- GTP Firewall
- SMS Firewall
- SMS Home Router
- SMS Analysis
All of the listed modules intercept both national and international messages, use REST API integration, and support virtual deployment as well as installation on Cellusys’s customized servers.
The Unified Signalling Firewall meets the following GSMA requirements:
- FS.11 SS7 Interconnect Security Guidelines
- FS.19 Diameter Interconnect Security
- FS.20 GTP Security
Anti-Fraud is a suite of solutions created to ward off voice fraud, smishing and other SMS fraud, data fraud, and more. It also provides real-time traffic access solutions for integration with fraud management systems. The Anti-Fraud suite is comprised of:
- Call Control
- Fraud Insight
- TelePort
Cellusys Call Control is a solution that provides a single point in the network to detect and prevent voice fraud, such as Internal Revenue Sharing Fraud (ISRF) and SIM boxes, and provides centralized call visibility for business intelligence based on real-time control of call setup and management.
Fraud Insight is a solution for crowd-sourced SIM box apps, mobile malware, Trojan attacks, and DNS tunneling fraud based on GTP-U analytics and the Cellusys GTP firewall.
Fraud Insight uses analytics with deep pocket inspection (DPI) capabilities to monitor mobile data sessions and identify fraudulent IP ranges and domains that are then blocked with the Cellusys GTP Firewall, protecting subscribers from malicious domains, apps, and other malware, and also protecting networks from revenue leakage.
Targeted subscribers are directed to malicious URLs and targeted with mobile malware and Trojan attacks. Using signature and packet type analysis, Trojans are detected in real time.
DNS fraud is frequently used by free roaming data apps and can significantly interrupt service. It is rarely detected by most networks and causes large amounts of data revenue loss for mobile operators each year. Fraud Insight exposes this type of fraud through DPI inspection and bandwidth utilization monitoring, without reliance on DNS server blacklists.
TelePort offers deep packet inspection of subscriber data usage and real-time, cell-level mapping. It is a passive port allowing anti-fraud vendors a feed of real-time voice, SMS, and data traffic, or the ability to send reports to specialized fraud teams. It enables the discovery of fraudulent patterns, and customization of reporting through the GUIs (graphical user interfaces) or APIs (application programming interfaces) designed to be operable by nonspecialists.
Cellusys offers a roaming solution for mobile operators and groups of operators that includes Steering of Roaming, SMS outreach, and Anti-Steering Detection.
The aim of this solution is to combine a rules engine with reporting and analytics capabilities to allow operators to reach more targets on the basis of traffic without compromising the quality of service.
SMS outreach is a tool to provide inbound and outbound roamers with a variety of information that can engage silent roamers, prevent fear of bill shock, improve loyalty, and increase roaming revenues. SMS Outreach capabilities provide networks or governments with the power to convey warnings, updates, new regulations, contact information, or instructions to targeted populations. This could be used to deliver crucial information in localized places such as airports, borders, or congested areas.
Cellusys Anti-Steering Detection detects anti-steering events down to the signaling message level and counteracts them by allowing precision steering of outbound roamers to preferred networks.
Insight provides near-real time analytics and long-term reporting over the full data user and control planes in any network. Insight offers the following functionalities:
- Subscriber complaints troubleshooting and diagnosis
- Real-time KPIs monitoring
- Long-term reporting insights
- Monitoring, grouping, and filtering via geolocation and street-level mapping features
- App and service usage data
- Centralization of analytics across multiple operators in group with multi-tenancy
- Virtual deployment without the need for additional hardware installation
- Passive integration – no interference with network traffic or resources
Broadband analytics can be configured for specific use cases, such as IoT networks, or to function as a passive probe that gathers and sends data to other systems. Insight configurations are divided into Performance Monitoring and Outbound Roamers.
Performance Monitoring is a subset of Insight's functions that provides valuable near-real time analytics over the full control plane in any network.
Outbound Roamers Optimization is a subset of Insight's functions that provides valuable near-real time analytics of outbound roaming traffic and the partner networks they are connected to.
Cellusys IoT is a suite of software products for MVNOs (mobile virtual network operators) and enterprises.
The IoT Protection interface can be integrated with existing interfaces. Dashboards, alarms, and reports can be customized to show misconfigured or faulty devices, near-real time locations, and blocked threats targeting specific devices.
IoT Analytics is a subset of the Insight Analytics suite adapted for IoT networks or MNOs requiring IoT-specific solutions. It is a service payload analyzer that allows operators to visualize, analyze, and understand IoT traffic, from IoT devices native to the network to visiting devices. Real-time insights into IoT signaling and data patterns enables operators to do the following:
- Monitor quality
- Analyze traffic
- Locate and troubleshoot data delivery faults
- Identify malicious devices
- Verify data volumes for billing
- Gain insight into IoT device signaling costs
Roaming Control is a Steering of Roaming solution for IoT networks. It combines a rules engine with advanced reporting and analytics capabilities, enabling operators to control the cost of outbound IoT devices and steer devices to the optimum network. Roaming Control supports roamers on SS7 and LTE/EPC Diameter networks. Rules are developed independently of the underlying protocol, thus reducing the complex changes required to support roaming devices on different technologies. Guaranteed optimal Update Location (UL) and the identification of fake update locations ensures that subscribers are routed to the optimum network with precision.
Telenor has partnered with Cellusys to to centralize its roaming operations and provide a steering of roaming solution offering group control and flexibility for its affiliates.
Cellusys has partnered with Jersey Telecom to enable its enterprise customers to manage cellular connectivity security of IoT and machine-to-machine (M2M) SIMs via an IoT security dashboard.
Sonus and Cellusys provide mobile and fixed network operators with a multi-layer Signaling System 7 (SS7) security solution that protects the SS7 network. By combining Sonus's Signaling Transfer Points (STP) and Cellusys's Signaling Firewall, operators can provide network protection for subscribers from illegal tracking, call interception, fraud and DoS attacks.
GMS, an international messaging service provider engaged in A2P, P2P, and P2A messaging and monetization, has partnered with Cellusys to offer the highest degree of A2P revenue assurance through SMS security and control.
While other providers generally offer security over IP protocols, ZARIOT and Cellusys also provide security over the vulnerable SS7, Diameter, and GTP signaling protocols. Encryption and other security solutions operate around the IP layer, and as a result devices, such as smart cars, wearables, medical devices, and remote sensors that use SIM cards or embedded SIMs and rely on signaling protocols to transfer data, are left vulnerable to DoS, interception, location tracking, and other attacks over mobile network infrastructure. Cellusys founded ZARIOT to bring signaling security solutions directly to enterprises.
In 2016, Cellysus partnered with Beepsend to deliver services to mobile operators for monetization of Application-2-Person (A2P) SMS messaging. Mobile operators voted Beepsend a Tier-1 Provider of A2P SMS messaging in the 2016 A2P SMS Messaging Vendor Performance report. This collaboration addresses the increasing demand operators have for network security and A2P SMS revenues.
Despite efforts to make IoT devices secure, they remain vulnerable to signaling threats in the form of exploits (such as location tracking, denial of service, and communication interception) within the unsecured mobile networks they are connected to. Cellusys distinguishes itself in the mobile security market by providing solutions for network protocols such as the SS7 signaling system and Diameter in relation to IoT.
