There are basically three prepaid service equipment configurations available—personal computer (PC) platforms, switch platforms, and service-node platforms.

PC Platforms

Figure 2 shows a typical PC–based platform configuration. PC platforms for prepaid services are based on a file server, a card processor, a workstation, telephone interface cards, and a local-area network (LAN). On most systems, T1s terminate at the card processors.

Figure 2. Typical PC–Based Configuration

Switch Platforms

Figure 3 represents a typical switch-based platform. A single switch will typically have interactive voice response (IVR) resources, together with a workstation necessary for administration purposes.

Figure 3. Typical Switch-Based Configuration

Service-Node Platforms

As shown in Figure 4, the service-node configuration is generally comprised of a set of functions mapped to one or more network components. The functionalities are basically call processing, specialized resources, and database capabilities. In addition to these functions, associated with a service-node configuration is an administration workstation with service-creation capabilities.

Figure 4. Typical Service Node-Based Configuration