Islamic SIM Service (ISS)
The Islamic SIM Service (ISS) enables Mobile Network Operators to provide a useful set of services to their Muslim subscribers. The application works globally when roaming, is geo-location aware, using the mobile network's Cell ID information, and targets entry-level mobile phones and prepaid connections.
Overview
Muslims pray five times per day facing Mecca. Prayer takes place at different times, which are based on calendar dates, geo-location and position of the sun as it changes throughout the year. As a SIM based application, Islamic SIM Service (ISS) delivers a useful set of services to Muslim subscribers, ranging from finding the direction to Mecca from anywhere around the world, to configuring their own prayer alarm time, as well as converting dates between Gregorian and Arabic Calendars.The Islamic SIM application makes use of STK to present a user-friendly interface to subscribers.
Key Features
- Mecca Compass, assisting subscribers in finding the direction to Mecca. It can be a normal text SMS or an MMS.
- Prayer Schedule, delivering the five prayer times (in text SMS) for the subscriber’s selected day and auto-detected location, together with sunrise and sunset times.
- Ringtone Prayer Alarm notifies the user a few minutes prior to praying time.
- Prayer Mute Service, redirecting incoming calls to ensure that the mobile phone does not ring during praying time.
- Calendar Converter to convert calendar dates between Gregorian and Arabic Calendars.
- Earth’s magnetic model has been incorporated in the ISS server. This produces accurate direction calculations to Mecca.
- Terrain height geospatial Database connectivity gives accurate prayer time calculations.
- Official prayer time lists of Mosques (for large cities) can be imported into the service.
- Muslim Fasting start/break time for Ramadan along with prayer time lists.
Benefits to Network Operators
- Increases ARPU. Islamic SIM Service uses SMS as the medium of communication, and leads to increased SMS usage.
- Subscription service. The MNO can provide a subscription service to subscribers and can charge them on a time basis (monthly subscription) instead of normal “pay-per-use”.
- Increase in customer loyalty. This is another useful service for the subscriber, increasing loyalty and the subscriber’s perception of the MNO as a provider of high quality value added services
Benefits to Subscribers
- Location independent. Subscriber can find the direction of MECCA anytime. This service works even when the subscriber is roaming and new prayer time and direction is automatically calculated and provided to the subscriber.
- Prayer Alarm. Subscribers have a quick and reliable means of being reminded of the prayer time.
- Gregorian to Hijri (Arabic) Calendar. This conversion is useful in specifying dates for Islamic religious festivities. This is particularly useful in countries where the official calendar is Hijri and Islamic dates are used in commercial activities. The Islamic to Gregorian calendar converter forward projects and processes dates for 80 years from now..
