Simplified SIM card provisioning
PortaBilling now simplifies SIM card provisioning by introducing high-level events for writing code that updates SIM card information on the mobile network side (HSS, PCRF, etc.). This reduces development effort and eliminates the need to dig into the internal logic of PortaBilling.
In mobile networks, the IMSI (stored on the SIM card) is the primary subscriber identifier. While PortaBilling manages services at the subscriber level, external systems such as HSS and PCRF operate at the SIM level. Previously, developers had to handle many low-level events, such as Account/Product/Changed or SIMCard/StatusChanged, to apply relevant changes to an external mobile core system.
Now, PortaBilling provides four high-level events that reflect key changes:
- SIM/Updated – when a SIM card is assigned to a subscriber’s account, or when the SIM status or linked subscriber data (e.g., service plan) changes
- SIM/Replaced – when a SIM is swapped for a subscriber
- SIM/Created – when a new SIM is added to the inventory (used in deployments where PortaBilling serves as the primary system for SIM data and automatically provisions new SIMs to the HSS)
- SIM/Deleted – when a SIM is removed from the system
These simplified events are available for activation in the PortaBilling interface. Developers can configure their application to receive these events via webhooks (HTTP POST).
Example
An MVNO manages its SIM inventory and subscribers in PortaBilling, using an external app to provision updates to the host MNO’s mobile core. When a subscriber upgrades their plan, PortaBilling sends a SIM/Updated event. The application receives the event and updates the MNO’s PCRF in real time – activating the new service profile without manual actions.
What’s improved?
Simpler integration development
Develop mobile provisioning applications with fewer resources and launch mobile services sooner.
Find more details here.
Voicemail transcription
You can now offer AI-based transcription for voicemail messages. When a user receives a new voicemail, the audio is automatically transcribed by a speech-to-text service, and the user may choose to either listen to the message, or to read the transcription. You can display the audio and transcription in your self-care portal or mobile app using the PortaBilling API, and you can also allow users to receive voicemail transcriptions directly by email.
This feature is available via the same Add-on Mart module as call recording transcription. The existing module is for the OpenAI Whisper service, which handles all major languages. To integrate with another speech-to-text provider, contact our support team – or build your own integration and publish it in the Add-on Mart (contact our sales team to discuss becoming an Add-On Mart partner).
You can monetize voicemail transcription as a paid add-on or part of a usage-based bundle (shared with call recordings).
Example
Emma, a sales representative, receives a voicemail during a meeting. She later opens her email and reads the transcription: “Hi, this is Mark. I’m interested in buying a water filter…” Without listening to the audio, she quickly follows up with the lead.
What’s improved?
More competitive cloud PBX and call center offering
Add voicemail transcription to attract more business users and increase revenue.
Better customer service
Allow users to quickly check their voicemails in text format and respond faster.
Find more details here.
Call activity reports
Call center admins and hunt group supervisors can now track agent productivity with call activity reports. These show total talk time over a selected period and can be filtered by hunt group, agent, and call type (incoming/outgoing). Reports help supervisors spot unusual patterns – for example, very short calls may mean an agent rushes conversations; long calls may suggest they struggle to resolve issues.
More metrics, such as average handle time, hold time, and waiting time in the queue, are coming soon.
You can implement these reports in your custom portal using the PortaBilling API. This feature will also be added to the CloudPBX Self-Care Portal in a future version.
Example
Lisa leads a customer service team. The report shows that one of her agents, John, handled 50 calls in two hours – less than 3 minutes per call. Lisa listens to several recordings and finds that John rushes customers and skips troubleshooting. She uses this insight to coach John.
What’s improved?
Smarter call center management
Better visibility into agent performance for call center and PBX admins.
Find more details here.
Announce the position for the first caller in the queue
Callers now hear their position in the queue, even if they’re first. The system will play the following message: “Currently, you are the first caller in the queue.”
Previously, only callers who were behind at least one person in the queue would hear a message. Callers who were first in line would hear silence, which could cause them to hang up.
If you have a custom self-care portal, you will need to adjust it to use the new parameter (announce_position) in the PortaBilling API to use this feature. This option will also appear in the CloudPBX Self-Care Portal in a future version.
Example
A clinic manager enables position announcements in the call queue. When a patient calls and the receptionist is busy, the caller hears: “You are the first caller in the queue.” This reassures the caller and encourages them to stay on the line.
What’s improved?
Better customer experience
Call centers can reduce abandoned calls by providing clear information to callers in the queue.
Find more details here.
Suspended status for debit accounts
Accounts with insufficient funds to cover subscription charges are now automatically marked as Suspended. Their service will be disabled, but users still have access to the self-care portal. As soon as the balance has enough funds, the system will reactivate the account.
Previously, such accounts were marked as Blocked – the same status used when an admin manually disables an account. The new Suspended status shows that the service was paused by the system due to a low balance.
External systems, like CRMs, can now receive more accurate account status updates. This allows them to trigger the right actions, for example, to notify a user to top up their balance.
Example
Jim is a prepaid mobile user with a $30 monthly subscription. On June 1, his account balance is $20. PortaBilling attempts to apply the charge but detects insufficient funds. The account is marked as Suspended, and PortaBilling sends the corresponding notification to the CRM. The CRM notifies Jim:
“Your subscription wasn’t activated due to low balance. Please top up to reach $30.”
Jim adds $10 to his balance. PortaBilling charges the subscription fee, updates the account to Active, and sends the status update to the CRM. The CRM notifies Jim that his service is active again.
What’s improved?
More clarity for admins
Admins can see why the service was paused and avoid mistakenly reactivating accounts that were automatically suspended for a valid reason.
Tighter external integrations
External systems like CRMs can respond more accurately to account status updates.
Find more details here.
View all routing attempts in Trace session
Engineers can switch to the Trace session view to display each routing attempt for a call as a separate entry rather than as a single aggregated log. This reveals how the system tries different vendor connections and where failures happen.
To speed up troubleshooting, the page now includes:
- “Status” filter to find failed calls quickly
- “Country/Destination” and optional “Customer name” columns for added context
This helps engineers quickly trace failed routing attempts and detect underperforming vendor connections.
Example
A customer reports that several of their recent calls to South Africa were dropped. An engineer filters recent calls to that region on the Trace session page and sees repeated failed attempts via the vendor GlobalNet. The engineer updates the routing to prioritize other vendors and contacts GlobalNet to report the issue.
Faster troubleshooting
Engineers can detect routing issues sooner and take action before more customers are affected.
Find more details here.
Web interface changes
Redesigned “Subscription plans” page
The “Subscription plans” page has been redesigned to simplify subscription management:
- Admins can now configure all settings, including fees, promotional periods, and prepaid options, directly during plan creation, without opening the subscription page afterward.
- Editing subscription plans is now consistent with other pages – admins can simply click the “Edit” icon in the list.
- To improve search accuracy, the “Subscription name” filter now supports multiple matching modes: contains, starts with, ends with, and exact match.
- All settings of an existing subscription plan are now available on the Configuration page, organized into three full-width tabs for better visibility and reduced scrolling.
What’s improved?
Easier administration
Admins can save time when setting up subscription plans.
Find more details here.
Dedicated page for notification sets
Notification sets – collections of templates for customer and admin messages, such as payment reminders or password resets – are now managed on a dedicated page in the PortaBilling web interface. Templates used for invoices and rate uploads/downloads remain on the original templates page. This separation simplifies access to notification sets and ensures consistency with how they are assigned and referenced throughout the system.
What’s improved?
Easier administration
Clearer navigation for admins managing notification settings.
Find more details here.
