Transcript BSNL 3G Billing - :: SNEA Tamilnadu

Billing for 3G services
BSNL, ALTTC
November 16, 2007
Agenda
• Wireless industry issues
• Impact of 3G on billing
• Comverse Billing & Customer Management
Offering for IMS
• How do we do it?
2
Mobile Service Evolution
•
•
•
•
Short lifecycle of services
New services frequently introduced
Service variables are not fixed
Big variety of service packages
MMS
video
MMS
Java
image, audio, text
SMS
•
•
•
•
3
Long lifecycle of services (Voice, SMS, MMS..)
New services seldom introduced
Service variables fixed
Only few service packages
Streaming
New services = new rating and pricing mechanisms
New services attributes
Sort by Artist or
by Album?
Preferred Gaming Character
Synchronize my photos to home
=
Preferred Messenger?
Messenger ID
Synchronize email?
Corporate mail-server
VPN network ID
Push-to-talk group
new ways of charging
4
New Services:
Increased Performance Demands
• Providing multiple services => increased number of
transactions to process
• Real time balance management is performance intensive
• Prepaid has strict performance requirements
• Online activity has performance assumptions
• Content services can be bandwidth intensive
Billing and Customer Management System
Cannot be a Bottleneck
5
Mobile Billing Prerequisites :
Charging and Rating
•
•
•
•
•
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Variety of rating units
• Packets, bytes, transactions
Rating Dependencies
• Correlation of access and content events is more common
Session-linked Rating
• No 1:1 association between sessions and chargeable
events
• One charge is a function of multiple sessions (download
that is made up of a WiFi and UMTS session)
• One session can create multiple charges (one voice call is
tariffed separately by VoIP and GSM legs)
• Real Time Financial management interface must
understand and maintain state of “Charge Sessions”
More multi-party charging
• Subscriber, Content provider, Reseller
Roaming
• Ever-changing TAP standards
• Plug-in concept for TAP and CIBER versions
Mobile Billing Prerequisites:
Mediation
•
•
•
•
Adaptive mediation
• Flexibility to interface to new types of event sources (eg.
app servers)
• Mediation may need to be SIP*-aware
• Flexible mediation and validation logic
• Plug-in concept to facilitate rapid changes to segments of
code
• Intelligent thresholding and alarm tracking
Message-brokering
• mediation can no longer be one-way
• real-time message brokering
• Real-time session management
Real-time and scalable correlation
• events from GGSN/RADIUS and data probe on Gi interface
• events from content application server and data probe
Revenue Assurance capabilities
• revenue assurance starts with mediation
• embedded rather than external
* SIP : Session Initiation Protocol
7
Mobile Billing Prerequisites : Technology
•
Interoperability
•
•
best-of-breed components
Rapid “turn-on” for time-to-market advantages
Minimum dependency on supplier
Extendible design
•
•
•
Because one
system/supplier can’t do
everything.
Modular plug-and-play architecture
•
•
•
•
Flexible, functional components that can easily
interface with operator’s internal and external
systems
extensible vs. customisable
Data and logic extensibility
Appropriate technology for different functions
•
•
•
Reusable and replaceable
components
Service-Oriented Architecture for web services
enablement
In-memory databases for performance
XML for payload
Reusable and replaceable
components
Determines
“durability” and scalability
of solution
8
Mobile Billing: A systems’ heritage is important
In a recent Pyramid Research study on convergence, some
operators discussed traditional fixed-line billing systems v.
mobile-only systems:
1
A North American Tier 1 provider referred to the fact that unlike mobile
BSS systems, wireline billing systems already have the ability to
bill for multiple entities. “So for us, wireline is the convergent
platform.”
A European mobile operator voiced a similar opinion that mobile
systems are not always wellisuited to deal with IP.
“…It is not about mobility, but about the ability to manage huge
amounts of calls and streams of data at the same time. Mobile
systems are not yet there. If (we) decide that IT infrastructure can
be supported mostly by the fixed-line system, we’ll go with (it). “
1. Convergence and Consolidation: Market, Operatoar and End-User View, Pyramid Research (for Kenan), June 2005
9
So, what’s different about 3G billing ?
• Data charging capabilities need to increase
• Content billing and partner management needs increase
• Will want to bundle voice and data and create promotional
offers
• Roaming (remains as a need)
• Customers desire multiple payment types
10
3G at a high level
• More bandwidth, better speed
• More data and therefore more content
• More applications, more application servers
• IP bridges the divide between network domain and content
domain
• An IP core and an IP fringe
• Faster, fatter IP core
• The promise of IMS at the fringes
• Multiple parties in the revenue chain
11
3G Brings Challenges
Intelligent Multi-Service Ordering
Advanced Mediation: Managing
Transactions From Multiple Networks
Customer Experience: Managing multiple
contact points, payment methods & balances;
loyalty points; determining charging schemes
& cross-product discounts
Bill
Operational Efficiency: Migrating to the new
system; Single Infrastructure, at Scale
Content Partner Management: Revenue
sharing complexities in a content world
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
12
$
Impact of 3G on Operator’s Environments
Marketing
(Products)
• Open interfaces to OSS/BSS
• Dynamic Service (Re-)
Configuration
• Content and application
servers in network
• Bandwidth and QoS Metrics
Network
3G /
Mobile
Data
• Transaction-based Charging
• Micro-payments/settlements
• Postpaid/prepaid offers
• Cross-service promotions
• Partner Products and Revenue Sharing
• Closer customer
care/billing/network interaction
• Rapid increase in scale
• Rules-based Options
• Extendibility / Ease of Integration
• Distributed computing
• Service and revenue enablement
Systems
(BSS/OSS)
The bottomline is Service and Revenue Enablement !
13
Some impact areas …
•
•
•
14
Need to collect and charge for data
• collect from variety of servers/network elements/parties
• Correlation is a key aspect of this process
• Charge by a variety of units
• packets, bytes, events, transactions etc.
Real-time, over-the-air provisioning
• instant activations, de-activations, re-activations, linked to
thresholds and balances
Need to manage the reverse revenue chain
• Revenue sharing with content partners
• Customer, Content Vendor, Application host/vendor
• Financial reconciliation needs to happen between multiple
parties
3G’s Impact on Business Support Systems
Multiple parties in revenue
chain
Self-care over the
mobile device
Revenue sharing with
content partners, MVNOs,
roaming partners
Settlements
Complex revenue-sharing
rules for content
Reconciliation of money
flows
Instant activations and
re-activations
Customer
Care
Customer
Acquisition
Payments,
Recharges,
Thresholds
Collections
Ordering &
Service
Fulfillment
Online payment, balance
transfers and recharges
EBPP over the mobile
device
15
Real-time correlation
Balance
Management
Standardisation of
protocols
Open item accounting
Convergence of balances
Balance-controlled
status
Customers
Services &
Promotions
Real-time thresholds at
various levels
Over-the-air
provisioning
Event
Charging /
Rating
Event
Collection
Multiple levels of AAA
Charging by variety of
units
Rule-based rating
But then again, are we missing something ?
Settlements
Customer
Care
Customer
Acquisition
Payments,
Recharges,
Thresholds
Collections
Customers
Services &
Promotions
Balance
Management
Event
Charging /
Rating
Ordering &
Service
Fulfillment
•
Important to entice customers to 3G
services
•
Pricing is key to attracting the masses
(anyone beyond the early adopters)
•
Promotions need to be :
•
•
•
•
•
Event
Collection
•
Bundles drive marketing strategies
•
•
•
•
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Simple, easy to launch
Flexible
Provisionable on-demand
QoS-linked
Real-time counter-based
Voice+data+content bundles
Cross-charge discounts
“All-you-can-eat” plans
Shared free units
Example : Event Collection in 3G Environment
Data Sources
CG
•S-CDR-1
•S-CDR-2
•G-CDR-1
•G-CDR-2
•S-SMO-CDR
•S-CDR-1
•S-CDR-2
•G-CDR-1
•G-CDR-2
•S-SMO-CDR
•CDR
•SMS
•CDR
•SMS
Kenan®
Data
Mediation
MSC
•Transactions
•Content
Apps
Server
17
Collect, Filter, & Format
•Transaction
•Content
Rating & Billing
Invoice
videoconference
S-CDR-1
G-CDR-2
10.20
3.70
GSM services
CDR
SMS
1.60
1.0
Third Party
www.cnn.com
5.50
Total:
Rs 22
Kenan® BP
Usage Events From The IP Network
Real-time in-network authentication, monitoring & aggregation required
Records giving details of the services being used - for content billing
IPDR will be the accepted standard
3G Billing Prerequisite:
Customer Financial Management
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Multiple balances
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Support operators in transitioning from “billers” to “financial
managers”
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•
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•
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to track different content types
to track revenues that need to be shared
for payment allocation
for selective treatment processes
for selective re-charge allocation
prioritising authorisations and balance deductions
manage A/R and A/P
more than just own services
bill-on-behalf
payment gateway interactions for m-commerce transactions
One-stop, easily-accessible financial service (via the mobile
phone)
Providing a Superior Customer Experience
•
Extends beyond just delivering the service
•
Customers expect you to know about them
•
•
Must appeal to core customer values
•
•
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•
•
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Need to have a comprehensive view of users accounts, services,
requests, transactions and payment history
Offer creative packaging, discounts and incentives
• Target offers based on customer characteristics
Provide choice in payment methods and convenience of multiple
methods per account
• Manage multiple balances
Monitor customer usage – set thresholds
• Gives control to you and the customer
Provide customers with choice in how they interact with you
Enable customers to control their accounts, services and preferences
Charging is more than a payment
CONTROL
Put financial control in the
hands of customers
• Spending Control
• Weekly / Monthly
Allowances
• Notifications and limits
• Vouchers and Transfers
Customer self-service and
self-care
• Multiple devices
• Understanding of
charges
• Cheaper
20
CHOICE
Choice of payment methods
• Now-pay
• Pre-pay
• Post-pay
Flexible charging options
• Subscription
• Per event
• Etc
Support for multiple
languages and multiple
currencies
CONVENIENCE
Flexible offerings to meet
customer needs
Easy to browse, find, select
and pay for the items the
user wants
Content and the chain reaction …
Content
Owners
Agents / Dealers /
Merchants
Operator
Content
Aggregator
s
End-users
(customers)
Content
Hosts
Roaming
Partners
21
VNOs /
Resellers
3G Billing Prerequisite:
Content Revenue Management
•
Rule-based revenue sharing
•
•
Manage content partners as distinct P&L
entities
•
•
•
•
reconciliation between statements and partner
invoices
Reconciliation between payments and invoices
Scalable and robust
•
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Partner revenue tracking is key to margins and
profitability
Invoices, statements and partner settlements
Reconciliation needs to be automated
•
•
Single content transaction can be shared many
ways, between many parties
• Individual, aggregated, percentage, flat charge,
unit-accumulations etc
a system that supports the simple needs of today
as well as the unknown, presumably complex
needs of an IMS-enabled world
In Summary
There is really nothing different about 3G billing (v. previous
generations), though impact areas span the BSS infrastructure
The Impact Scale
Low
Customer Care
Bill Calculation
Invoice Generation
•
•
•
•
23
Medium
Charging / Rating
Self-Care / EBPP
Payments
Collections
High
Mediation
Service Activation
Promotions
Balances
Revenue Sharing
Partner Settlements
Roaming
Pricing and promotions flexibility will play a key role in attracting
customers
Mediation could make-of-break the charging paradigms
Content revenue management is no longer an after-thought
Operators can transcend beyond billing into financial management.
Comverse Billing & Customer
Management Offering for IMS
IMS: Introduction
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IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS)
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•
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IMS provides a robust, layered architecture to deliver services across all
access-networks:
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An evolution of core-networks to IP technologies
A service delivery architecture for Convergence.
Standardised charging functions (online, offline) and interfaces
Centralised subscriber profile information across all networks
QoS policy enforcement
Integration of services
It pushes convergence to its logical conclusion
And as there’s already a couple of implementations going on
…and it’s real!
25
IMS Challenges
Marketing:
Customer Service:
How do we introduce
these services and
manage demand
elasticity after early
adoption?
How do we provide
support and help for
these services?
Engineering:
What innovative
services can I create
that customers want?
How can I create
these cost
effectively?
Management:
Will this
investment
provide profits?
26
How do I
enable
innovation?
IMS: Impact on Billing
CONVERGENCE
Post-paid Needs
Prepaid Needs
Real-time rating
and charging
Flexibility
1:1 Marketing
Near / IN network
Know your user
Credit limits
Time-to-market
Notifications
Content
Post-paid Systems
27
Prepaid Systems
IMS brings Channel Convergence
Store-front
Point of sales
CSP
1:1 Marketing Channel
Customer-care desk
Advertising space
28
(Communicatio
n
Service
Providers)
Summary and Observations…
29
•
IMS brings channel convergence.
•
The consumption experience set by the internet, is much more advanced
than the current telco.
•
Without real-time and convergent authorization, service providers cannot
provide a continuous, on-line consumption experience.
•
IMS is being designed to use authorization in the session path – make
sure your infrastructure supports it.
Meeting Operator Billing Challenges
Increase Revenues
from
New Opportunities
Advanced Measurement , Rating &
Services
Increase Loyalty
Branding & Segmentation
Reduce
Costs
( CAPEX & OPEX )
Pre-Integrated
Product Portfolio
30
• Cross Service Bundles & Discounts
• Rapid Rollout of New Services
• Multi Attribute Rating Schemes
•
•
•
•
One Simple Bill For All
One Data Model for Customer Care
True Segmentation Offering
Unique Services to Differentiate the
Brand
• Single Partner Platform
• Scalable & Upgradeable Product
Portfolio
• First Day Integration
Comverse Billing offering for IMS
Any Network
Any Service
• Sophisticated active
mediation
• Seamless service
convergence
• Real-Time Authorization,
rating & charging
• Up & down scalability
• Multiple Identities
• Diameter/ OSA Parlay &
CAMEL 3 enabled
• Cross service promotional
bundles
• Online and offline
charging consistent with
IMS principles.
• Handle diverse network
elements & applications
(legacy network support)
• Value based charging
• Single invoice
• Order all services at once
31
Any Time
• Support for multiple
simultaneous sessions
• Choice of payment
method
Services We Help Provide
32
Services We Help Provide (2)
33
How do we do it?
Strong Product Foundation
Overall Philosophy – Product Focus
•
Comverse’s philosophy has always been to produce a highly configurable application that
drives customization out of implementations and ongoing operations…and cost out of
your business!
•
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Maximizing configurability results in minimizing customizations
•
•
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•
35
Typically, our customers achieve 80-98% configurability
In every new release, we build in more extensiblity
We believe Kenan® FX is the most flexible (configurable) system in the world
Drive as much functionality into Core software as possible
Results in a smoother upgrade path
Offer customizations as needed by client
With 11.5, key extendability features have further enhanced configurability and reduced the need
for core changes
Client input key to future releases of software
Multi-Service support from ground up
•
Designed to support billing for multiple service types
•
•
Configurable platform
Data model design
•
Allows multiple service types on a single service delivery point
• This has been a design fundamental from day one !
•
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Converged prepaid/postpaid system
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•
•
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Single customer data model
Sophisticated balance management
Event-based processing added to cycle-based strength
Benefits of a convergent platform
•
Provide great efficiencies to Comverse customers
•
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Customers reporting significant cost savings in consolidating onto Kenan
Has allowed Kenan® to be viable outside Telco
•
•
•
E&U: Italgas in Italy
Transportation: Qualcomm
ebusiness: ebay (and others not yet announced)
Prepaid as payment mechanism NOT as a network or billing
approach
•
•
36
Configurable rules govern product characteristics, service delivery restrictions, assignment of
tax rules, etc.
Growing need in mobile market
Better flexibility & revenue assurance for service providers
FX Pushes the Envelope on Configurability…
•
•
•
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•
•
37
Extensible data – with FX we have productized the concept that our
clients will have unique data they want to capture
API Transaction Set – FX includes enhanced series of APIs and new
technologies to improve and speed integrations with external systems
Applications Integrator – Highly configurable, message-oriented
device to connect Kenan products to external applications (such as
service activation)
Rules Based Rating – supports pre-defined, rating rules for usage
Threshhold Server – table-driven facility for capacity monitoring,
alarms, and custom (user defined) event triggers
Configurator- user-friendly tool to speed table configuration in creating
new rates, discounts, etc.
Operations Center – provides application monitoring and processoriented scripts, including user-defined criteria for process
success/failure
…Resulting in high value for clients
•
Faster time to market
•
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Increased software reliability
•
•
•
Clients can take advantage of all new improvements in the software
Standard software means standard upgrade tools, reducing risk and
speeding project completion
• On average, Comverse completes a customer upgrade every two weeks
Standardized software enhances client self-sufficiency
•
•
38
Clients benefit from the collective experience of hundreds of
implementations
Incremental and regression testing is based on a known, production
hardened code base
Ease and value of upgrades
•
•
•
Absent customizations, Comverse has deployed Kenan® in as little as five
weeks
Customers build knowledge from standard documentation and training
Some of Comverse’s largest customers are the most self sufficient
• France Telecom: 250K accounts, 35m CDRs/day --- 2 Comverse support
staff
• Embratel 42m accts 350m CDRs/day --- 1 Comverse support staff
• The vast majority of customers have no on-site Comverse support staff
Kenan® FX for Mobile
CSR or
End User
GUIs
Customer Center
Kenan® Total Care
Encoding: XML, Java
Kenan Siebel Connector
Orders Modules
Kenan® Application
Integrator
Parlay
Network
39
Billing
Request Handling
& Tracking
•
Inventory
•
Serviceability
•
Inventory Replenishment
Kenan® Data
Mediation
API Transaction Set
(Business Domain Layer)
Transports: HTTP, SSL, Tuxedo
Dynamic
Customer Data
Product
Catalog Data
Orders Data
SINGLE
DATA MODEL
Invoice Calculation
•
Discounts/ Unit
Credits/Taxes
•
Advanced Invoice
Numbering
•
E&U Modules
Kenan®
Revenue Settlements
Financials
Payments
•
Collections
•
Journals
Event Processing
• Guiding and Rating
• Rules-Based rating
•Thresholding
• Roaming
Back
End
GUIs
Kenan® Service
Broker
Operations Center
Products with mobile focus
Configurator
Invoice Designer
Comverse Converged Billing
Solution
including Roadmap View
Market Trends & Effects on Billing
Operators as Retailers
Consolidation
Content
Direct to consumer
IP-fication
MVNO/ MVNE
Competition
41
• Convergence in
Services, Platform &
Payments Type
• BlurringBilling
Borderlines
between Billing,
CRM & Mediation
• Billing as strategic
weapon to meet
business goals
The Future is Convergence …
Wireless
Wireline
Broadband
IP
Voice
Video
Prepaid
Postpaid
Data
Now-Paid
Content
Convergence of Networks, Services & Payment Methods
42
Business Impact
Goal
Comverse Converged Billing Vision
43
Address all
aspects of
convergence
with a single
system
• Better customer
experience – treat
prepaid and postpaid
customers the same
• Rapid roll out of
multi-service bundles
• Lower TCO
Take a
modular, yet
integrated
approach
• Lower TCO
Provide
efficient
evolution path
for existing
customers
• Assured growth path
to future
• Faster time-to-market
• Leverage existing
investments
• Improved customer
management
• Proven capabilities
• Shorter order-to-cash
times
Comverse Convergent Platform Vision
Comverse Converged Billing
Solution
Real-Time Billing
Solutions
Customer Care
Kenan Billing Solutions
Customer Care
Customer Care
Self Care / EBPP
Order Management
Provisioning Management
Rating and Billing
Real–Time Charging & Authorization
Real-time Rating, Auth. and Charging
Authorization and Charging
Mobile Payments
E-Recharge/Vouchers
Call / Session Control
Data Charging Proxy
Network Protocol Support
Mediation - Active/Offline
Roaming
Revenue Settlements
44
Comverse Converged Billing Solution
Provides
Real-Time
Customer
Management
• Unified view of
customer
• Base offer with options
• Financial controls
• Care, Ordering,
Provisioning, Active
Mediation, Real-time
Charging, Postpaid
Billing, EBPP, Financial
Management, Partner
Management
• Agility to respond as
end-customer needs
change
• Multiple network,
service and payment
types
• Connect to end-users in
real-time
• Create targeted
promotions and bundles
45
Is a Complete
Suite
Builds on Solid
Foundation
• Comverse Real-Time
Billing Solution
• Kenan® FX
• Proven Deployment
Methodology
• Over 200 operators
world-wide
Comverse Enables –
Real-Time Customer Management
Instantaneous
View
Day-to-Day
View
Multi-year
View
calling group
prepaid
want it?
postpaid
find it
buy it
want more?
add children
consume it
family plan
Resulting in: increased revenues,
increased loyalty, positive brand association
46
Instantaneous View :
Capture the Moment of Opportunity !
promotion
how much?
Network
bundle?
want it?
BSS
up-sell
browse
price
access
find it
profile
payment methods
limits
recommendations
buy it
device
balancechoice
funds
recommendations
want more?
consume it
complaints
review charges
delivery-receipt
47
rights
delivery
Customer Lifecycle: Day-to-Day View
Operators need to efficiently manage all aspects of a customer’s lifecycle
– to & from the network and across all services
self-care
ebpp
top-ups
notify
sign-up
now
pre pay
post
order
rate & bundle
provision
authorise
access
devices
preferences
48
Customer Lifecycle: Multi-Year View
•
One individual’s changing needs from a
provider over time:
•
•
•
•
•
•
calling group
prepaid
Teenager becomes a customer –
• pre-paid
Goes to University
• Becomes part of calling group
• Gets added to Parents plan for calls home –
Hybrid pre-paid/post-paid
Starts work
• Account becomes Post-Paid
add children
Gets married –
• Joins a Family plan
Adds children to plan
• Group Manager
postpaid
Operators need to provide the right bundle at
the right time to meet subscribers’ evolving
needs
family plan
49
Comverse Converged Billing Solution
Operations
www
Application
Monitoring
www
Self Care
EBPP
Professional Care
Orders
External
GUIs
Security &
Administration
Financials
Investigation
Tools
Converged
Integration & Extensions
Ordering
Workflow
Payments
Inventory
Cyclic Billing
Collections
Rating
Provisioning
Interface
Customer
Information
Cyclical
Discounts
Invoice
Calculation
Invoice
Design
Real-Time
Authorization
Real-Time
Charging
Real-Time
Promotions
Threshold
Management
Partner Management
XML
Transaction
Layer
Revenue
Settlements
Roaming
Mediation
Network
50
Journals
Vouchers
Network
Interfaces
Call Routing
Session Ctrl
IVR
Notification
Server
At Last…
51
Real-Time credit
control of ALL
customer activity
Unlimited Bundle &
Promotional
Capability
• Set credit limits by service
• Strict for some service types
• Easier for other types
• Lower potential for fraud
• Reduce potential for leakage
• Targeted promotions – any
time to any customer
• Configure offers quickly
• Increase market agility
• Increase revenues
• Increase satisfaction
Comverse Experience
Incomparable Experience:
•
>100 Real Time Billing systems deployed, the 2nd largest install base in the
world
•
>150 Kenan systems deployed
From Small to Large Scale Deployments:
•
Many large systems serving 10 to 40 Million subscribers
Deployment Experts:
•
Experts in system replacement, having displaced 31 prepaid systems
•
Experts migration and upgrades, having migrated and upgraded to over 50
billing-systems in the last years
Leader in convergence:
52
•
A pioneer in the deployment of converged billing solutions
•
Combining Real Time Billing Solutions and Kenan Billing Systems is creating a
unique, complete and industry leading converged billing solution
Thank You!