Billing for Mobility: strategies for convergent charging : Market Research Report

Billing for Mobility: strategies for convergent charging

Published by: Analysys Research Ltd.

Published: Feb. 1, 2005

Price reduced due to age.

0 Summary

1 Customer billing is one of the top challenges in providing convergent services

1.1 Convergence is an important step on the path to seamless mobility

1.2 Convergence enables mobile and fixed operators to tap new revenues from integrated service portfolios

1.3 Keeping the customer's experience of convergence simple is a key objective for operators

1.4 Delivering a consistent customer experience is the ultimate goal of convergent charging

2 Weak links in the end-to-end process deny customers a consistent service experience

2.1 Successful partner management depends on common approaches in the value chain

2.2 Organisational silos create unnecessary billing problems

2.3 New business workflows mean changing processes and adapting systems

2.4 Operators cannot afford OSS/BSS roadblocks if they want to keep customers from churning

2.5 Senior management must address the organisational issue of convergent charging

3 Vendors are adopting a range of approaches to convergent billing

3.1 Vendors face a number of challenges in developing convergent solutions

3.2 Among billing systems vendors the trend is towards greater levels of systems configurability

3.3 IN vendors believe they are well placed to deliver next-generation charging systems

3.4 The emergence of the ‘metadata’ billing model challenges industry pre-conceptions and is a catalyst for change

4 The market for convergent billing systems is set for strong growth

4.1 We have forecast the market for three types of convergent billing solution in Europe

4.2 Our forecast methodology incorporates a range of benchmarks and cross-checks

4.3 The market for fixed prepaid/postpaid solutions is set for growth over the next five years

4.4 Billing system vendors will take an increasing proportion of spend on mobile prepaid/postpaid converged billing solutions

4.5 Converged fixed-mobile billing solutions will be bought largely by tier 1 fixed operators, and in increasing numbers

4.6 Investments in converged systems will increasingly mirror organisational change and restructuring

List of Figures

Figure 0.1: European mobile operator spend on prepaid/postpaid convergent billing solutions, 2005 and 2010

Figure 0.2: European mobile operator spend on fixed-mobile convergent billing solutions, 2005 and 2010

Figure 1.1: Evolutionary path to seamless mobility

Figure 1.2: Convergent service charging model providing a consistent customer experience

Figure 2.1: Identifying the weak links for convergent charging

Figure 2.2: Evolution of the self-service model

Figure 3.1: Vendor positioning on the customisation-productisation spectrum

Figure 3.2: Metadata value proposition

Figure 4.1: Market sizing methodology

Figure 4.2: European fixed and WLL operator spending on converged prepaid/postpaid billing solutions, 2005 and 2010

Figure 4.3: European mobile operator spend on converged prepaid/postpaid billing by vendor type, 2005 and 2010

Figure 4.4: European mobile operator spend on prepaid/postpaid convergent billing solutions by operator tier, 2005 and 2010

Figure 4.5: European operator spend on fixed-mobile convergent billing solutions, 2005 and 2010

Figure 4.6: European fixed operator spend on fixed-mobile convergent billing solutions, 2005 and 2010

The following organisations are featured in the report:

Alcatel

Amdocs

Convergys

CSG Systems

Ericsson

Kingston Communications

LHS Systems

MetraNet

One.Tel

Orange

Portal

Siemens

TeleManagement Forum

Telenor

Tesco Telecoms

Vodafone

Abstract

Growing customer mobility calls for quality service delivery irrespective of medium (fixed, mobile, internet, broadband) or end device (laptop, phone, PDA). The demand for convergent charging requires flexible payment methods, shared usage billing (for families, companies, employees), unified billing for multiple service types, and single billing for continuous services using multiple devices. Convergent charging must also enable billing for national/international roaming among GSM/GPRS/UMTS/WLAN networks and facilitate partner settlement. This report identifies the business processes and competencies which organisations must develop to successfully deliver a consistent experience to the customer; discusses regulatory and service assurance issues; analyses the typology of billing strategies currently in the market; and quantifies the market for European billing systems sales.

Billing for Mobility answers your key questions:

What types of converged charging models are evolving and how do they impact billing?
How will changing customer behaviour and enhanced expectations of service quality impact the way operators and service providers manage customers?
How are leading operators and vendors developing convergent charging models?
What billing solutions are currently in the marketplace, and how do different vendor strategies compare?
What is the European market size and value for converged billing platforms over the next five years (2005-2010)?
Where are the weak links in the operators' end to end billing processes, and what are the implications for legacy systems, QoS, SLAs, service assurance and customer management?
Where are the risks for revenue assurance and fraud management?
How important are standards for service interoperability and billing?
What key components do systems need to have to support converged charging?
How are billing vendors developing their platforms to support converged charging structures?
What is the gap between operator needs and vendors response (in terms of their products and strategies) and how can it be addressed?

Who should read this report?

Business development managers: hear the "voice of the customer" explain what capabilities are required from billing systems, and understand where to focus your development resources. Analyse the impact of convergent charging on business processes throughout your organisation (from OSS/BSS to finance to IT to sales and marketing).
Strategy analysts: identify where operators should focus time and resources, control costs. Understand the factors that will drive growth of the convergent billing market; understand how changing customer behaviour is driving operators to adapt; learn what operators are demanding from their billing systems and how the market is positioned to respond.
Billing managers and systems analysts: compare vendor strategies and products and understand disjoints between supply and demand.
IT managers: understand the distinctions (if any) between the different models of convergence and their respective impacts on BSS/OSS integration
Revenue assurance managers: understand the relevance of real time charging and the ability to minimise the risk of fraud.
Service assurance managers: Identify the weak links for billing in the context of converged service delivery and understand the importance of looking at the business on an end-to-end basis
Product and marketing managers: understand the importance of communications with billing and networking CRM managers: understand the changing end to end process of converged charging and its impact on customer billing and management.
Competitor analysts: understand the forces driving billing in the future and developments in the value chain for converged services.
Market intelligence officers: define the market opportunity for vendors and quantify the market for new billing systems as converged platforms evolve.
Procurement managers: identify and compare the convergent billing solutions which vendors are currently offering in the market and understand long-term development strategy.
Partner managers: understand the implications of convergent charging on partner relationships.

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Billing for Mobility: strategies for convergent charging

Table of Contents

Abstract