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Billing in Convergence: Analysing the Next-Generation Billing Market

Published by: Visiongain

Published: Dec. 1, 2005 - 107 Pages


Table of Contents


Chapter 1 Introduction

1.1 The shift towards convergence requires an appropriate billing infrastructure
1.2 The move towards multimedia content brings added complexities
Figure 1.1: Mobile content value chain
1.3 The role of convergent billing
Figure 1.2: Content delivery in fixed-mobile convergence
1.4 Network operator challenges
1.5 The opportunity and threat of IMS and FMC
1.6 Aims and focus of this report


Chapter 2 Overview
2.1 Defining billing
Figure 2.1: Simplified billing model
2.2 Components of billing
2.3 Multiple billing scenarios
2.3.1 Traditional billing
2.3.2 From voice to data
2.4 IP billing
2.4.1 IP networks require new business models
Figure 2.2: Packet network with IP billing
2.4.2 IP-based services bring considerable billing challenges
2.4.3 Considerations and recommendations for an efficient IP metering mechanism
Figure 2.3: IP billing architecture


Chapter 3 Billing Market Drivers and Barriers

3.1 Wireless multimedia content
Figure 3.1: Data ARPU as % of total ARPU is selected markets
3.1.1 Multimedia is making significant demands on communications subsystems
3.1.2 Service differentiation between consumer and enterprise markets
3.1.3 Challenges associated with multimedia content
3.1.4 Geography
3.1.5 Creating a successful business model
3.2 The Wireless Internet
Figure 3.2: he first step towards convergence
3.2.1 Challenges for wireless Internet
Figure 3.3: The multi-network wireless domain
3.3 Convergence
Figure 3.4: Convergence between fixed and mobile services
3.3.1 Access convergence
Figure 3.5: Various access technologies
3.3.2 ISDN
3.3.3 Cable
3.3.4 Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)
3.3.5 FTTC/FTTH
3.3.6 Hybrid Fibre Coax (HFC)
3.3.7 Satellite
Figure 3.6: Fixed-mobile convergence
3.4 Network convergence
3.4.1 IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS)
3.4.1.1 IMS service enablers and layers
Figure 3.7: IMS for SIP-based communications
3.4.1.2 IMS brings the advantage of billing convergence
3.4.1.3 Customer care is an important component of convergent billing
3.4.1.4 Billing difficulties with FMC
3.4.2 Payment convergence
3.4.2.1 The aims of payment convergence
3.4.2.2 The advantages of payment convergence
3.5 QoS in IP
3.5.1 End-to-end QoS with NGN
Table 3.1: Typical QoS values
3.5.2 Billing for IP services requires different levels of QoS
3.6 Partnering
3.6.1 Partnership management in convergent billing


Chapter 4 Today's Billing Model and its Weaknesses
4.1 A mixture of legacy and NGN
4.2 Mobile Operator Revenue Models
Table 4.1: Billing models and their characteristics
4.3 Weaknesses with legacy billing systems
4.3.1 Heterogeneous BSSs
4.3.1 Current billing systems require greater flexibility for future services
4.3.2 Purchasing data services through multiple accounts
Table 4.2: Summary of billing systems weaknesses

Chapter 5 Key Billing Trends

5.1 Content and network convergence present a complex problem for billing
5.2 Integrated prepay/postpay systems
5.2.1 Technical and political barriers are beginning to erode
5.3 The real-time charging platform
5.3.1 Fraud control
5.4 Charging/packaging
5.4 More innovative charging policies are around the corner
5.5 FMC is a reality
5.5.1 FMC implies a significant new role of core billing
5.5.2 Rapid service launch and termination
5.5.3 True FMC systems require that billing takes a new dimension
5.6 Revenue sharing
5.7 Alternate payment options
Table 5.1: 12 key billing trends


Chapter 6 What FMC and Other Operators Look for in a Billing Platform

6.1 Billing platforms need to focus on building profitable value chains
6.2 Consolidated billing
6.3 Bill Accuracy
6.4 Churn reduction
6.5 Customer retention and Revenue augmentation
6.6 Bill Consolidation with Individual Flavor
6.7 Intelligence and Pattern Identification
6.8 Tools for Enterprise users
6.9 Flexible Accounting Mechanism
6.10 Rapid Service Deployment and Adjustment
6.11 Real-time Billing
6.12 Satisfactory Customer Experience
6.13 Encompassing Critical Business Dynamics
6.14 Usage Specific Information Gathering
6.15 Handling Multiple, Concurrent Transactions
6.16 Transaction Granularity
6.17 Unified Billing
6.18 Appropriate Revenue Sharing
6.19 Multiple Payment Options


Chapter 7 Technical and Business Issues for Next-Generation Billing Solutions

7.1 FMC billing is characterised by multifaceted demands
7.2 FMC billing from an operator's perspective
7.2.1 Billing for prototype services
7.2.2 How to meet operators' convergence aspirations
7.3 A component-based architecture approach
7.4 Real-time Control over Services and Billing
7.5 Peer-to-peer threat
7.5.1 Flow -Based Charging
7.6 Billing with CRM and Service Provisioning
7.7 Consumer-Driven Payment Options


Chapter 8 Billing for 3G Data Services and Beyond

8.1 Mobile transactions are taking an increasingly financial dimension
8.2 The need for a flexible platform
8.3 B2B revenue assurance
8.4 Issues to address with integrated prepay/postpay billing
8.5 Finding the charging parameters to cater for the multiplicity of sub-segments
8.6 Providing greater advanced services support to the prapay segment
8.7 Tackling fraud control
8.7.1 Operator are taking a proactive role
8.8 Capturing market share through an effective QoS offering
8.9 Improving service time-to-market with new billing mechanisms
8.10 Unified Billing platform for m-commerce eco-systems
8.11 Billing issues with the move to HSDPA and 4G data
8.11.1 Roaming across 802.XX and multiple cellular technologies
8.11.2 The search for network agnostic billing systems
8.11.3 IMS adoption will overtake early attempts at proprietary solutions
8.11.4 Billing in UMA and mobile IP
8.11.5 Billing from a WiMAX perspective


Chapter 9 Revenue Leakage and Revenue Assurance

9.1 Revenue leakage
9.1.1 Revenue leakage is not a new phenomenon
9.1.1 Leakage costs the industry billions
9.1.2 The problem has become more complex
9.1.3 Leakage affects all players in the value web
9.1.3.1 Risk factors with offline charging
Table 9.1: Quantifying risk factors in various network environments
9.1.4 Why Revenue Leakage Occurs
Table 9.2: Reasons for revenue leakage
9.1.4.1 Leakage permeates the entire chain
9.1.4.1.2 Revenue leakage occurs even with successful downloads
9.1.4.1.3 Premium SMS
9.2 Revenue Assurance
9.2.1 Successful revenue assurance calls for new partnerships
9.2.2 RA measures
Table 9.3: Revenue Assurance approaches from a billing perspective
9.2.3 Three steps to guaranteeing revenue
9.2.4 Real-time delivery validation
9.2.5 A single view of the mediation process
9.2.6 Rules-driven RA
9.2.7 Varying the levels of billing "trust"
9.2.8 Real-time billing
9.2.9 Centralised systems
Figure 9.1: Revenue assurance strategies


Chapter 10 Costs and Revenues

10.1 Billing platform costs
10.1.1 Upfront costs - smaller is not necessarily less
10.1.2 Functional scope of delivery impacts the cost per subscriber
10.1.3 Migrating from legacy to NGN platforms
Table 10.1: Associated costs based on multiple billing system implementation scenarios
10.2 Revenue Sharing
10.2.1 High commission rates can lead to radical alternatives
10.2.2 Revenue share models in the billing world
Figure 10.1: Revenue sharing in the billing value chain
10.2.2.1 Fitting off-line content providers into the equation
Figure 10.2: FMC billing forecast, 2005-2010


Chapter 11 Competitive Landscape

11.1 VoluBill
11.1.1 Billing Suite
Figure 11.1: Mastering charging paradigms with Charge it
11.1.2 Salient Features
11.2 Convergys
11.2.1 Billing suite
11.2.2 Salient features
11.3 Portal Software
11.3.1 Billing Suite
11.3.2 Salient Features
11.4 LogicaCMG
11.4.1 Billing Suite
11.4.2 Salient Features
11.5 Intec Telecom Systems
11.5.1 Billing Suite
11.5.2 Salient Feature
11.6 Accipia
11.6.1 Billing suite
11.6.2 Salient Features
11.7 Telcordia
11.7.1 Billing Suite
11.7.2 Salient Features
11.8 Upaid
11.8.1 Solution and salient feature
11.9 Celona Technologies
11.9.1 Solution and Salient Features
11.10 Bango
11.10.1 Billing suite
11.10.2 Salient Features
11.11 Amdocs
11.11.1 Billing Suite
11.11.2 Salient Features
11.12 CGI
11.12.1 Billing Solution
11.12.2 Salient Features
11.13 CSG Systems
11.13.1 Strategy
11.13.2 Major product/solution
11.14 Comverse
11.14.1 Billing suite
11.15 LHS Communications
11.15.1 Strategy
11.15.2 Billing suite
11.16 Ushacomm
11.16.1 Billing suite
11.16.2 Salient features
11.17 MindCTI
11.17.1 Billing suite
11.18 Qpass
11.18.1 Billing suite
11.18.2 Salient features
Table 11.1: Billing vendors and their customers and geographic penetration


Appendix A Lead Author's Profile



Appendix B About visiongain



Appendix C Report evaluation form

3GPP

Accipia

Alcatel

Amdocs

AOL

Bango

Brasil Telecom

BT

Celona Technologies

CGI

Cingular

Comverse

Convergys

CSG

Disney

EarthLink

ESPN

Ericsson

France Telecom

IDEA Cellular

Intec

LHS Communications

LogicaCMG

MIND CTI

M1

Nokia

NTT DoCoMo

O2

Orange

Portal Software

Qpass

Skype

Sprint/Nextel

Telcordia

Tele2

Telefonica

T-Mobile

Upaid

Ushacomm

Verizon

Vindigo

Virgin Mobile

Vodafone

VoluBill

Abstract

How to ensure you do not lose money with convergence

Good billing practices are critical for the success of any business, and billing is set to gain an even more important role in telecoms, as the onset of convergence makes services and service provisioning more complex. As service complexity increases, so transactions have to be simplified and usage has to be billed appropriately. Future applications involving multitasking and multi-networks will also require a single bill if businesses and consumers are to embrace them.

Among the hype associated with FMC, 3G, IMS, UMA, WiMAX, VoWLAN and so on, these services will only succeed if the necessary billing mechanisms are in place to support them. With the move towards multimedia and convergence, having a robust billing platform - as well as a cohesive billing strategy - in place is absolutely critical if operators want to generate revenues.

While billing vendors have begun to focus on these issues, we believe they must place greater thought into the unique challenges convergence will present, articulating their strategies now in order to satisfy operator demands going forward.

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