The Telecom Billing Market: Retail Billing, Interconnect Billing & Real-Time Charging Systems

Published by: Dittberner Associates

Published: Jul. 1, 2006 - 235 Pages

Table of Contents

A. Executive Summary

B. Definitions of Major Billing Functions )

Pricing Management

Customer Management

Partner Management

Rating

Service Authorization

Discounting and Promotions

Billing Cycle Management

Financial Management

Payments and Collections

Revenue Assurance

C. Billing Market Drivers

The Strategic Importance of Billing

Why Billing is on the Rebound

System Consolidation

Fixed Mobile Convergence

Wireless Subscriber Controls over Access & Budget

Dual Use Handsets

The Threat of Real-Time Market Share Grab

Lower Cost of Ownership

More Services, not Lowered Fees

D. Real - Time & Convergent Charging

Traditional Pre-Paid Platforms

The Evolution of Real-time Prepaid and PostPaid Operators

Why True Real-Time Capability is Vital

The Convergence of Prepaid Billing and Postpaid Billing

Hybrid Customers and Privacy of the Bill

E. The Merchandising & Direct Marketing Role of Billing

Thinking Like a Retailer: Amazon Style

Friends, Family, Affinity Plans

The Role of Subscriber Profile in Contextual Marketing

One-Click Decisions in the Wireless Operator's Store

Impulse Buying & Real-Time Offers

F. The Mobile Virtual Network Operator Opportunity

Capitalizing on Individual Customer Hot Buttons

Content Takes the Lead

Inside Mobile ESPN, the Sports MVNO

Tapping New Markets that Large Telecommunications Carriers Can't Reach

Wholesale Carrier Attitudes towards MVNOs

How Fast and How Far Will it Grow?

The Business MVNO

G. Billing Consolidation

Billing Systems Integration Problems

Reconciling Different Billing Software Development Cycles

Billing Consolidation at AT&T (before SBC merger)

- AT&T Billing Systems Landscape

- Consolidation via the "Concept of One"

- Concept of Zero

- Sarbanes-Oxley Compliance

- The Database of Record (DBOR)

- The Common Customer Identifier System

- Leveraging an SOA (Service Oriented Architecture)

H. Interconnect Billing Systems

Wholesale/Interconnect Billing Systems

Architecture of a Interconnect Billing System

Interconnect Billing Challenges

I. The Billing Technology Platform

Custom vs. Product Debates

Single Unified Platform for the Small Operator

Partner Value Chain Management

Advanced Platform for Service Creation

Portability of Platform Across Multiple Network Types

J. Mergers & Acquisitions

K. Market Threats & Opportunities

Long Term Prospects of Wireless Billing Market

Triple Play & IMS in the Wireline Market

Prospects for Service Bureau Offerings

L. Carrier Recommendations

8 Suggestions for Selecting a Billing/Charging System

7 Categories of Billing Convergence Explained

M. Vendor Recommendations

Market Segments & Forecasts

Geographic Region

- North America, EMEA, Asia Pacific, Latin America

Case Studies

Vendor Profiles & SWOT Analysis

Abstract

• Stocking the Data Services Candy Store - The explosion of dataservices in mobile markets is prompting telecoms to buy billing systems for their revenue-generating direct marketing skills, not just for their accounting dexterityThe report shows how certain vendors are leveraging merchandising and contextual advertising techniques toboost the bottom lines of their clients
• The Convergence of Postpaid and Prepaid - These used to be very different markets, but the growing use of "dual use" phones and the advantages of pricing from a single consolidated benefits are causing them to mergeDittberner's uses examples such as the Telkomsel case in Indonesia to show how telecoms are tackling the organizational and vendor-management problems that convergence brings
• Network Technology Uncertainty - Network equipment vendor mergers such as Nokia/Siemens and Alcatel/Lucent are rocking the telecom world, but what's the significance of these mega-mergers on billing? And how quickly will IMS, IP, and other next-gen technologies take hold? The report chimes in on these issues as it shows how one biller is pitching a rather interesting "network-future-proof" solution
• The Rise of Virtual Network Operators - Robust billing andrealtime charging is a critical need for emerging MVNOs such as Mobile ESPN, Helio, and Disney MobileThe Report shows what kinds ofbilling solutions MVNOs are looking for, the prospects for growth of thevirtual operator market, and which kinds of billers should pursue it
• Billing as a Strategic Platform - A number of strategic issues surround the choice of a billing platformFor instance, how does a telecom make progress towards system consolidation, SOA, unified product catalogs, and integration with CRM? And is it best to buy a custom or product solution? Should a hosted service bureau be in your future? The report discusses the pros and cons of these critical questions

• What are the most important market priorities?
• Which success strategies of other operators can you adopt at your own telecom organization?
• Which vendors have industry market share and are leading in specific niches?
• Which Billing/Charging players should you partner with?
• What emerging trends can your company capitalize on?

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