Contents - Connect-World

Billing
are prepared organisationally to introduce
real-time billing principles into
their mainstream markets. Therefore,
for most operators, moving to a convergedprepaid
and postpaidbilling
infrastructure is a huge paradigm
shift. However, the payoff makes such
a change worthwhile.
Open door to data services
Real-time billing is highly flexible,
allowing tariff plans to be changed
dynamically, offering creative valuebased
methods of billing for new data
services and enabling easy support of
the multitude of emerging new content
providers. Capitalising on such
flexibility, operators, for example, now
can charge for services based on their
perceived value.
With a range of data services such as
video and multimedia messaging service
(MMS) in place, the complexity of
subscriber packages increases, as does
the importance of real-time billing in
the network.
In order to fully realise the revenue
potential of these new services, it is
essential to leverage real-time billing
for all voice and data transactions, the
authorisation of every service request,
the imposing of a credit limit on all
accounts and instant availability of
usage information.
Affordable option for all
Real-time billing is not only about new
service availability, but also about
affordability. With advanced billing
systems, new services are an affordable
alternative for both operators and
subscribers. As mentioned earlier,
real-time billing limits operator credit
risk, which, in turn, reduces overall
service cost. At the same time, subscribers
can access new services without
exceeding a predetermined budget.
Moreover, with real-time billing,
subscribers pay only for the content
and services they actually want, rather
than paying for a high-priced content
package of which, they are not likely to
take full advantage.
For the enterprise, the cost benefits
can be even greater. With real-time
billing, mobile phones issued by companies
to their employees can, in fact,
operate via two accounts business
and personal. As a result, employees
can access their business account for
the full range of data services that can
improve business communications
and ultimately lead to more productivity
and success. At the same time, they
can access their personal account with
the same mobile phone, while the
employer does not pick up the tab.
Boon for emerging markets
Real-time billings impact can be felt
in all corners of the globe, particularly
in emerging markets. Given the
opportunity to introduce easily the
most advanced services, emerging
markets no longer lag behind the rest
of the pack, but instead have leaped
forward to reach a level on par with
the developed world.
With real-time billing, all operators
whether in emerging, developed or
advanced marketscan offer an
extensive portfolio of advanced voice
and data services to their entire subscriber
base. As a result, all services
for all subscribers is no longer a pipe
dream but a reality for all providers.
If there was concern that investing in a
state-of-the-art real-time billing system
would deter new operators, particularly
in emerging markets, the
opposite has proved true. Real-time
billing is ideally suited for green-field
deployments, since such implementation
does not require any integration
or adaptation, unlike instances where
legacy systems already exist.
Real-time billing has put emerging
markets on the map. One area that has
benefited is Asia Pacific, which is ideally
suited for these next-generation
systems due to the popularity of prepaid
services there. Most mobile subscribers
in many parts of the region
are prepaid, sometimes reaching up to
95 per cent of an operators entire customer
base.
With the prepaid market growing rapidly
in the region, real-time billing systems,
which are most suited for supporting
this growth, are likely to
become an even more integral part of
the industry.
The adoption of new billing systems
has, in fact, enabled nations such as
Indonesia, India and Malaysia to gain
a foothold at the forefront of the
mobile phone world.
Also in Indonesia
Take, for example, the new
Indonesian operator Mobile-8
Telecom. As a newcomer in a fiercely
competitive field, Mobile-8 required a
secure real-time service offering for
integrated control and support of both
its prepaid and postpaid subscriber
operations. As a result, the company
recently deployed a real-time billing
system to address all voice and data
billing needs.
The end-to-end solution supports
billing for prepaid and postpaid subscribers,
voice and data services and
customer relationship management
(CRM), while enabling the authorisation
of all subscribers service requests
in real-time.
The real-time billing system allows
Mobile-8 to concentrate on its core
business — providing top-quality services
to subscribers — regardless of the
payment system. By implementing a
state-of-the-art system, together with
fully integrated customer care software,
Mobile-8 is well positioned as a
new player in the Indonesian mobile
telephony market.
Enhance personalisation,
reduce churn
Real-time billing also can play a role in
tackling one of the industrys most
burning issues — churn. One way to
address the problem is by reducing
acquisition costs — but this is much
like treating a symptom. Service personalisation
is a better solution, since
it vaccinates against the disease in the
first place.
As creatures of habit, the more comfortable
we feel, the less likely we are
to contemplate change. Service personalisation,
which is enabled by realtime
billing, has the potential to
become a highly effective way to fight
the problem of churn by making subscribers
feel more comfortable.
When subscribers can select their tariff
plan, choose preferred locations for
discounted calls and transfer credit
between accounts, they are less likely
to switch operators due to the hassle
of having to completely redefine their
mobile environment. They are even
less likely to churn if the same personalisation
options are unavailable elsewhere.
A different world
The new and improved billing systems
of today are clearly making their mark
on the mobile phone industry.
Facilitating instant availability of
information, dynamic and interactive
marketing programmes, creative
value-based pricing schemes and convenient
service personalisation for
each and every end user are just some
of the ways that life in a world with
real-time billing is different for operators.
At the same time, real-time
billing blurs the lines between emerging
and developed markets, affording
unprecedented equal opportunities to
all operators and subscribers worldwide.
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