Laurie Tappel, Billing Product Manager for i-wireless, says the most important element for operators (particularly in the pre-paid space) to monitor in the future is real-time data rating managed within a converged billing platform.
"In the U.S. prepaid world, it’s been a hosted one-size-fits-all service for almost all operators," Tappel says. "i-wireless chose to break from the strangle hold and invest in our own billing solution. Our Redknee converged billing platform creates new opportunities to launch new services, drive profitability and improve the overall customer experience."
She adds that her experience has shown that a consistent monthly bill, with competitive rate plans and no hidden charges, is the key for attracting and keeping customers in the prepaid market.
"Outsourcing has its advantages in known costs and economies of scale, however in a competitive market, the hosted (billing) solution must also be able to create and deploy custom pricing plans, promotions and integrations with third-party vendors," Tappel adds. "Not every operator can afford the expense to implement a converged billing solution i-wireless is open to exploring business opportunities with other MVNO partners, looking for a flexible billing platform."
Net Neutrality?
Whenever the topic of controlling access to the internet comes up, net neutrality enters the discussion. Very often the metaphor of a toll-road comes into play—I paid to access the toll-road, I should be able to do what I want.
“Once traffic management is transparent to users, outcry is meritless,” says Jonathon Gordon.
He continued, offering keen insight around this topic: “As for net neutrality concerns, many use the toll-road metaphor in this context, but even so, can I really decide to have a bicycle race during the day on a toll highway? Not without prearranging and settling with the road owners. Paying for a set fee for the infrastructure does not mean one should be able to use it in such a way that obstructs any other usage.”
Mobile Billing Outlook
Except for the lucky souls who were grandfathered forward under a preceding plan, the days of truly unlimited mobile data are likely over and end users will probably only buy buckets of data for several more years. As Monica L. Ricci, CSG International summarized, “value-based billing models solve the data problem from both the supply and the demand side, and are therefore ideal for both the consumer and the operator.”
We're also likely to see greater integration of customer care, billing, and CRM, like the Microsoft solution. Additionally, pre-paid, or at least near-real-time billing, is the wave of the future, and will lean heavily on advanced policy control and real-time charging to deliver the services of tomorrow in a transparent and equitable manner that customers understand.
