13-solution--reshape your billing support system

7/29/2019 13-Solution--reshape Your Billing Support System

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Huawei Technologies

APR 2008.

ISSUE 40 4

your billing

support systemThe business support system (BSS) of operator X involves

multiple rating and charging systems. Prepaid voice services

are rated through an intelligent network (IN) system; content

services are rated through a dedicated content rating system;

post-paid voice services are rated through the billing system;while multimedia messaging services (MMS) are rated through

the MMS center.

Operator X is left chasing the rising tides of stiff competition.

A new rating system is constructed when each new service is

added and the existing billing system has to be recongured and

interconnected. The separated rating systems not only increase

operational expenditures, but also make it more difficult to

provide diversied tariff packages.It appears to be high time to change the billing support

architecture. During recent meetings on operations, they

discussed this topic at length and came up with some solutions.

By Xie Qingrui

Reshape


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SOLUTION

APR 2008.

ISSUE 4045

Four advantages of convergentbilling

onvergent billing has become a hottopic in the telecom industry. he 3rd

Generation Partnership Project (3GPP)deines in the R6 speciication, the

ramework and interaces o the online chargingsystem (OCS) or convergent charging support.

Huawei, with more than 10 years experience inthe IN, BSS, data services and charging systems,has developed a complete convergent billingsolution (CBS) oering high lexibility and opencharacteristic o I systems, plus carrier-classreliability. Based on the core engine and modulardesign, the Huawei CBS supports step-by-stepimplementation according to network status anduture evolution strategies.

Rule-driven engine shortens the TTM

Te Huawei CBS adopts a telecom platorm andan I core, based on a rule-driven engine or onlineand ofine charging. Rule-driven means that duringsystem implementation and operations, an operatoror others can compose new rating or billing ruleswith simple language, such as IFHEN, AND,OR, >,


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Huawei Technologies

APR 2008.

ISSUE 40 4

mode, the two layers can provide high-perormance, lexible rating, charging andbilling unctions. In the loosely coupledmode, it is possible to deploy the convergentrating and charging layer only. his layerintegrates with the third-party billing systemon top, and with core network or serviceenablers on the bottom, which complieswith the OCS ramework deined by the3GPP. Furthermore, the convergent ratingand charging layer or the convergent billinglayer can be integrated with upper-layercustomer care and the marketing layerthrough common interaces like the webservice interace.

Based on open architecture, the operatorcan deploy modules step-by-step to ulll theevolution towards end-to-end ull convergent

billing. For example, the operator can irstdeploy the OCS and integrate the OCSwith the existing BSS. Ten the operator canimplement replacement o the billing systemor the customer care system.

Two leading products

he launch o the Huawei onlinecharging system (OCS) and the convergentbilling solution (CBS) has made it mucheasier to customize products according

to dierent application phases, existingnetwork conditions and the current statuso the billing eld.

OCS

Huaweis OCS is in the same positionas the OCS deined by the 3GPP. heOCS is the irst phase o the operatorsevolution towards end-to-end convergentbilling. he OCS enables rating andcharging based on transactions and events.It oers some traditional IN unctions,

such as announcement playing, numbercollection, and voucher management.However, it does not oer the billingunction. Te OCS is able to oer Web-based customer care itsel or integrate withthe external customer care system or thecustomer relationship management (CRM)system through the web service interace.

he Huawei OCS is proposed tooperators who serve both prepaid and post-paid subscribers in similar proportions butdo not have a pressing need or convergent

billing on prepaid and post-paid services.By using the Huawei OCS, operators canprovide abundant tari plans or packagesto prepaid subscribers and shorten thetime-to-market or new charging eatures.

Compared wi th the end- to-endconvergent billing solution, the OCSrequires less network reconstructionand consequently less risk. he prepaidsystem and the post-paid system requiredierent deployment schemes andnetwork resources. For example, in a largenetwork, the OCS should be deployedin a distributed way to guarantee highperormance. Oline charging systemscan be constructed in a concentratedmode. Prepaid subscribers need real-timeresponse or charging, and good signaling

links should be allocated to bear real-timeresponses. Post-paid subscribers do notneed real-time charging, and less links areneeded. Te OCS and the ofine chargingsystem can be deployed separately tosimpliy the network architecture, makingit even more ecient and cost-eective.

CBS

Te Huawei CBS supports end-to-endconvergent billing or online and olinecharging, or prepaid, post-paid and

hybrid subscribers, and or all networks.he Huawei CBS provides a rich varietyo unctionalities, including chargingaccess, rating, balance management,charging o, account receivable, IVR,voucher management, partner relationshipmanagement ( s e t t l ement ) , s e rv i c eprovisioning, customer care, and CRM. Itdoes not oer business intelligence (BI) oroperation support system (OSS) unctions.o meet project requirements, however,the Huawei CBS can integrate with third-

party systems such as the existing customercare or CRM system.he Huawei CBS is proposed to

operators who are constructing whole-newnetworks, newly licensed, or those needingconvergent billing on prepaid and post-paidservices. It is also proposed to operatorswho expect to reduce their OPEX throughend-to-end convergent billing.

By using CBS rom the beginning, anoperator with a new network or new licensecan have a much stronger BSS than their Editor: Pan Tao [email protected]

competitors and support exible marketingstrategies. For other operators, the adoptiono the CBS in the entire network can avoidthe ormation o multiple stovepipebilling systems and signiicantly decreasethe OPEX.

Previously, an operator whose prepaidsubscribers were above the 90 percent mighthave the need to construct a BSS to supportthe remaining 10 percent o post-paidsubscribers, and despite heavy investment,the operator still might not get good post-sale service. Now operators using the HuaweiCBS can have one uniied system to meetall subscriber requirements, improve theirexperiences and cut the OPEX.

Successfulimplementation

he Huawei OCS/CBS has been aresounding success or China MobileGuangdong, Mobile-8 in Indonesia, andNovator in Iceland. AIS in hailand andKPN in the Netherlands are also deployingthe solution.

he OCS has enabled China MobileGuangdong to oer their customersnumber portability (NP) between prepaidand post-paid mode whi le keeping

balances and counters. Te real-time creditcontrol unction decreases bad debt risksamong post-paid subscribers, and theconvergence o online charging and ofinecharging acilitates system integration.

Mobile-8 has decreased their networkOPEX with an end-to-end CBS and oersmany customer-centered operations andservices, such as uniied settlement andunied top-up. Te OCS/CBS systems oChina Mobile Guangdong and Mobile-8have been running stably and smoothly

since implementation. Collectively, withover ten million satised subscribers, thesesuccess stories oer a true testament to thehigh perormance and reliability o thesystems.

CBS construction is now includedin the aorementioned operator Xsannual plan. By constructing the newsystem, operator X can expect to removeany barriers to state-o-the-art BSSdevelopment.

13-solution--reshape your billing support system

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