Evolution of BSS Billing System in Mobile Services and IoT

As telecom companies shift their focus from enhancing networks to improving customers’ experience, the role of a BSS billing system has become more important than ever before. Due to this requirement of CSPs (Communication Service Providers), many modules of billing OSS systems have transformed into standalone tools. 

The Journey from Customer Management Modules to CRM

As erstwhile billing essentials like customer management modules faded into oblivion, it gave rise to a new phenomenon that goes by the name of CRM (Customer Relationship Management) tool. Nowadays, a CRM serves as a one-stop-shop for all customer-related information. It has become the most important tool in the armory of a customer support agent, with the help of which he is able to provide timely solutions and resolve all customers’ query. Another recent phenomenon in a BSS billing system has come in the form of product catalogs that can now be used for defining dependencies between products, sales rules etc.

The Rise of Pricing Algorithms in Modern BSS Billing System

Due to so many parallel developments in the field of billing OSS systems, we have seen a rise in the development of pricing algorithms that are deemed essential for creating price plans. These price plans can be implemented for tiered pricing, periodic fees and usage-based charging. By offering versatility in pricing, new pricing algorithms can help telcos in creating new strategies for wooing customers.

Importance of IoT Billing System

Right now, telecom companies are at a juncture where they need to be proactive in meeting the future requirements. The rise of IoT and its immense potential has made it essential for telcos to devise an IoT billing system that can meet the pressing demands of businesses in the near future.

IoT (Internet of Things) is a technology that allows devices to connect with each other and share data through an internet connection. It has wide scope in different industries such as health, pharmaceutical, manufacturing, agriculture etc. However, there is still a need for devising a trustworthy IoT billing system that can be used for keeping track of billions of IoT transactions taking place across the globe.

The Need for IoT MVNE 

Telecom industry has found interesting avenues to maximize the utilization of telecom resources. The solution has been found in the form of a symbiotic MNO (Mobile Network Operator), MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator) and MVNE (Mobile Virtual Network Enabler) relationship. An MNO sells its underutilized resources like voice calls, SMS etc. to an MVNO, who in turn, sells them to subscribers at a lower rate. The MNO gets a constant revenue stream and MVNO are able to thrive and do their business. In this MNO and MVNO relationship, an MVNE can play a role in facilitating the establishment of infrastructure for an MVNO. MVNE can also buy resources directly from an MNO and sell them at much cheaper rates to MVNO. 

The role of an IoT MVNE is even more crucial in the current scheme of things, owing to the increased complexity in establishing an IoT network and managing IoT transactions. An IoT MVNE who has IoT expertise can manage the network operations along with billing transactions for an IoT MVNO and can help him meet the evolving requirements of IoT business.

big data processing technologies