Subscriber and Charging

Management

A. K. Singhal
Dy. General Manager (SW IV)
 Popularly Known as

Billing and Customer Care

System
(BCCS)
 Agenda
• Some trends in Mobile Communications

• BCCS Architecture for Mobile Networks

• Functional components of BCCS

• Special considerations for mobile communications

in BCCS
 Agenda
• Some trends in Mobile Communications
• BCCS Architecture for Mobile Networks
• Functional components of a Customer Care
and Billing System
• Special considerations for mobile
communications in customer care and
billing
 General Trends

• Billing & Customer Care is considered to be

THE competitive advantage
• Wireless support systems tend to be more
integrated than landline systems
• There are many new operators, time to market
is critical
• Smaller operator are looking for complete
turnkey solutions (sometimes with outsourcing)
 Service Provider Needs
• Lower customer support costs
• Improve the quality and responsiveness of
customer care with 24x7 customer care
• Log, process, and audit customer requests
• Rapidly update and change the customer
interface with Quick deployment
• Easily integrate with existing systems
• Ensure a secure environment
 B&CCS – A convergent
Billing Platform
-An integrated customer care, billing, Fraud
Security & complaint Management platform

-Support billing for Tele, Bearer & Supple.

services, GPRS, WAP, IN services.

-Provides electronic versions of bills to the

customers over the Internet.

- Provides convergent billing, Single window

Support for Multiple Services
Wireline
Data Services
Domestic
Packet-based
International
Usage-based
Virtual Private Networks
Bandwidth-based
Freephone
Leased Lines
Long Distance
Frame Relay
Local Mobile
Internet
Dial-up Access AMPS/CDMA/TDMA
Supported GSM
Dedicated Access
Telephony/Fax Services Paging
Web Hosting Data

Broadband Enhanced Services

CATV Calling Card
Pay-per-view Voice Messaging/FAX
Telephony Video Conferencing
Internet
Objectives & Functions of B&CCS

 Collection of CDRs from MSCs

 Distribution of CDR to various applications
 Provide effective & efficient customer service
Timely and accurately invoicing of Call Details
 Discounting schemes to the subscribers
 To Support differential tariffing
 To Support cross-product discounting
Customer care for service request, bill enquiry
. Invoice calculation, formatting, dispatch

- Provisioning of both pre and post-paid billing

- Number inventory and SIM management

- Accounting of payments & receivables.

- Roaming support and billing in TAP format.

- Flexible & customisable bill presentation

 Agenda
• Some trends in Mobile Communications
• BCCS Architecture for Mobile Networks
• Functional components of a Customer Care
and Billing System
• Special considerations for mobile
communications in customer care and
billing
 Components Of B&CCS

– Mediation Device

– Billing and Customer Care Module

– Decision Support System (DSS)

– Printing Sub-system
 Complete System Block
Network
Diagram
GPRS/
UMTS Cisco IT
Systems
Billing &
Rating

Lucent
Mobile Fraud&Call
Siemens
Analysis
Billing
Cable Mediation Inter-
Fixed Nortel
X.25 LAN / WAN
IN connect
Service
Alcatel
ATM Activation
Data
Data Ericsson Warehouse

Satellite Other
NEs
Other
Billing
Internet Mediation

Front End
(MD, Tape Emulators)
Sample Process Flow
Reporting Tool
External
9 Print
12 Vendor
12 11
Billing/Rating Web Based Self Care
6
10

External Payment
Interfaces

8 Order Management

2 Customer Care
3

Usage Network
Mediation Provisioning
1
4
7

5
Mobile Network
 Functions of Mediation Device

• Collection
•Processing
•CDR Sequence number
•Time Gap Detection
•Scheduling
•Monitoring
•Distribution
•Selection & validation
•consolidation
 PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENT

• 10 M CDR per day & peak rate of 3 M per hour.

• Support CDR Data format of ASN.I and ASCII

• Support X.25, RS-232, TCP/IP interface

• System run on UNIX

• Architecture is based on OSI

 Annexure-I
Local Area Network
Billing Location

Router Decision Support System

MSC 1
Central Router
Router Service Provisioning NMS
Server
MSC 2 Network for Customer
Care Terminals
Mediation
Servers
MSC 3
Router

Level 1 Router Customer care Nodes

Billing Server

Up to total of 20 locations

Connectivity Between MSC and Billing Location

 Components of B&CCM

i. Customer Service Module

ii. Order Management Module

iii. Smart Card Handling

iv. Service Provisioning module

v. Billing Module
Functions of Customer Service Module

•Account search functionality - to determine

whether the customer is an existing, former or
new customer. It also holds Address, Tel. No., E-
Mail address of the customer.

Payment and Instalments plans: Records

payment information for an account. It must
also accept variety of payment modes and also
shall offer real time credit card verification.

• Supports online Invoice Review / Hot billing

Payment Process & Collection: Single payment
can be split into smaller payments. Direct debits
can also be arranged from banks.

•Credit notes: History of all payment will be

maintained and termination or reconnection can
be advised by the system.

• Customer information Handling: Handles &

maintains Customer Record and the types of
subscriptions.

• Complaint Management: Complaints will be

logged with unique ID and will be analysed.
 Annexure-II
Level 2 Router
Client 1

Level 1 Router Level 1 Router

Client 2

B&CCS
Level 2 Router

Client 50
Local Area
Network – Level 1 Router
Level 2 Router
Billing Location

50 Clients
Level 1 Router Level 1 Router
Network Management
System

Connectivity for 250 Customer Terminals to Billing System

 Order Management Key
Concepts
• Order entry and management
• Workflow creation and management
• Integration with external processes and sub-
systems
• Number inventory
• SIM card inventory and Management

34
 SIM Management
Interface to order SIM
cards from manufacturer

SIM inventory status Manufacturer sends

updated when activated list to OM
Support for
SIM

OM maintains Physical cards to

status on all cards sales channels
 Billing System

Following processes are carried out in the

billing system:
i. Real time and batch usage processing.
II. Post-paid threshold and pre-paid billing

iii. Support traffic,rental, roaming charges.

iv. Individual tariffing and special tariff
plans can be supported.
v. Aggregated usage discount.
Functions of the Billing System

– Wholesale and Third Party Billing.

– Credit limit check.
– Interconnect Agreement.
– Archiving.
– Find a valid but errored CDR.

– To correct the error and route it back

into the billing process.
 Contd:-
• Support different invoice cycles including
annual, monthly, bi-monthly, quarterly, weekly
and even daily cycles.
• Support GSM-specific roaming rating and
billing features using standard TAP format.
• Apply taxes from multiple jurisdictions
(country, state, city etc.).
• Support customisable tax structure prevailing in
the country
 Service Provisioning Module
• Provisioning of service features by
managing the databases of HLR, AUC etc.
• Creation/ Deletion of Subscribers
•Activation/ Deactivation of new services.
•SIM allocation and activation.
•Provisioning of Automatic Roaming.
•Can be customized to support various
networks of different vendors.
 Decision Support System (DSS)

Decision Support System is a software tool, which

addresses the issues like customer satisfaction,
competition, deregulation, convergence, falling
prices, customer loyalty etc.
Objectives of DSS:
•To help in analyzing the churn
•To help in acquiring the best customer
•To keep customers satisfied
•Improve the profitability of products & services
•Able to accept external data & is Web enabled.
 PRINTING SUBSYSTEM
• Laser Printer on A4 Sheets, Resolution 300 dpi
• Operating Environment: TCP/IP, NETBUI,
UNIX, Window 95, 98, NT
•Two Colours printing on both sides and
merging of Logos and Signatures.
• Support insertion of messages, Advertisement
•Location based Sorting
•90 impression per minutes
•Inserting Device-
•5 sheets per envelope
•Seal envelope
 End User Customer Needs

• Your customers with Internet access can use the

web to:
– Register and activate new products and services online
– Obtain account status, history, and detailed billing
information
– Change their account and service profile
– Correspond with customer service
• Internet, dial in access, or private networks
• 24hrs a day, 7 days a week, 365 days/year
 Convergent Packaging

• The ordering/billing
system must be able to Convergent
Package

support the offering of

convergent price plans
(and do it simply!)
GSM Internet
• For example, GSM Service Service
Data
Service

service with internet

service and data service.
• Pricing options must be
supported.
 The Convergent Bill

• All Services must appear

Invoice 253451 on a single invoice
GSM Service 17.95
Internet Service 12.95
• Summary charges vs.
Paging Service 5.95 Detail charges
Discount -2.95 • Special Discounting
Total 33.90
• Cross Product Discounting
Detail on page 2 • Single Payment or Partial
Payment Application