Download Transaction platform

Content Enabling Billing
Platform
T-Systems
Business Models
Requirements
Solution
Implementation
Mobile Billing Systems 2004
Budapest, September 27th, 2004
Christoph Appel, T-Systems
[email protected]
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ConEBi - Content Enabling & Billing Platform
© T-Systems 2004
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ConEBi - Content Enabling & Billing Platform
Motivation

Klaus Elix, CTO AMS:
“Mobile network operators cannot afford to wait and see which
content and services will satisfy end customers. They now have
to actively look for partners providing mobile content, and to
play, test and adjust the applications to be successful. Low
flexibility, weak infrastructure as well as vague agreements for
revenue sharing and the billing process with content providers
will restrict the network operator‘s scope and threaten his
financial success.“
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ConEBi - Content Enabling & Billing Platform
Content

Business models for selling content

Requirements for a content enabling platform

Solution

Technical implementation
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Content

Business models for selling content

Requirements for a content enabling platform

Solution

Technical implementation
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Business models for selling content
Three major parties:



Network operator/ISP
Content provider
End customer
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Content
provider
End
customer
Network
operator/
ISP
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Business models for selling content
The network operator/ISP can act as:
 Reseller,
 Service Partner, or
Content
provider
 3rd Party Enabler.
These roles differ in:
 Legal relations
 Delivery relations
 Ownership of tariffs and products
 Ownership of customers
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End
customer
Network
operator/
ISP
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Business model reseller
Content
provider
Contract
regarding
delivery of
content
End
customer
Network
operator/
ISP
Contract
regarding
transport and
content
A mobile network operator purchases content from a
content provider and sells it under its own brand.
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Business model 3rd party enabler
Content
provider
Contract
regarding
enabling
services
Without enabling services,
this business model
corresponds to today‘s
payment on the internet.
Contract
regarding
content
Network
operator/
ISP
End
customer
Contract
regarding
transport
CP markets content on his own responsibility, purchases
enabling services (e.g. location information) from NO.
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Business model service partner
Content
provider
Contract
regarding
transport of
content
(and enabling
services)
Optional:
Contract
regarding
content
Network
operator/
ISP
End
customer
Contract
regarding
transport
(and content)
Content provider markets content in co-operation with
network operator.
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Business models: Variations and Derivations

Commissioning
Instead of some fixed share, the partner receives a revenue-dependent
commission for the delivered content

Factoring
The NO/ISP buys the (end customer) receivables from the content
provider, then carrying out billing and collection
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ConEBi - Content Enabling & Billing Platform
Content

Business models for selling content

Requirements for a content enabling platform

Solution

Technical implementation
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Requirements for a content enabling platform (1/3)


Verification of coverage and fraud prevention before
content is purchased, and
Definition of usage limits, because
 Depending on the business model, the loss of bad
debts is accounted to the content provider or
network operator
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Requirements for a content enabling platform (2/3)

Delayed processing of Call Detail Records due to batch
processing should be avoided, else one could encounter:
 Overdrawing of prepaid accounts or budgets
 Insufficient or delayed fraud detection
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Requirements for a content enabling platform (3/3)

Revenue sharing between network operators and content
providers
 Settlement of receivables between network operator
and content providers has to be reproducible
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Requirements for coverage verification
One-tiered scenario
End customer
Content provider
NO/ISP
Service request
Accounting request
Service delivery
Accounting verification
Intention is transactional security during content delivery
 Transaction platform
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Requirements for coverage verification
Two-tiered scenario
End customer
Content provider
Service request
Service delivery
NO/ISP
Coverage check req
Coverage verification
(with expiry date)
Accounting request
Accounting verification
Intention is transactional security during content delivery
 Transaction platform
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ConEBi - Content Enabling & Billing Platform
Content

Business models for selling content

Requirements for a content enabling platform

Solution

Technical implementation
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Solution





A transaction platform manages authentication checks and
coverage verification and generates CDRs
An additional InterProviderBilling system (iProB) is introduced for
settlement between network operator and content providers
The already existing retail billing systems of network operator and
service providers is connected to the transaction platform
Various options (protocols and formats) for connecting to the
transaction platform are offered to the content providers
Benefit for the telco: The company-critical end customer billing
system remains untouched!
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Data flow for reselling (and service partner model)
Content
Authentication/Authorisatio
n
Accounting data
Enabling services (optional)
Content
provider
(11)
15
16
End customer
17
1
Content
Portal
Enabling
services
(12)
(10)
9
2
Transaction platform
Only the most
important flows are
shown,
depending on the
implementation the
exact order may vary.
(13)
(14)
18
4
3
iProB
7 + 19
8 + 20
5
6
Retail
billing
Network operator/ISP
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Data flow for 3rd party enabling
Only the most
important flows are
shown,
depending on the
implementation the
exact order may vary.
(12)
End customer
15
1
Content
Authentication/Authorisatio
n
Accounting data
Enabling services (optional)
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Content
provider
(13)
(10)
9
2
Transaction platform
(11)
Enabling
services
(14)
16
4
3
7 + 17
8 + 18
5
6
iProB
Retail
billing
Network operator/ISP
ConEBi - Content Enabling & Billing Platform
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ConEBi - Content Enabling & Billing Platform
Content

Business models for selling content

Requirements for a content enabling platform

Solution

Technical implementation
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Technical implementation
The transaction platform is best implemented using EAI:
Well-defined business processes with status information
 Distribution of data between several applications
 Connecting applications with different data formats and
protocols
 Transaction concept excludes loss of data (which would be
intolerable)
 Statistics regarding data flows and content transactions are
provided, being essential for controlling and business
development
 The transaction platform may become mission-critical!

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Benefits of the solution (1/3)


Existing systems need not be touched
EAI adapts to the existing systems‘ interfaces


The solution fits best into the existing IT infrastructure
The existing retail billing needs not (necessarily) be changed
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Benefits of the solution (2/3)



No restrictions as regards the nature of content and method
of payment
Modularity and extensibility, no monolithic architecture
Quick adaptation of the business logic configured in the EAI
tool to new business requirements


Flexibility
Short time-to-market
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Benefits of the solution (3/3)

Processes via EAI are transaction safe, reproducible and
analysable



Auditing acceptability
Input for billing/accounting
Input for statistical analysis/Data warehouse
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Conclusion
Webshop
How to sell content?
Vitria
Singl.eView
Auwahl Content/
Anfrage mit Username/Passwort
Eingabe Username/
Verifikation Username/Passwort
Passwort
Preisberechnung
Budgetprüfung
OK und Preis
Bestätigung
Bestätigung
(oder Abbruch)
Preisberechnung
Budgetreservierung
Bereitstellung Content
Bestätigung OK und „Freischaltcode“
Download
Download
Umsatz verbuchen
(oder Stornierung)
Content „löschen“
Reporting
Contentserver
Report
Content download is more than surfing the WWW it is a complex business transaction
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Conclusion

Not sufficient to just set up a new, dedicated billing system for
partner billing

A platform able to handle different business models is needed,
a platform enabling a carrier to quickly and flexibly implement
new business models

The requirements can be dealt with:
T-Systems has realized the presented architecture in form of a
showcase
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Contact
Here you can reach us...
Dr. Klaus Winkelmann
SOE Manager Billing
T-Systems GEI GmbH , Darmstadt
Phone: +49 6151 820 9100
[email protected]
Christoph Appel
Consultant
T-Systems GEI GmbH , Darmstadt
Phone: +49 6151 820 9790
[email protected]
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Backup
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Possible extensions

Extension by inclusion of Service Level Management, as shown
in the Catalyst Project „IP Interconnect & Content Settlement“:

Permanent monitoring of service quality for certain service
(e.g. video streaming)

Customer receives refunds in case of SLA violations

Service quality monitoring enables to determine, which partner is
responsible for the SLA violation (net operator, content provider, ...)

SLA-violations are incorporated into the inter provider billing:
Customer refund is paid by the partner being responsible
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