Hello lizardnation-ga,
Here is an interesting article on WISP billing:
"Smart Billing/Management for Broadband Wireless ISPs" By Robert
Hoskins
June/July 2001 Shorecliff Communications
http://www.shorecliffcommunications.com/magazine/volume.asp?Vol=16&story=161
A comparison of some of the billing solutions providers in the WISP
area
from DigitalPoint.com
http://www.digitalpoint.com/products/isp/compare.html
The matrix is fairly comprehensive but much of the technical
specification that you have supplied could not be judged through this
comparison.
Some of the billing providers which I did look into, and were
'interesting' were:
IEA Software
http://www.iea-software.com/products/emerald
Rodopi
http://www.rodopi.com/products/version5-3/version5-3.htm
SISD
http://www.sisd.com/freeside
Boardtown
http://www.boardtown.com/platypus/features.asp
Trivnet
http://www.trivnet.com/product/Detailed_Feature_List.html
Mobility Networks
http://www.mobilitynetworks.com/overview
Logisense corporation
http://www.indcl.com/engageip_hotspot.html
Qualution
http://www.qualution.com/functionality.html
an outsourced solution:
Billing Edge Solutions
http://billingedgesolutions.com/html/services.html
I drew up a short list of the most promising billing solutions
providers and emailed them to verify if they could provide all the
functionality required from your technical specification. Only one
company replied which 'may' suggest the others could not satisfy all
the criteria of your technical spec.
I received the following response from Service Factory's
Anders Blomberg
Business Development
Anders.Blomberg@ServiceFactory.se
cell +46 705529111
Service Factory AB
Årstaängsvägen 17,
117 43 Stockholm, Sweden
"Our current service creation offers are based on Broadband Access and
Wireless Access (Hotspots) but can handle any access technology based
on IP.
The purpose of our system is to quickly enable service and access in
different levels and dimensions in a very easy way, "Out-of-the-box".
Usually are business offers separated in different levels, where the
rolls not are easy to define and might change and overlap over time.
Usually are somebody running the network, the Operator as in the PTT
Telia , where all different logical business levels are given. Some
other actors would act as a Virtual operator (VISP), as in a customer
owners, for instants leas holders, as Regus office hotels, who are
providing offers to there end customers and internal users.
Both the operator and/or the VISP often need and want to brand their
name on solutions and portals as well as login pages. They usually
also want to separate billing information, collected in the system.
The collected information, then often need to be formatted and sent in
a translated way to the business owner and fit into his regular
invoicing system and go on the customers regular bill.
At the same time could local content be provided to anybody attaching
to the network. This can be done in for instants a wall garden,
showing maps, local offers, cafeteria menu etc.
All these relations need to be maintained, changed and have the
ability to create their local, unique offers. Otherwise will they just
be an other internet access provider without a sustainable business
model.
Going forward will there also be additional levels of players such as
the micro billing Content providers. Content provider like Disney
Interactive and CNN very will offer their content using their own
brand and billing someone else end customer, relaying on someone else
infrastructure.
Why Service Factory?
The reason to Service Factories market leader ship are the fact that
we already have several Telco's and ISP´s as customer, amongst them
Telia Homerun, http://www.homerun.telia.com offering Wireless Hotspot
all over North Europe, as well as Skanova, Telia carrier and
transmission owner, relaying there entire provisioning based on our
system, Orbyte Wireless Systems Extended (OWSE). Also TeleDenmark
(TDC), Tiscali , Telia UK, Telefornicas Iobox and Megabeam who all
are offering services based on OWSE. Totally it adds up to more than
2.000.000 users being provisioned through our system; ORBYTE.
Besides the fact that we are the largest Hotspot SW provider in
Europe, do we have a product created out of 150 man-year of
development inside Telia, one of north Europe's largest Telco. If you
want to read more about the financial facts;
http://www.tornado-insider.com/radar/compShow.asp?compID=3469
One of our investors, Brainhart Capital performed a very successful
seminar some weeks ago where you also can read about all the material
presented at that seminar: http://www.brainheart.com
If you are interested in more in-depth reading regarding Wireless
Hotspot http://www.80211-planet.com/news/article/0,4000,1481_910631,00.html
Or get access to an external report:
http://www.alliedworld.com/servlets/ResearchDetails?productid=WLPS01
More Links:
http://www.ericsson.com/press/20020709-085722.html
http://cellular-news.com/story/7125.shtml
http://reiter.weblogger.com/2002/07/09
http://www.vidi.hr/_racunala/index.php3?id=07990#udica
http://www.unstrung.com/document.asp?doc_id=18675&page_number
Exhibition Germany
http://www.euroforum.de/events/aussteller.asp?SID=welcome&sel=A&pnr=p15107
[his interlaced response to your technical specification below]
billing solution for a wireless broadband service in the States which
is /can:
1. A complete billing solution suitable for hostspots where there's no
outsourcing of any part of it.
> SF: All provisioning components are in the Orbyte System
2. Has the ability to run on one of the flovors of Unix. Meaning, no
MS platform requirement can be accepted.
> SF: No components are based on MS. Use mainly BSD Unix
3. Supports prepaid and allows the user to creat an account and refill
it in the future with vouchers.
> SF: Already provided to multiple customers with ease of use and
administration
4. Supports multiple pricing plans.
> SF: Individual rating can be used with export of appropriate CDR
records
5. Bandwidth management per hotspot.
> SF: Part of the standard product and are one of the service levels
and product definitions to be chosen from.
6. Controls maximum concurrent users per hotspot.
> SF: Provided as default
7. Supports roaming between our own hotspots and others as well as
globally through GRIC or i-Pass.
> SF: Supported and transparent. Also support Radius Roaming are used
in the Telia Magabeam case. The only WISPs in Europe that roam.
8. Supports revenue sharing between us and the property owner.
> SF: Yes. We also have the ability to offer Wholesale to other
parties. This are more and more used to resell capacity in existing
networks.
9. Allows users to view and change their account information as well
as passwords.
> SF: If needed do we have a signup server that enable self
management. Need to understand if this also include need to change
Cell phone authentication.
10. Supports credit cards as a good plus.
> SF: Supported in the Signup server
11. Allows for peek and non-peek rate management and quality
management. Meaning if a client pays for a higher rate, they can get
better performance than those on a more economical plan.
> SF: Different service levels are supported
12. Supports AAA.
> SF: Based on AAA and include Radius extension
13. An API is a plus.
> SF: Provided and used by most larger customers to integrate with
legacy systems like system management, customer databases etc.
14. Licensing is either rental or purchase.
> SF: Both! Can also be used as ASP service.
15. Control simultaneous logins by the same account, that doesn't mean
we don't want multiple logins, but have the ability to charge twice
for the second and so on.
> SF: Provided both to allow and reject.
16. Support for local portals with the ability to allow
unauthenticated users to see them. I think they call them Walled
Garden.
> SF: Advanced filter settings are provided to allow this as well as
choice of payment, authorization and invoicing.
17. Ability to report problems via an online support form without
authentication.
> SF: Supported. Could be used in the same way as 16 above"
Search Strategy:
Google > Computers > Software > Industry-Specific > Telecommunications
> Wireless > Platforms
http://directory.google.com/Top/Computers/Software/Industry-Specific/Telecommunications/Wireless/Platforms/
Wireless ISP Billing & Management Systems
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=+Wireless+ISP+Billing+%26+Management+Systems+&btnG=Google+Search
WISP Billing Management Systems
://www.google.com/search?q=+WISP+Billing+Management+Systems+&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&start=10&sa=N
If you need any clarification of the answer, just ask.
kind regards
lot-ga |
