TELECOM

Having a huge customer base and vast network coverage across the nation does earn a lot of profits for an organization, but it also brings manageability and maintenance issues. This is what the telecom industry is about, and a major challenge for this sector is to keep track of the usage by each subscriber across a large area. Therefore, having an appropriate billing process along with the right software is extremely critical for the telecom sector, and the choice is between both homegrown and commercial packages. Let's look at the various billing processes that telecom operators have.

In a situation where a telecom operator makes use of the network of another service provider, to carry its calls to a location where it does not have network coverage, interconnect billing comes into the picture. And the telecom operator has to pay the carrier for these services, referred to as IUC (Interconnect Usage Charges). For instance, a Hutch subscriber in Delhi has to call somebody in Mumbai. Now Hutch does not have a network in Mumbai, but it has tied up with another service provider there, which is Orange. This still does not solve the purpose, as Hutch cannot send wireless signals all the way to Mumbai, so it needs a medium through which the signals can be sent. For this, Hutch uses the network of Bharti Telesonic Ltd

(BTSOL).

This way the call will have changed three networks by the time it connects to the receiver. The billing for this type of a connection is a complex process as there are a number of service providers involved. Orange will charge BTSOL for using their network and BTSOL will in turn charge Hutch for using its network. Hutch will then have to incorporate these charges in the subscriber's bill and also keep track of how much it has to pay BTSOL and Orange for using their network. Hutch uses a software called INTC to keep track of there interconnect billing.

If a service provider is offering roaming facility, then it again has to tap into the network of other service providers, which have a setup and are providing services in the areas where the customer goes or tries to use the roaming facility. This process of

tapping into other service provider's network and others using yours is referred to as Tap in, Tap out.

Abody, known as the 'Data Clearing House' keeps a track of all service providers that may have tapped into other networks. Based on the data provided by this body, the service providers settle their accounts. A software called BSCS is used by Hutch to generate bills for their roaming operations.

The billing of local calls can be divided into two categories: Prepaid and Postpaid. For prepaid billing, Hutch uses software called Intelligent Network from Siemens. The special feature of this software is that it lets the service provider do online rating, meaning the account balance of a subscriber can be updated or checked from a remote location using the wireless network. The software generates output in the form of Intelligent Network tickets. This gives the service provider the freedom to use these tickets in whichever way it wants to. In case of Hutch, they have developed an additional interface that takes inputs in the form of these tickets and displays the same information on a user-friendly interface. This makes it easier for the customer care executives to retrieve the information they need. 

By Ankit Kawatra