Phone Service Feature

Sandvine, a provider of intelligent broadband network solutions, has claimed that the newest version of their Usage Management product is capable of addressing the growing trend of upgrading all-you-can-eat service plans with pre- and post-paid service plans. The product can be deployed in all access technologies and provides unified charging for converged networks.

The Usage Management release 3.1 introduces a new Record Generator license that adds the capabilities to the Usage Management product and complements the support for mobile data pre-paid charging, announced earlier this year. This product supports detailed and accurate charging requirements for post-paid service plans using an interface to Offline Charging Systems (OFCS) and provides customizable, policy-based usage data records based on highly flexible network policy rules, triggered by time or volume.

It also supports a variety of use cases, such as usage record transfer to Operational Support Systems (OSS) for customer bill auditing, or for back-up of Online Charging Systems (OCS), seamlessly interoperates with third party billing network elements within mobile, fixed and converged networks using customizable data record formats and integrates into legacy and 3G mobile networks and offers seamless migration into future 4G networks.

Tom Donnelly, enterprise vice president of marketing and sales at Sandvine (News - Alert) said that it is no longer about the broadband-connected home but about the broadband-connected individual. Service providers worldwide are looking for tools that enable their subscribers to stay within their service plans regardless of when, where or how they connect to the network. By enabling targeted pre- and post-paid service plans, subscribers are empowered to choose the applications and services they want, and pay for exactly what they use.

The company has claimed that their network-agnostic usage management product is tailored for service providers deploying Policy and Charging Control (PCC) standards-based networks. As part of the Sandvine Service Creation solution suite, Usage Management is the foundation upon which to establish and extend the value of the Internet connection. These solutions are to enable the delivery of subscriber-oriented service plans to facilitate a seamless and accelerated entry into service differentiation.