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AccountingandBillingofWirelessInternetServicesintheThirdGenerationNetworks1222PäiviKallio,GiovanniCortese,RobertoTiella,AlessandroZorer1VTTElectronics,Kaitoväylä1,90571Oulu,FinlandTel.:+358400963214Fax:+35885512320eMail:paivi.kallio@vtt.fi2SodaliaS.p.A,ViaValentinaZambran.1,38100Trento,ItalyTel.;+390461316111Fax:+390461316663eMail:{cortese,tiella,zorer}@sodalia.itAbstract.ThedevelopmentofthewirelessInternetmarketanditsstructureisdrivenbydifferingindustryfundamentalsandtherevenuederivedfromcontentandcontent-relatedservicesisexpectedtoincreasesignificantlyforallactorswithinthewirelessindustry.Providingflexibleandscalableaccountingandbillingsystemswillbeessentialforsuccesswhenofferingwirelessservicestoendcustomers.Thewirelessserviceprovidershavedifficultiesinbillingtheircustomersduetotheirinabilitytoassociatecustomertransactionswithnetworkusage,correlatedatafrommultiplesourcesandflexiblysupporttheemergingbillingmodels.Inthispaperanaccountingandbillingmodelforthetwowire-lessservicesispresented.Theevaluationoftheservicesprovedthatthenumberofrolesandpartnersinthewirelessservicesishugeandthatsolutionslikeac-countingagentsandbillingmediationserversareneededfortrackingcustomertransactionsanddirectingtheaccountingandbillingbetweenthepartners.Keywords:Accounting,billing,wireless,Internet1.IntroductionDifferingindustryfundamentalshavebeendrivingthedevelopmentofthewirelessInternetmarketanditsstructureinEurope,USAandJapan.InEuropetheairinter-facestandardsareuniform,thenetworkqualityisgoodandmessagingishighlyusedandfixed-lineInternetrelativelyhighlyused.Therevenuederivedfromcontentandcontent-relatedservicesisexpectedtoin-creasesignificantlyforallactorswithinboththewirelessandInternetProtocol(IP)industries,and,therefore,awell-formulatedbusinessmodelwillgiveacompetitiveadvantageovertheotherwirelesscompanies[1].Theincreasednumberofactorsinthewirelessvaluechainisfacedwiththefollowingchallenges:·Agrowingcomplexityofinteroperabilityamongproviders’serviceelements.·Settlingrevenuethroughoutthevaluechainshouldbemanageableandsoftware driven.·Theabsenceofindustrystandardsforinterfacingalltheinvolvedserviceele-ments.·TheuniquecharacterofGeneralPacketRadioService(GPRS)infrastructurerequiresanewaccountingandbillingmodel.Accountingisaccordingtothedefinition:"...theprocessofkeepingtrackofauser'sactivitywhileaccessingthenetworkre-sources,includingtheamountoftimespentinthenetwork,theservicesaccessedwhilethereandtheamountofdatatransferredduringthesession.Accountingdataisusedfortrendanalysis,capacityplanning,billing,auditingandcostallocation."[3]Theprovidersofwirelessservicescannotcurrentlyeffectivelybilltheircustomersforthewirelessservicesduetotheirinabilityto:·Associatecustomertransactionsandnetworkusageinreal-time;·Correlatedatafrommultiplesources,suchasnetworkusageevents,transactionsandcontentpurchases;·FlexiblysupportemergingbillingmodelsTheaimofthisresearchistodevelopanaccountingandbillingmodelforthewirelessservicesbyresearchingtheliteratureandevaluatingtwowirelessservicesthatareunderdevelopmentfortheThirdGeneration(3G)networks.Thefirstserviceisatradingserviceforbanksandbrokers,andtheotherisamulti-playergame.Inthispapertherolesofthecompaniesinthewirelessbusinessarehandledfirst,thentherequirementsofaccountingandbillinginwirelessservicesand,finally,anaccountingandbillingmodelforthetwocase-exampleservicesispresented.2.TheRolesoftheCompaniesinaWirelessBusinessandtheirBillingRolesInawirelessbusinessallcompaniescanplayseveralrolesandcommunicatedirectlywitheachotherinspiteoftheirrole.Severalcategorizationsofthecompany'srolesinthewirelessbusinessexist,andasmanyspeculationsaboutitsfutureroles.Thepossi-blerolesofthewirelesscompanies([5],[2])arepresentedinTable1:Table1.RolesofthecompaniesinawirelessbusinessRoleDescriptionContentDevelopsoriginalcontentforvariousdistributionchannelsorProvider(CP)aggregatecontentthatothershavecreated.NetworkSellsnetworkcapacitytoconsumersviaserviceprovidersena-Operator(NO)blingtheuseofservicesTechnologyProducesmobile-enableddevices,applicationplatformsandProvidercomponentsandstoragetechnologiesandbasicoperatingenvi-ronments.ApplicationProvidesremotehosting,services,maintenanceandupgradesofServicePro-applicationsandthusenablebusinessestocontacttheircustom- vider(ASP)ersviaamobilechannel.ServiceSellsmobiletelecommunicationsservicestothesubscribersProviderandtakescareofthebilling,customerrelationshipsandmar-keting.CustomerUsesservicesdefinedbytheservicearchitectureInthecase-exampleservices,multipleprovidersareinvolvedinthevaluechain,supplyingpartoftheend-to-endservicedeliveredtothefinalcustomer.Eachofthepartnersinthevaluechainshouldbepaidforthepartofserviceprovided.ThefollowingFiguredescribesthetransactionflowsforbillingtothefinalcus-tomerandforrevenuesettlementbetweentheserviceproviders.1bisOthere.g.Bank,CustomerServiceProviderBrokerage412ApplicationServiceNetworke.g.Gaming,ProviderOperatorTradingApplications2bis3ContentProvidere.g.FinancialAnalysesFigure1.Billingrolesofthecompaniesinthecase-exampleservicesInrelationship1(Figure1),theNOislikelyto‘interface’withthecustomerforin-voicingsincetheyalreadyhaveacontract.Thebillprovidedtothefinalcustomerincludesfeesfornetworkaccessandusage,andfeesforserviceusage.TherevenueprovidedtotheCP(2bis)referstothecontentprovideddirectlyorthroughtheappli-cationserviceprovider’sapplications.Sofar,theNOshavedeterminedthefunction-alityoftheservices,andtheoperators,whowanttogainacustomerbasewithoutde-ployingtheinfrastructure,haveacquiredmanyserviceoperators.Thebillingofthecustomercouldbebasedon:·Monthlyfeestoaccesstheservice·Initialdownloadoftheserviceanddownloadofadditionalservices·Linkstoservice-basedfashion/retailwebsitesInrelationship2,interconnectionandsettlementagreementsbetweentheASPandtheNOshouldbeconsideredforrevenuesharing.TherevenueprovidedtotheASPmayrefertotheentirechargeforthevalue-addedserviceoronlytheASPservice.Thecontentprovidersselltheircontenttoportalsandserviceproviders.Thecriti-calsuccessfactorsfortheCPsarewhetherornottheyareproducinghigh-qualitycontentandtheirknowledgeofthecontrolofmobileuserinterfaces.Aggregatingand repackagingcontentwillprobablybeoneofthemainsourcesofrevenueforcontentproviders.Thecontentproviderschargefortheirservicesbasedonthecontent.Additionalsourcesofrevenuefortheactorsinthe3G-fieldare:·Advertising·%ofrevenuesofserviceproviders·%ofdatadownload/airtimerevenue·Standardorpremiumusageratespaidbytheenduser·Flatrateoraspartofbiggerservice·Licenserevenuesforsoftwaredevelopers·Servicerevenuesforoperators,integratorsandsoftwaredeveloperstoenablethewirelesscorporateLocalAreaNetwork(LAN)Thedensityanddurationoftheserviceusagesessionswillbecompletelydepend-entontheserviceandwillvaryfrom60seconds(location-basedentertainment)to40minutes[8](games).3.RequirementsofAccountingandBillinginWirelessServicesThebillingincludesinvoicing,ratinganddiscounting,andnetworkdatamanagement[4].Inthisresearchbillingishandledmainlyfromtheaspectofinvoicing.Theaimofbillingistoprovideacorrectbilland,ifthereisabillingproblem,resolveitquickly.[6]Therequirementsoftheaccountingandbillinginwirelessservicesinclude:1.Theabilitytocollect,exchangeandreconcilebillingdatafrommultiplesources.Theend-userserviceinvolvesservicesprovidedbymanyprovidersandatleastoneoftheproviderswillberesponsibleforend-userbilling.Thismaybethenetworkproviderinsomebusinessmodels,butnotalways.2.Supportforavarietyofbillingschemes,likecontentorvolume.Forthebilling,thefollowingareforeseenpossibilities:·Flatratewheretheusersubscribesacontract,whichgivesthecustomerun-limitedaccesstotheservice.Flatrateisoftencombinedwithsomeformofus-age-basedtariffscheme.·Usage-Based,thatcanbebasedontime,volume,transactionorcontentandonacombinationofdifferentratingattributes,suchasQualityofService(QoS),time(e.g.prime-timevs.off-peak)andlocation.3.BatchandReal-TimeSupport.Thefollowingmajorphasesareforeseenintheprocessingchain:·Datacollectionthatgeneratesrawaccountingdatafromnetworkelement/ap-plicationserver·Aggregationandcorrelationofmultiplesourcesofdata.Thisinvolvesgener-atingcallandservicedatarecordsforallthe‘servicecomponents’withinaserviceusageinstance.·Ratingbyusingcontractdata.·Billingthatincludesapplyingdiscountpoliciesforaservice,generatinganin-voicetothecustomerandgeneratingrevenuesharingdatatothethird-partyprovidersinvolved. Theabovestepscanbeperformedinbatch,involvingtransferandprocessingoflargeblocksofdata.Alternatively,theycanbeperformedonaneventbasis(real-time).Real-timeprocessingforsomeorallofthestepscanonlybeforim-provingthetimelinessofthebillingprocess,or,insomecases,toachieveaspe-cificfunctionality.Thisrequiresfeedbackfromthebillingprocessingchaintotheapplicationorinfrastructureservices4.OpenInterfacesAsetofselectedresourcesthatcontributetotheend-userservicehastobeequippedwithanaccounting‘agent’thatisabletoexchangedatathroughpublic,openinterfacesthatarerelatedtotheservice.Whentheserviceisweb-orWAP-based,itislikelythattheagentisagenericagentbasedoninterpretationoftheweb/WAPserverlogging.5.DynamicconfigurationTheaccountingagentmustsupportalltheabovebehavioursandberemotelycon-figurablefromaproperlyauthorizedsoftwareentity,andshouldbeabletoselecttheappropriatebehaviouratrun-time.4.AccountingandBillingintheCase-ExampleServicesThefundamentalquestionforthewirelessservicesis"Whattobillandhowtoac-count?".Asthevolumesofdatabeingfilteredbymediationdevicesincreases,thekeytoaneffectivebillingsystemisscalability.Theplayersinthewirelessserviceareamustthinkcarefullyaboutthecomplexitiesoftheservicedeliverychannelandbal-ancetherequirementsforaccountingandbillingsimplicityandclarityforthecus-tomer[7].Inthecase-exampleservices,thenetworkoperatorisassumedtobetheinterfaceandthustohavethebillingrelationshipwiththecustomer.4.1ObjectivesoftheAccountingandBillingintheCase-ExampleServicesThemaingoalofaccountingandbillinginthecase-exampleservicesistodefinethefunctionalitiesandApplicationProgrammingInterfaces(APIs)neededtodevelopanend-to-endmobileservicechargingsolutionforvalue-addedandcontentservices,andtoproposeanarchitecturalframeworkwherethissolutioncanbeimplemented.Othergoalsofaccountingandbillinginthecase-exampleservicesare:1.Demonstratethedynamicconfigurationofthebehaviourofaccountingagentsattachedtotheserviceelements.2.Demonstratetheabilitytocollectandcorrelateusagedatafrommultiplesourcesdrivenbytheend-to-endviewoftheservice.Thesourcesofincomeareverydif-ferentintermsoftheroleplayedwithintheservice,andwithrespecttothelevelofsupportprovidedtotheaccountingandbillingprocess.3.Supportmultipleratingschemes.Thedifferenteventscomingfromtheusercanbepaidfordifferentlyandthistypeoflogiccanbeflexiblydefinedinthebusi-nessmodel.4.Supportreal-timebilling,fromeventcollectiontotransaction/volumerating,inordertosupporttheprepaidchargingmodelorserviceusagechecks. 5.Providedataforsupportingdifferentbusinessmodels.Wheneverfeasibleintheservice,theadvertisingmodelcouldalsobesupported.Inpracticethismeansthatthecustomercouldbeprovidedwithadvertisementsfordiscountsorfreeservice,whiletheadvertiserpaysthefees.Thesolutionencompassesdatacollectionfromalltherelevantserviceelementsofthemultipleserviceprovidersviaaccountingagents,datamediationandanalysis,end-to-endserviceratingandrevenuesharing.APIexportedtobilling[4]isstandardcompliantinordertouseanybillingproductforconstructingtheinvoice.4.2MainComponentsoftheBillingChainThissectiondescribesthemajorcomponentsofthebillingchainusedinthecase-exampleservices.Itisassumedthatallthepartiesinvolvedinthesupplychainallowaccesstotheirserviceelementsinordertocollecttherawusagedataneededtoper-formtheratingandbillingfunctions.Typically,notalltheserviceelementsneedtobeinterfacedinordertocollectus-agedatarelatedtodataandvalue-addedservices.Forexample,inthenetworkpartofGPRS/UMTSaccessservicesitisnecessarytoreceivedatafromtheGatewayGPRSSupportNode(GGSN)andextractinformationabouttheconnectivitybetweenthemobileterminalandtheIPnetwork,and,fromtheauthenticationserver,tocorrelateinformationaboutthemobileterminalequipmentandIPAddressassignedtotheses-sion.Thelevelofsupportprovidedtotheaccountingprocessbythedifferentserviceelementsvariesconsiderably.Somekinds,suchasnetworknodes,areabletoproviderawusagerecordsinastandardformat,whilesomeothers-suchasWirelessAppli-cationProtocol(WAP)andwebservers-don’tcareaboutaccountingandthusdonotprovideanystandardorvendor-specificusagerecords.Forthelatter,somekindofapplicationfunction,herenamedAccountingAgent,shouldbeprovidedinordertoextractusagedatafromsourcessuchaslogfilesanddatabasetables.Accountingandbillingcomponentsreceivedatafromtherelevantserviceelementsthatco-operateinprovidingtheend-to-endservicetothefinalcustomer.ThefollowingFigure2illustratesalogicalviewofthearchitectureofthebillingchain,providingthemaincomponentsandtheirrelationships(theinterfacesarenum-bered). BillingExternal4Tariff&CustomerSharingContractSchemesDBRating3BillingMediationServer2AccountingAccountingAccountingAccountingAccountingAccountingAccountingAgentAgentAgentAgentAgentAgentAgent1ServiceElementsFigure2.LogicalArchitectureoftheBillingChainItisimportanttobenotedthatInterface1(betweenServiceElementandAc-countingAgent)and/orInterface2(betweenAccountingAgentandBillingMediationServer)introducessomecriticalsecurityissueswhentheyarelocatedbetweentheboundariesofdifferentProviders.Maturetechnologies,suchasPKIinfrastructureprovidesthebasicinstrumentsinordertofaceoftheproblem,providingtheneededsecuritytoalltheinvolvedparties.4.2.1AccountingAgentsAccountingagentsareattachedtoalltherelevantserviceelementsinordertocollectrawusagedata(interface1inFigure2).Toachievebetterperformanceandreducemanagementtrafficoverhead,itisbettertorunaccountingagentsclosetoserviceelements.Themanagementfunctionperformedbyaccountingagentsdependsonthetypeofapplication/networknodeinterfaced.Itprovidesthefollowingfunctions:·Actsasaninterfacefortheserviceelementssupportingmultipleprotocols·Convertsrawusagedatafrommultiplesourcedataformatstoasetofstandarddetailrecords[4]·Filters,validatesandaggregatesrawusagedataextractedfromthesourceserviceelements·TranslatesusagedetailrecordstoacommoneXtensibleMarkupLanguage(XML)syntax,possiblyanencodedformat[9].·Actsasaninterfaceforthebillingmediationserveronaneventbasisorinbatchmodetoprovideusagedetailrecords·ProvidesfeedbacktoserviceelementsinaprepaidorserviceusagecheckTheaccountingagentneedtointerfaceavarietyofusagedatasourcesandtopro-videcollecteddataencodedintodifferentoutputformats.Furthermore,itisitshouldbeextensibleinordertosupportnewdatasourcetypesandoutputformatsinthefu-ture.Toachievesuchgoalswithoutintroducingheavy-weightedplatform,forthecase-exampleservicesanarchitecturalframeworkhasbeenadopted,thatallowedthe AccountingAgenttobedesignedasasetofpluggablemodulesthatcouldbeassem-bledatruntimeandremotelymanagedandconfigured.4.2.2BillingMediationServerThebillingmediationserverreceivesalltheusagedetailrecordsfromaccountingagentsdistributedoverthenetwork(interface2inFigure2).Itshouldbeabletoreceiveusagedataonaneventbasisorinbatchmode.Com-municationbetweenthemediationserverandtheagentcouldbeasynchronousforreceivingsingleevents,forexampleusingJavaMessagingService(JMS),orsched-uledforcollectingmassiveusagedataTheabilitytoreceiveasynchronousmessagesisneededinordertosupporttheprepaidchargingmodelorserviceusagechecks.Anapplicationprotocolshouldbeusedtoguaranteethecorrectandcompletetransferoftheusagedata.Thebillingmediationserveralsoprovidessomeelaborationofusagedata,suchasaggregationofrecordscomingfromdifferentsources,filteringofduplicatedrecordsandsynchronization.4.2.3RatingTheratingenginereceivesalltheusagedetailrecordsfromthebillingmediationserver(interface3inFigure2)instandardformatsandcorrelatesthemonanend-to-endservicegeneratingrecordsrelatedtotheentireservicetobebilled.Thecustomerservicesareratedaccordingtotariffschemes,andsupportmultipleoptionssuchasvolume,content,time,serviceandcombinationsthereof.Theserviceusagerecordsarecorrelatedtothecontractdatainordertoratecus-tomerservicesaccordingtothesubscribedcontracts.DenyofServicenotificationsaresentbacktoBillingMediationServerthatdispatchthemtotheproperServiceElementbymeansoftherelatedAccountAgent.Alltheelaborationfunctions,likerecordcorrelation,aggregation,rating,andveri-fication,shouldbeconfigurable.Theflexibilityindefiningandmodifyingthesestepsisfundamentaltomeettherequirementsintermsofcomplexityandtime-to-marketoftoday’sWirelessInternetServices.Oneofthemostpromisingandestablishedtech-nologyforthispurpose,adoptedinthecase-exampleservices,isrulelanguagesandengines.Inthebillingdomainruletechnologyallowstoeasilydefinethroughcon-figurationandmaintainallthebusinesslogicthatperformscorrelationandratingfunctions.Theratedserviceusagerecordisexportedtobillingonaneventbasisorinbatchmode.Twotypesofserviceusagerecordscanbeexported:recordsrelatedtothefinalcustomerusageoftheserviceandrecordsaggregatedtothepartnerserviceprovider.Inthelatter,onlytheportionoftheservice(e.g.content)ownedbythepartneristakenintoaccount.4.2.4BillingBillingappliespricinganddiscountingpolicestothereceivedserviceusagerecords(interface4inFigure2)bygeneratinganinvoicetothefinalcustomer.Italsogener-atesrevenuesharingdatatothird-partyproviders,onlyincludingdetailsofthetheir portionofservice.Thebillingfunctiontakesintoaccountthepricinganddiscountingschemesconfiguredinthebillingsystem.4.3Service1-AMulti-playerGameService1isamulti-playergamethatisknownasthe“LabyrinthGame”.Itisanar-cadegamewheremultipleplayersmoveinabiglabyrinthordungeonandcompleteamission.TheclientsideisimplementedusingMIDP(JavaMIDlets)andaGPRS/UMTS(UniversalMobileTelecommunicationsSystem)connectionisusedonterminalsideclients,whileontheserversideJ2EE(Java2,EnterpriseEdition)isused.Theusercandownloadthegame"ontheair"throughaserialcableorinfraredconnection.4.3.1BillingRolesinService1Figure2showsthebillingrolesofService1.TheuserofService1paysforaccesstotheserviceandforplayingitforacertaintime.TheNOdeliverstheinvoicetothecustomerandreceivesthefees,partofwhichisafterwardspaidtotheotherpartnersforrevenuesharing.ApplicationCustomerServiceProviderTechnologyNetworkProviderOperatorFigure3.BillingrolesinService1.ThebillingofService1takesplaceaccordingtothenumberofbitstransferred,butitcouldalsobebasedondifferentkindsofpackages.4.3.2AccountingandBilling-ScenarioforService1AsdepictedinFigure3,inService1theaccountingagentscanbeattachedto:·AGPRSbackbonenetworkforcollectingusagedatainordertoevaluatethenetworkserviceusageintermsofdatavolume/time;·AnauthenticationserverforcollectingaccountingrecordsinordertocorrelatetheIPaddressinformationtothesubscriber;·Agamingserverforcollectingvalue-addedserviceusagedatainordertochargefortheserviceper-transaction. ApplicationServiceProviderRetailASPServiceRevenueAccountingUsageGamingSharingAgentRecordsServesrRecordsExternalTariff&CustomerRatingSharingContractSchemesDBAccountingAgentBillingMediationIPServerDNSRADIUSBSSGPRS/UMTSBTSRouterBSCBTSGGSNSGSNHLRNetworkOperatorBSSBTSBSCSGSNBTSAccountingAgentFigure4.TheBillingContextofService1TheservicecomponentsRatingandBillingMediationServercollecttheusagedataandcorrelatetheusagerecordsasexplainedinsection4.2.Afterallthecollection,filtering/validation,correlationandratingphases,theserviceaccountingrecordsareaggregatedforthedifferentroles:·Tobillthefinalcustomer;·Todefineincomingrevenueofthenetworkoperatorand·Todefinetherevenuesharingfeesfortheapplicationserviceprovider.4.4Service2–ATradingSolutionService2isatradingsolutionthatprovides·Easyandpreciseonlinestockexchangeinformation·Acompletesetofadvancedanalysistoolsand·Real-time,direct,electronictradingforprofessionaltradersandseriousInternetinvestors.ItisaserviceforDirectAc-cessTrading(DAT)onthemajorEuropeanandNorthAmericanexchangesfromoneprofessional,effectiveandreliableplatformthatisfullyfunctionalforoperationsthroughouttheentireworld.4.4.1BillingRelationshipsinService2AsinService1,theNOdeliverstheinvoicetothecustomerandreceivesthefees,partofwhichisafterwardspaidtotheotherpartnersforrevenuesharing.Thecus-tomerofService2hastobeacustomerofabankandsubscribedtotheserviceasa bankcustomer.Theserviceconnectionistransparentlycarriedoutwiththeserviceprovider.IntheService2,performanceandreliabilityarethemostimportantqualityrequirements.TheNOssharerevenuebypayingtheapplicationservice,serviceandcontentproviders.Figure4illustratesthebillingrelationshipsofService2.StockExchangesApplicationNetworkCustomerServiceOperatorProviderBankNewsProvidersServiceContentProviderApplicationProviderServiceProviderFigure5.BillingrolesinService2.ThepriceofService2isbasedon:1.Thesubscriptionsforsoftwarefunctionalities.2.Exchangesfees-fromhowmanyexchangesdotheywanttoreceivethequotes.3.Tradingfees.4.Contentfees,suchasfinancialnewsorfinancialanalysis.ThemainrevenuestreamsforService2arelicensedperyear,withachangeablecostbasedonthenumberoffunctionsenabledbythelicenseandtradingfee.4.4.2AccountingandBillingScenarioforService2AsdepictedinFigure5,inService2theaccountingagentscouldbeattachedto:·AGPRSbackbonenetworkforcollectingusagedatainordertoevaluatethenetworkserviceusageintermsofdatavolume/time;·AserverforcollectingaccountingrecordsinordertocorrelatetheIPAddressinformationtothesubscriber;·ServersofASPandotherserviceprovidersforcollectingvalue-addedserviceusagedatainordertochargefortheservicepertransactionandpercontent.Aftercollection,filtering,correlationandrating,theserviceaccountingrecordsareaggregated:·Tobillthefinalcustomer(retailmodel);·TodefinetheincomingrevenueofthenetworkoperatorandotherSPand·TodefinetherevenuesharingfeesfortheASP,CPandotherSP. OtherSPRevenueContentSharingServiceProviderRecordsApplicationContentCSPServerServiceProviderRevenueSharingTradingNewsServerServerAccountingRecordsAgentRetailASPServiceUsageRevenueAccountingOtherSharingAgentRecordsServiceProviderRecordsDealingPlatfromExternalTariff&CustomerSharingAccountingContractRatingSchemesAgentDBAccountingAgentBillingMediationIPServerDNSRADIUSBSSGPRS/UMTSBTSBSCRouterBTSGGSNHLRSGSNNetworkOperatorBSSBTSSGSNBSCBTSAccountingAgentFigure6.TheBillingContextofService24.5ImplementationoftheComponentsintheFutureIntheimplementationoftheillustratedcase-exampleservicesitisassumedthatthenetworkoperatorworksastheproviderofthebillingservicestothefinalcustomerandaccountsforthesharingofrevenueswiththeInternetserviceprovidersand/orcontentproviders.Thecomponentscanbeusedtoimplementadvancedbillingmodelsinacomplexvalue-chainthatprovideswirelessdataandvalue-addedservices.Fortheseservices,itcouldbedemonstratedhowanentity,actingasaproviderofbillingservices,isabletocollect,correlateandratetheend-to-endserviceforthefinalcustomerandthedif-ferentpartiesinvolved.Theproviderofthesebillingservicescouldbethewirelessnetworkserviceprovider,someotherpartyinvolvedinthesupply-chain-suchasabank-orapartynotinvolvedindeliveringtheservice.5.ConclusionsProvidingflexibleandscalableaccountingandbillingsystemswillbeessentialforsuccessinthewirelessservicesofthe3G-networks.Theincreasednumberofpartnersinthewirelessvaluechaincausesdifficultieswhendefiningthedivisionofincomebetweenthepartners,andthewirelessserviceproviderstypicallyalsohavedifficul-tiesinbillingtheircustomersduetotheirinabilityto:·Associatecustomertransactionsandnetworkusageinreal-time;·Correlatedatafrommultiplesourcesand·FlexiblysupportemergingbillingmodelsThewirelessservicesrequiredefinedneedsmodelsforaccountingandbilling,andmethodsofputtingthemintopractice.Inthispaperanaccountingandbillingmodelforthetwowirelessserviceswaspresented.Theevaluationoftheservicesprovedthatthenumberofrolesandpartnersinthewirelessservicesishugeandsomekindofsolutionneedstobedefinedfortrackingthecustomertransactionsanddirectingtheaccountingandbillinginformationbetweenseveralpartners.Inthebillingchainof thecase-exampleservices,fourmaincomponentswereused:rating,billing,billingmediationserverandaccountingagent.Weregardtheseasthemostimportantpartsofthewirelessbillingchainofthefuture.Thepresentedbillingandaccountingmodelwillbetechnicallyimplementedinthefutureasareal-caseservice,asitwaspre-sentedinthispaper.6.AcknowledgementsThisworkwasdoneintheWise(WirelessInternetServiceEngineering)projectfundedbytheEuropeanUnionandtheparticipatingfiveEuropeancompaniesandthreeresearchinstitutes.7.References[1]Afuah,A.;Tucci,C.L.,2001.InternetBusinessModelsandStrategies.McGrawetHill,NewYork,USA.ISBN0-07-239724-1.358p.[2]Durlacher,2000.UMTSReport,anInvestmentPerspective.146p.[3]Internet.com,2002.Webopedia.On-lineat:http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/A/AAA.html[4]Ipdr.org,2002.NetworkDataManagement-Usage(NDM-U)ForIP-BasedServices;Version3.1.On-lineat:http://www.ipdr.org/documents/NDM-U_3.1.pdf.100p.[5]Lymysalo,M.,2000.EvolutionofMobileElectronicCommerce-OpportunitiesforOne-to-oneMarketing.VTTInformationTechnology.ResearchReportTTE1-2000-31.88p.[6]TMForum,2000.ProcessInvoicingandCollections(TelecomOperationsMap-version2.1).On-lineat:http://www.tmforum.org/clickmap/tomv2.1/pr5.htm[7]UMTSForum,2000a.EnablingUMTS/ThirdGenerationServicesandApplications.72p.[8]UMTSForum,2000b.ShapingtheMobileMultimediaFuture-AnExtendedVisionfromtheUMTSForum.On-lineat:http://www.umts-forum.org/reports/report10.pdf.113p.[9]IETF,1995.RFC1832,XDR:ExternalDataRepresentationStandard,August1995.
