Mostly Asked Questions By Clients In Telecom MVNO Billing Services

Q: What is MVNO?

A: MVNO stands for Mobile Virtual Network Operator. It is a type of wireless carrier that does not own its own network infrastructure but instead leases network capacity from other carriers.

Q: How does an MVNO operate?

A: An MVNO leases network capacity from one or more major carriers and sells mobile services to customers under its own brand. MVNOs typically focus on a specific niche market, such as prepaid plans or international calling.

Q: How does MVNO billing work?

A: MVNO billing works in a similar way to traditional carrier billing. The MVNO bills the customer for the services they use, such as voice calls, text messages, and data usage. The MVNO then pays the carrier for the network capacity used by its customers.

Q: What types of billing models do MVNOs use?

A: MVNOs typically use two main types of billing models: prepaid and postpaid. Prepaid plans require customers to pay for services in advance, while postpaid plans bill customers after they have used services.

Q: What are some common billing issues that MVNOs face?

A: Common billing issues for MVNOs include inaccurate billing, disputes over network usage charges, and difficulty integrating billing systems with the carrier's network.

Q: How do MVNOs handle billing disputes?

A: MVNOs typically have a customer service department that handles billing disputes. Customers can contact the MVNO's customer service team to report billing errors or disputes. The MVNO then investigates the issue and works to resolve it.

Q: How do MVNOs ensure accurate billing?

A: MVNOs use a variety of methods to ensure accurate billing, including monitoring network usage, conducting regular audits of billing records, and using billing software that is designed to minimize errors.

Q: What are some important factors to consider when choosing an MVNO billing provider?

A: Important factors to consider when choosing an MVNO billing provider include cost, reliability, scalability, and the ability to integrate with the carrier's network.

Q: How do MVNOs handle taxes and regulatory fees?

A: MVNOs are responsible for collecting and remitting taxes and regulatory fees to the appropriate government agencies. The MVNO typically adds these fees to the customer's bill.

Q: What are some key trends in MVNO billing?

A: Some key trends in MVNO billing include the use of digital billing platforms, the integration of billing systems with other back-office systems, and the use of real-time billing and analytics to improve the customer experience.

Q: What types of billing systems are used by MVNOs?

A: MVNOs can use various types of billing systems, including postpaid, prepaid, and hybrid billing systems. Postpaid billing involves the customer receiving a bill at the end of the month for the services used during that month. Prepaid billing involves the customer paying upfront for a certain amount of service that can be used within a specified time period. Hybrid billing combines both postpaid and prepaid billing systems.

Q: How are MVNO billing systems different from those used by traditional mobile network operators?

A: MVNO billing systems are different from those used by traditional mobile network operators because they are often less complex and more flexible. MVNO billing systems can be customized to meet the needs of the individual MVNO, whereas traditional mobile network operators typically use standard billing systems that are less flexible.

Q: What types of charges are typically included in MVNO bills?

A: MVNO bills typically include charges for voice calls, text messages, and data usage. In addition, some MVNOs may also charge for other services, such as international calls or value-added services.

Q: How do MVNOs calculate charges for data usage?

A: MVNOs typically calculate charges for data usage based on the amount of data used by the customer. The charges may be based on a tiered system, where the cost per unit of data decreases as the amount of data used increases. Alternatively, MVNOs may charge a flat rate for a certain amount of data usage per month.

Q: How do MVNOs handle international roaming charges?

A: MVNOs may handle international roaming charges differently, depending on their agreements with the mobile network operator that they lease network capacity from. Some MVNOs may charge customers for international roaming on a per-use basis, while others may offer international roaming packages that customers can purchase in advance.

Q: Can MVNO bills be paid online?

A: Yes, many MVNOs offer online bill payment options for their customers. This may include the ability to pay bills through the MVNO's website, mobile app, or through third-party payment processors.

Q: How are disputes over billing handled by MVNOs?

A: MVNOs typically have customer service teams that can assist customers with disputes over billing. Customers may be able to dispute charges by contacting customer service through phone, email, or chat. MVNOs may also have a formal dispute resolution process that customers can follow if they are not satisfied with the outcome of their initial dispute.

Q: What kind of billing services do you offer for MVNOs?

A: Clients want to know the types of billing services that a telecom MVNO billing service provider offers. This includes services such as customer management, service provisioning, usage tracking, rating and charging, and invoicing and payment processing.

Q: How much does your MVNO billing service cost?

A: Clients want to know the cost of MVNO billing services, including set-up fees, monthly fees, and transaction fees. They also want to know if there are any hidden costs or additional fees.

Q: How secure is your MVNO billing system?

A: Clients want to know how secure their data will be when using a telecom MVNO billing service. This includes data encryption, secure data storage, and protection against unauthorized access.

Q: What kind of customer support do you offer for MVNO billing?

A: Clients want to know what kind of customer support they can expect from a billing service provider for MVNOs, including the availability of technical support, customer service, and account management.

Q: How customizable is your MVNO billing system?

A: Clients want to know how customizable the MVNO billing system is and whether it can be tailored to their specific needs. This includes the ability to add or remove features, modify pricing plans, and create customized reports.

Q: How long does it take to implement your MVNO billing system?

A: Clients want to know how long it will take to implement an MVNO billing system, including the time required for integration, testing, and training.

Q: What kind of reporting and analytics do you offer for MVNO billing?

A: Clients want to know what kind of reporting and analytics they can expect from a billing service provider for MVNOs, including real-time usage reports, billing reports, and customer analytics.

Q: Can you integrate with our existing systems for MVNO billing?

A: Clients want to know if a billing service provider can integrate with their existing systems for MVNO billing, such as CRM, ERP, or financial management systems.

Q: How do you handle disputes or errors in MVNO billing?

A: Clients want to know how billing service providers handle disputes or errors in MVNO billing, including the process for resolving disputes, correcting billing errors, and issuing credits.

Q: How do you ensure compliance with regulatory requirements for MVNO billing?

A: Clients want to know how billing service providers ensure compliance with regulatory requirements for MVNO billing, including data protection regulations, consumer protection laws, and tax regulations.

Define the benefits of using Telecom billing system

Many consumers believe that a communications service invoice should contain information about their current expenditure, the services they are now using, and the services they are paying for. It is crucial to comprehend how Telecom billing systems function since, in actuality, telecom bills are only intended to explain how much you owe, not why.

Simply put, a Telecom billing system comprises all the procedures, data, and regulations that a service provider uses to determine how much money you owe them. Each supplier uses a unique formula to determine its rates, billing, labeling fees, and branding costs. Even if you can understand the billing system of one provider, this seldom results in understanding with other providers. 

So let's describe what a Telecom billing system offers.

What you don't know ultimately hurts you the most in business. When companies pay for telecom services, this is especially true.

Specific billing patterns and procedures used by telecom firms might incur significant financial expenditures. The good news is that most of these costs can be avoided for businesses that invest in active telecom expenditure management and have the tools to determine what to watch out for.

Features of electronic billing

In this cutthroat sector, offering consumers an effective and dependable method of paying their telecom-related expenses will change the game. A successful Telecom Bill Software should offer the option of electronic bills (E-bills), which allow subscribers to see their bills on digital devices like smartphones, tablets, or laptops.

Additionally, the telecom operator may save significant money by using this function instead of printing invoices. The money saved may then be used to pay for other crucial services for the business.

·         Record validation for data

To provide anti-duplicate protection, an effective telecom billing solution should be able to locate and remove duplicate entries from the system utilizing unique numbers of datasets. This screening procedure reduces mistakes related to duplicate billing of the same account.

·         Decreases errors related to the billing process

The billing process is undoubtedly a difficult task because telecom service providers provide users with various price schemes, including minute billing, charging based on the time of day, etc. Billing mistakes can harm a telecom company's reputation and cause it to lose customers to rivals. A reliable Telecom billing system gives the business a guarantee of quality.

·         Contains Detailed Billing Information

Subscribers to telecom services are constantly looking for methods to cut their costs. Giving customers thorough information about telecom consumption empowers them with the knowledge they can use to make wise decisions. A complete billing report should include monthly information on a subscriber's call duration, time and date of calls, message analytics (received, sent, delivered), data charges, etc. Subscribers should have simple access to this report via the company's web portal using their login information.

·         Provides management with trustworthy data

All telecom-related expenses, including consumption, assets, subscription rates, and other costs, should be tracked via an effective and efficient telecom Bill software. The telecom management team may utilize this data to decide more wisely and effectively on the direction of the business's growth.

·         Simple to Modify and Manage Pricing Schedules

The telecommunications sector is highly competitive, and businesses frequently change their pricing policies and tariffs. A telecom firm should be able to easily deploy new pricing tariffs with the help of an efficient Telecom billing system without having to stop any ongoing billing operations.

·         Process of Budgeting is Simplified

Telecom service providers may manage their budgeting procedures within their allotted budgetary limits with the help of an effective billing system. The system monitors client spending for the telecom business and notifies management when certain benchmarks are surpassed, allowing management to take prompt action to reduce costs.

Getting Professional Assistance

You might use internal resources, if you have the capacity, to assist in uncovering these omitted charges on your monthly telecom bills. A professional Telecom Expense Management (TEM) firm, more recently known as Technology Consultants, will help you find hidden costs and overcharges to save money and improve your bottom line. This alternative is most certainly more effective. A professional TEM service provider may also analyze your existing requirements and provide fresh suggestions that will meet your present and future demands and significantly reduce your monthly costs.

Billing Support on All Platforms for Customers, Day or Night

In today’s world, everything happens in an instant. You send a message and get a response. You write a tweet and someone likes it immediately. Today’s customers don’t want to wait. When they have a problem, a question, or some issue that needs to be addressed, they’re going to want to deal with in on their terms — and that means they want service when they want it, day or night. That’s why it’s vital to provide customers with 24/7 support that’s efficient, easy, and always available to help with whatever they may need.

Multi-Platform Support

Customers in today’s world are sophisticated, and they love having options. Some customers may want to call and speak to someone over the phone, but others would rather turn to chat support so they can type back and forth. Some customers are more comfortable with email. And still others might want to turn to social media first.

It isn’t practical to hire different companies to provide multi-platform support. And it isn’t good business to provide only one type, or even two types of support to customers. The only logical solution is to use a customer service support company that provides support on all platforms, all the time. This is the only way that all customers can be served and get the level of service they expect, and that’s why (v)WeCare provides complete multi-platform support. The trained support staff is available over the phone, through email, on social media, and in chat in moments, ready to help 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Speed

When the world moves fast, everyone wants to move fast with it. Emails are sent and replied to in minutes. Social media interactions happen in real-time. Money exchanges hands digitally in mere moments. In a world with that kind of speed, customers expect to get their questions answered and their problems addressed quickly. Efficient, speedy customer service is absolutely essential when you want to keep customers happy, and that’s what (v)WeCare works to provide at all times by hiring and training caring, communicative staff members who are based in the U.S.

U.S.-based customer support representatives can address problems three times more quickly than offshore reps. U.S.-based reps can understand customers more quickly and help them find the solutions they need more easily, with simple back-and-forth communication. Reps who are based in the U.S. understand the slang and the particular terms that U.S.-based customers use, which also cuts back on confusion and saves time. With (v)WeCare, customers will have to explain less, so they can get more of the help they need. Speed and efficiency are always provided and always available to customers, whether they’re calling for support on the phone, using chat, or communicating with a rep through email or social media.

What Customers Want

Customers want to be able to reach out in ways that are the most convenient and easy for them. Whether they’re most comfortable with chatting online, talking over the phone, emailing back and forth or using social media, they want support that’s quick and easy to use. They also want to get that support the way they want it, which is why companies need to provide support on every available platform. This is the only way to satisfy every single customer, and this is why (v)WeCare provides every single one of these services. Customers have needs, and (v)WeCare keeps striving to provide solutions for all customers, all the time.

Customers also want (and deserve) to be connected to support immediately and at any time. By giving them that, companies set themselves apart by proving that they’re providing the services customers want most: speed, accuracy and options. Customers may have questions or problems at any time, and that’s exactly why they need support at any time. When they’re awake at 3 am, when they have an issue on a holiday weekend, when they have a problem, customers want to be addressed immediately no matter what time it is. By giving customers 24/7 reliable service, companies make the customers feel like they truly are coming first and their needs are truly being met. Isn’t that how you want your customers to feel?

Fast Track Your Telecom Offerings with the Latest MVNE Solutions

Fortunately, Telgoo5 is a seasoned MVNE that has the ability to scale with the needs of your MVNO or MNO by specializing in fixed, IoT, fiber, ISP and other types of billing. We process hundreds of millions of transactions each day and work with many different companies in all levels of growth. We have the resources and infrastructure to grow with your customer demands, and we are skilled at allowing you a platform to scale rapidly and seamlessly. With a comprehensive audit trail and top-notch accounting, Telgoo5 is on top of its game at all times. We pride ourselves on being the best in class, and we keep our clients in the loop at all stages of the game.

Is your MVNE slowing you down or not able to grow as fast as you would like, Telgoo5 offers both flexibility and ease of use. With so many options built in your time to market will be extremely short.

At Telgoo5 we pride ourselves on being more of a partner than a vendor. As such, we make sure that we schedule regular calls with our telecom partners to make sure that they are apprised of everything that we are doing at every stage of the game. Each MNO or MVNO is assigned a representative that has an intimate knowledge of their business and ultimate goals. This allows us to help them from the ground up, and be able to assist with any scaling needs in real time. We know that scaling is one of the most challenging times for any business, and we pride ourselves on providing out-of-the-box solutions and a flexible and robust platform to help businesses scale with ease.

With CDR-based billing and charging that performs both offline and in real-time, Telgoo5’s telecom billing system was designed for the specific needs of MVNOs and MNOs. Furthermore, we always account for taxation in billing and can aid businesses in navigating complex telecom taxation matters.

This consideration allows you to rest easy and know that everything is taken care of for you. We have hundreds of different billing profiles and get set up to over one thousand unique combinations of billing, so you can tailor our products to fit your specific needs. You never have to use what doesn’t work for your company. We are all about streamlining the process, making it easier on you, and excelling at our mandate of amazing customer service.

Telgoo5’s platform is sophisticated and integrated; able to handle plenty of demand. Even though we have plenty of satisfied clients, we make sure that each of them is able to choose a customized solution that fits them perfectly. We understand that every business has different needs and will join us at various stages of their development. As such, we treat each and every business as a unique partner that we are committed to serving. This commitment from us keeps your business free to do the important work of attracting new customers, building your brand, and making your business the best it can be. Think of Telgoo5 as a solid platform that allows you to focus on the crucial work growing your business.

MVNE’s are the core of your business, choose Telgoo5 which is associated with the biggest MVNO’s and most successful aggregators.

If you are a new MVNO or MNO, you need an MVNE partner that has your back. Telgoo5 is that partner!

How Virtualization Can Help MVNEs to Offer More Flexible Services

Operational flexibility in one of the single most important attributes customers look out for when they are looking for an MVNE. Many MVNE companies try to address this need by marketing their services with phrases like “in a box”, “scalable”, and similar phrases. In reality, however, most MVNE services are anything but flexible. Such services are usually offered in arbitrary bundles on whose scope the customer has no say. To get a cutting edge, an MVNE needs to make its services truly flexible. In this article, we discuss ways in which MVNEs can utilize the power of the cloud and reliable suppliers to improve the flexibility of their offerings.

How Migrating to Cloud Environment Helps MVNEs to Offer Flexible Services

Many MVNEs offer services with a mixture of full cloud and partial cloud-based services. Having full integrated cloud services is should be the ultimate target for MVNEs that intend to be competitive. Migrating all services to the cloud can help an MVNE to have:

• More flexibility in the way resources are allocated. This enables allocation of more resources to a certain task without fidgeting with the hardware

• Improved security which enables you to provide assurance beyond that of the donor

• Unlimited connectivity ability which can enable the company to have over 16 Short Message Service Centers (SMSCs) or more instead of the typical two

• Assurance that data will be maintained in one network environment whether it is being stored, processed, or reported.

• Up to 99.99 percent uptime even if donors can’t get beyond 97 percent.

Build Your Own Cloud

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Some MVNEs are responding to the challenge of becoming fully cloud-based by building their own cloud systems. Such projects make services that are considered “off the shelf” and are partly in the cloud to be fully cloud services. Such services include Network Functions Virtualization (NFV), Software-Defined Networking (SDN), and more. An MVNE may be able to improve its session Board Controller (SBC), Mobile Switching Center (MSC), SMSC, Gateway GPRS Support Node (GGSN), and Over The Air (OTA) by re-integrating them in this way. Of course, this may require a big investment in terms of time, human resources, and money. This scenarios does not favor all MVNEs.

Find Suppliers That Enable Flexibility

The reality is that most MVNE companies don’t have the resources needed to deploy everything they need for a full cloud operation. Building your own systems for services like APIs, security patching, regression, debugging, connectivity, and billing may be a toll order for your MVNE and many companies need to work with suppliers to deliver services to the MVNOs. The issue with many MVNE suppliers is that the suppliers do not give them the rights or license to sell freely to third parties. This prevents MVNEs from repackaging their services to meet the individual needs of their customers. To give your customers the flexibility they require, you need to get reliable suppliers that allow you to deploy as they wish without restrictions. Companies, therefore, need to work with the right suppliers to be able to provide flexible services to the customers. You will be able to make all your services including SBC, MSC, SMSC, and GGSN, and OTA fully in the cloud.

Building a single cloud environment for your MVNE will, no doubt, simplify the company’s operations. It also enables MVNEs to offer MVNOs more flexible services. MVNEs can integrate their services by building their own cloud hardware or finding reliable suppliers. At Telogoo5, we provide scalable billing services to MVNE. We understand that each MVNE is unique and their customers may have unique needs that differ from others. That is why we offers flexible and scalable billing services that can be tweaked to meet the needs of individual customers. Contact us for a free, no-obligation quote today.

Why CDR Meditation Is an Essential Part of Telecom Billing?

Telecom billing is probably the most confusing and scrutinized task in the telecom industry. The scrutiny comes from customers who are more often than not dissatisfied with their bills. This leads to confusion amongst the telecom vendors who start looking everywhere for new telecom billing solutions. Mostly, this problem arises because the telecom billing software used by them are subpar and do not meet the high requirements of modern-day businesses.

Why Telecom Billing Solutions Are Important?

All the efforts made by telecom service providers in setting up a network will amount to nothing if telecom billing is not up to standards. This is why, telecom billing solutions become important as they play a crucial role in accounting for those services. Not only is the revenue generated by a telecom provider dependent on billing, customers’ trust is also directly connected with the quality of the billing services. For instance, if a customer starts receiving wrong bills, his trust in the services nosedives from that moment onwards. On the other hand, if the billing services are sound, the customer stays faithful and brings in new customers.

CDRs: The Fundamental Unit of Telecom Billing Process

CDR (Call Data Record) is the fundamental unit of telecom billing process. All interactions between the user and telecom networking elements are captured by CDRs. A CDR has the following attributes:

1. Date and starting time of the call

2. Duration of the call

3. Calling party

4. Called party

5. Type of call e.g. voice, SMS, data etc.

6. Unique record sequence number that is used for identification

The captured CDRs are vitally important for the proper operation of a billing system. However, these CDRs are raw in nature, which means they cannot be interpreted by a billing system.

CDR Meditation System: The Unsung Hero of Telecom Billing Solutions

To ensure the captured CDRs are converted into a format that is understood by the billing system, a CDR meditation system is employed. The meditation system receives the unformatted CDRs, converts them into the necessary format and sends them to the billing system. Besides conversion, it also performs the operation of filtering out calls that do not meet set criterion by the telecom vendor. For example, if a call with duration less than 10 second needs to be filtered out, it is done by CDR meditation system. Moreover, if some extra information needs to be provided that is crucial for billing procedure, the meditation system gathers that information based on certain attributes and then sends it to the billing system via FTP (File Transfer Protocol). FTP is required for transfer of this information as both billing software and meditation modules are installed on different systems.

After the billing system receives the formatted CDR, it is able to interpret the information and rate the services utilized by customers.

Summary

Billing system in telecom is quite complex and requires processing of data at different levels for accomplishment of billing-related tasks. Although the user is not aware of what goes on behind the scenes, the role of systems like meditation system that converts raw CDRs into formatted CDRs is extremely important. All telecom billing solutions require correct formatting of CDR for reliable and accurate completion of billing tasks.