FAQ: Telco, Services and Billing
Q With Internet+, can we telcos really charge for calls over an Internet?
Sure you can! If one knows what is going on when calls are placed into the “Telco Club”, you can charge for it. It does not depend on which wires the call is coming from, it depends on whether you have a meter for the usage at the logical entry point into Telco Club network.
Q Ah… and with a good meter and can we then charge both for outgoing and incoming calls, knowing the parties?
Yes, you can, but more importantly, you don’t need to keep the phone numbers to yourself and send calls all around between telcos just to get your share of the payment.
All can be cleared based on the actual usage measured by the TOQrouter’s meter at the right point – like an electricity meter in your house.
Q But can I trust the TOQrouter when it is in the subscriber’s location?
Yes, it very secure and checked. And notice that telcos deploy millions of CPEs with RJ11 phone ports, where the CPEs usually are trusted with the telco’s whole PSTN capacity. Read more about that under Telco-FAQ: “Can We Trust a CPE?”
Q Can a mobile provider also bill for ordinary phone calls over the Internet channel?
Yes, CDR processing and billing can be as before, or done better. The same applies to the fixed network accesses.
Q And can we have the SMS service on the fixed network also?
Yes, bill as before or in better ways – and finally bring SMS to the fixed network. Users would certainly like to send SMSs from their PCs!
Wow – SMS in the fixed network! That would really give us telcos new income…
Q Before having higher IP-quality enabled in our network, can we still bill SMS and calls that way?
Sure! And for voice and SMS, the QoS-function in the TOQrouter itself is most often sufficient, on any decent Internet pipe.
Q When introducing a new service – e.g. presence or video calling – how do we enable that and provision in our network?
You don’t! It is already there! SIP transports ALL real-time services person-to-person without interfering. You just bill for the new usage - if you wish.
Q Before having higher IP-quality enabled in our network, can we still bill SMS and calls that way?
Sure! And for voice and SMS, the QoS-function in the TOQrouter itself is most often sufficient, on the decent Internet pipe.
Q How do we roam?
Technically, it is automatic – one cloud! If telcos want to bill separately – clear it via the CDR-processing as today.
Q And new services; IM, Presence, Video Calling –Telepresence, “Skype”, UC in general?
They can work as today over the ordinary Internet, or with +quality and in mobile networks without the battery draining. In today’s islands over the Internet, they will work as today, but now the telcos can bill for (i) for connectivity to the global world, (ii) for running over the quality pipe and (iii) for access without battery drain.
There can be general charges that allow 3rd party services and usage to appear, and automatically be charged for transport usage, and there can be specific charges for identified services.
General (application independent) charges would be:
- Availability time (SIP registered, without battery draining keep-alive packets in mobile), probably charged flat rate with the subscription
- Per connect (an opening charge like today)- Per MB usage and time, at available quality levels (in attractive combinations)
A specific charge for e.g. telepresence calling could be:
-For H.264 > 1Mbps usage, 20 h/months included, thereafter XX$ per 100 MB
Q Can we give a user a twin SIM card e.g. for usage in a car mounted handsfree, something we never have succeeded in making into a useful service before?
Yes, that is an excellent example how a proper SIP network automatically gives the right functionality. All users handsets simply use the same SIP address. The forking mechanism in SIP makes all handsets ring (and stop at the first pick-up).
Q Wow! And the mobility solutions with their servers and gateways?
That is also automatic in a proper SIP network - a user can be anywhere! The TOQrouter provides a general SIP interface available at all delivery points (even on the LANs). If you have Internet+ access, you are as mobile with SIP access as with Web access!