HP helps telecom companies transform billing

HP RealTime Charging enables precise, customer-centric pricing models that help telecom operators expand revenue with high-value services. The offering also helps operators create competitive differentiation and enhance the customer experience.

With today's Web 2.0 services, mobile consumers use their phones to do much more than make phone calls. For example, they are downloading music and video, sending messages, and buying products and services. Before consumers use these services, however, they need to know - on the spot - the price and their ability to purchase. By managing the entire charging and authorization function, HP RealTime Charging enables operators to provide that information instantly.

With precise, real-time control over charging and billing, operators can enhance revenues with targeted, differentiated services, bundling and loyalty programs. They can move away from traditional flat-rate pricing to "a la carte" pricing.

Based on industry standards, HP RealTime Charging reflects the company's 30 years of experience in telecom. It is a highly scalable solution that is designed for high-performance transaction processing. With a flexible, modular architecture, it can be integrated with legacy billing infrastructures as well as newer networks and Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) environments.

"It's critical for all CSPs to have a real-time charging environment to offer and support a wide range of prepaid and postpaid services,"

said Larry Goldman, co-founder and senior analyst, OSS Observer.

"Real-time charging is one of the most significant enablers of increased revenue. HP has a strong position via its HP Internet Usage Manager, its OpenCall software portfolio, and its global systems integration capability."

The key components of the solution are HP products that have been tested and integrated, including HP Internet Usage Manager (IUM) and HP IUM Charging Manager; HP OpenCall Service Access Controller; HP OpenCall Media Platform; and technologies from industry partners.

"Real-time charging is the key that unlocks the revenue potential of a new generation services," said Amin Kayal, Communications, Media and Entertainment Manager, HP. "Operators with HP RealTime Charging can bring more services to market, faster and with less cost and risk. Operators around the world are deploying HP RealTime Charging to support wireless, wired and broadband services."