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Wireless has reached the point where it can say to wireline networks, “Anything you can do, I can do better” – for calling features, but not for charging options. Consumers today generally cannot bill calls to a third number, choose to charge a call to a credit card (as opposed to being forced to charge a call at exorbitant prices due to roaming restrictions), make the caller pay for incoming calls nor even make a 1-800 call for free (as normally, airtime charges still apply).
CTIA is planning to change all that with its new System Requirements Document (SRD) for Phase II of the Wireless Intelligent Network (WIN), which is focused almost entirely on new charging capabilities.
The first phase of the Wireless Intelligent Network (WIN) aimed at providing advanced calling features (Voice Controlled Services, Incoming Call Screening and Calling Name Presentation). Phase I is nearing the end of development, and carriers have indicated their priority for Phase II: Charging and Billing. This is reflected in the CTIA’s new System Requirements Document for Phase II of the Wireless Intelligent Network (WIN) which is focussed almost entirely on new charging capabilities. Wireless has reached the point where it can say to wireline networks “Anything you can do, I can do better” for calling features, but not for charging options. Consumers today cannot generally bill calls to a third number, choose to charge a call to a credit card (as opposed to being forced to charge a call at exorbitant prices due to roaming restrictions), make the caller pay for incoming calls nor even make a 1-800 call for free (as normally, airtime charges still apply).
The CTIA is planning to change all that. WIN Phase II has a sweeping scope that, when standardized and implemented, any call you can charge can be done in different ways. The capabilities that are included are numerous:
Wireless calls to “toll-free” numbers today are free of toll charges, but not airtime charge. Some holders of freephone numbers may wish to pay all charges to encourage more wireless callers. Today, this service is provided by Toll-Free Cellular using non-standard #800 numbers. The trouble with using standard freephone dialing patterns is that a database will have to be maintained that marks those freephone numbers that are willing to pick up airtime charges (although it could eventually be incorporated in the industry-wide 1-800/1-888 database).
In many countries, charges for calls to wireless phones are paid by the caller, but in North America charges are almost always paid by the called mobile subscriber. Many people assume that this is a technical deficiency of AMPS in relation to GSM, but it is actually due to the huge number of telecommunications carriers in the U.S., and other differences in the regulatory and competitive environment. CPP is desired by carriers who believe that it will stimulate subscribers to leave their phones on, and thus dramatically increase incoming minutes of usage. This capability is so important to carriers that the CTIA is developing a separate SRD for this feature alone.
With Calling Party Pays and current charging methods, the industry could charge the entire call to either the calling party or the called party. Split charging will allow an arbitrary division of the charges between the calling party and the called party. This capability will likely be farther in the future than Calling Party Pays. If eventually implemented, it could be used to limit the charges assigned to an incoming caller to a flat rate, and bill the remaining charges to the mobile. This may be useful for enhancing Calling Party Pays for roamers, where the total cost of roaming is higher than the Calling Party Pays charges.
Carriers would like to be able to vary charges based on time of day, day of week, location of the mobile, identity of the calling or called parties or the specific radio capabilities requested (or some mixture of these call characteristics). Some of these capabilities are available today, but not those that depend on the specific rate plan of a roaming mobile.
Wireline networks have developed a sophisticated array of alternate charging options. Wireless carriers appear to want the same: to charge calls to a third party (e.g. the mobile’s office or home wireline number); for more sophisticated pre-paid services (i.e. those that work for roamers); and to provide the ability to charge calls to credit or debit cards. In some cases, this information could be part of the subscriber’s profile, which would allow automatic alternate charging (e.g. to provide bill consolidation).
Lawyers and consultants usually charge calls back to their clients. Some wireless systems allow the sub-account (e.g. client) number to be dialed during a call, but this works only in the home system. Carriers would like to be able place the sub-account number in call detail and billing records and have it incorporated in the roamer’s bill.
It would be useful for consumers to be able to determine the cost of a wireless call in real-time. This could be simply a tone or special alert to indicate that special charging is applied (but not the specific amount), a one-time display (that presumably would include at least the per-minute rate) or even a continually updating display of the call cost so far. For roamers, this requires information about their rate plan to calculate even an approximation of the charge for the call.
Charging superficially seems simple, because the algorithms used are usually relatively simple. (How difficult can it be to calculate 10 minutes at 25 cents per minute?). The problem is not the calculations, but having the right information in the right place at the right time. The Three Rs of Charging are Roamers, Rate Plans and Real-time.
Roamers are a complication because information on their special charging capabilities and restrictions must be obtained remotely, which requires standardization, and thus slows down innovation. Profile information will have to be enhanced with Rate Plan information to ensure that correct charges are applied for each subscriber. And, almost all of the WIN Phase II capabilities require real-time calculation of charges for: calling party pays, third party billing, advice of charging, debit card, credit card and prepaid services. Charging is an area that will occupy the attentions of carriers for a long time to come. Advances will come slowly and steadily as the industry matures and the required interconnection protocols develop.
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