What Is Convergent Charging?
Convergent charging integrates and consolidates telecommunications services – including data usage, voice calls, and text messaging – and network resources to a single platform so that customers can be billed accurately and efficiently.
Traditionally, telecommunication networks used separate charging systems for different services, such as voice calls, text messages, data usage, and other value-added services. Convergent charging brings all these billing systems into a single platform so that service providers can manage and bill for multiple services from a single point. Convergent charging also provides a platform for Communications Service Providers (CSPs) and their customers to view real-time, consolidated usage and billing information.
Nokia’s Charging Function Improves and Expands Upon Existing 5G Monetization
As mobile networks evolve, Communication Service Providers (CSPs) are experiencing pressure to find new avenues to increase their return on investment and monetize assets. Specifically, the shift from 4G to 5G to 5G standalone (SA) puts significant budgetary pressure on CSPs.
While 5G provides innovative use cases in both the enterprise and consumer space, the commercial value will only be unlocked through new value-driven business models that extend beyond the traditional sessions and volume-based products.
A recent survey by Nokia regarding 5G monetization uncovered that 98% of operators have realized that their existing Business Support Systems (BSS) need to be altered to support new 5G use cases and should include new pricing models based on API usage, quality of service, network slice, and location.
With a single vendor solution – such as Nokia’s Policy Controller paired with Nokia’s Charging Function – monetization opportunities and business services can both be improved and expanded. The total cost of ownership (TCO) can also be reduced with lower integration, implementation, and operational costs.
Current Charging Systems Don’t Support Effective 5G Monetization
For successful 5G monetization, CSPs require a future-ready and flexible monetization system with the charging engine at the system’s core. Nokia’s research revealed that most CSPs—around two-thirds—consider real-time charging a top priority for 5G investment and monetization efforts. A 5G SA Core network with a highly configurable charging solution and that can drive fast automation offer creation is also highly in demand.
Convergent charging unites online and offline charging systems to tackle novel and evolving 5G monetization scenarios. Pioneered by 3GPP, the charging function (CHF) aggregates all network and service usage data.
The 5G charging function (5G CHF) facilitates transactions by determining the appropriate charges for consumed services and empowers CSPs to swiftly and seamlessly introduce fresh services and offerings to consumers, ensuring rapid and efficient deployment.
5G Monetization Potential Requires Flexibility and Ease of Use
Realizing the potential for the monetization of 5G requires a charging solution that is flexible enough to accommodate future rating and charging models. New 5G charging solutions should be capable of “Charge Anything,” and triggers may include things like quality of service, network slices, API events, and IoT device streams.
In addition, new charging systems should streamline and automate developing and presenting new products and offers within the 5G ecosystem. Monetization systems without complex code requirements or featuring low-code approaches can expedite this offer creation process and accelerate time-to-market.
Nokia’s Convergent Charging Solutions
Nokia’s Convergent Charging solutions have been created to align with the dynamic requirements of the 5G economy. These solutions provide real-time charging and rating capabilities, empowering CSPs to efficiently capitalize on new revenue prospects while enhancing the experience for both their consumers and enterprise users. To cater to the unique needs of various clients, Nokia offers Charging solutions in two deployment models:
Nokia Converged Charging (NCC)
NCC is a cloud-native charging solution that delivers real-time rating and charging capabilities and can uncover new monetization avenues for both CSPs and enterprises. NCC assumes the roles of OCS in 4G networks and CCS in 5G networks. Its versatile product structure and no-code functionality enable seamless rating and charging for diverse usage scenarios.
AVA Charging as a Service
Representing the Software as a Service (SaaS) evolution of the successful Nokia Converged Charging (NCC) solution, AVA Charging expedites the transformation of 5G BSS. It offers swift and proven integration with 5G SA network functions, allowing CSPs to introduce new commercial product offerings through automated processes rapidly, a pre-defined use case catalog, and a GUI-driven no-code charging configuration.
Benefits of Nokia’s Convergent Charging Solutions
Nokia’s Convergent Charging solutions are tailored to uphold present and future services and offerings, playing a pivotal role in aiding CSPs in skillfully capitalizing on the potential of 5G. Constructed upon a cloud-native architecture employing microservices, these solutions can be seamlessly implemented across public cloud platforms or within operator-defined Container as a Service (CaaS) environments.
Endorsed by successful scalability, our Charging solutions are actively operational in customer landscapes exceeding 100+ million subscribers. The commitment to carrier-grade performance is unwavering—Nokia Charging solutions currently manage charging records for over 1.5 billion customers worldwide.
Nokia’s Convergent Charging solutions have been carefully designed to help CSPs monetize 5G by supporting current and future services and offerings. The cloud-native architecture utilizes microservices and can be deployed over operator-defined Container as a Service (CaaS) or public cloud environments.
The Nokia Charging solutions are both flexible and scalable, having been deployed in environments with well over 100 million subscribers. Charging records for more than 1.5 billion customers worldwide are handled by Nokia Charging Solutions, ensuring carrier-grade performance.
Fully Integrated Solution
Complementary BSS functionalities, including mediation, billing, and policy control enhance Nokia Charging solutions. They also leverage Nokia’s extensive array of AI/ML-powered customer and business analytics tools to enhance their capabilities. Nokia is also well-equipped to provide a comprehensive 5G Digital Monetization solution.
With seamless incorporation into Nokia’s 5G core solutions, the Charging solutions are backed by real-world testing and validated through multi-vendor implementations in scenarios encompassing both 5G Standalone (SA) and 5G Non-Standalone (NSA) configurations.
Agile Configuration To Charge For Anything
With Nokia’s no-code charging configurator, the typical hurdles that impede seamless workflow have been effectively eliminated with the UI designed for simplicity. Creating and adjusting offers becomes streamlined and easy to facilitate the process, empowered by flexible rules that accommodate both strategic priorities and evolving market dynamics across various sectors, including utilities, smart cities, or logistics. Within Nokia’s MEA region, the Converged Charging solutions are currently employed as an integral part of a comprehensive charging and billing solution for electricity, gas, and water consumption in a smart city context.
Multiple Transformation Approaches
Nokia’s 5G Convergent Charging solution can seamlessly be integrated into your existing BSS framework with their user-friendly open APIs and SDKs. Alternatively, constructing a comprehensive 5G BSS Digital monetization solution can be integrated with Nokia’s Convergent Charging, Mediation, Policy, and other monetization functionalities, all pre-integrated with partner BSS solutions like Qvantel Flex BSS.
SaaS: The next evolution of BSS
Developed on Nokia’s Telecom Software as a Service (SaaS) delivery framework, AVA Charging as a Service represents an evolutionary advancement of Nokia’s Converged Charging solution. It can be implemented across a range of high-capacity public clouds. With validated carrier-grade charging capabilities and an integrated catalog, AVA Charging accelerates the monetization of both 5G and IoT services and enhances business agility while expediting the transformation of Business Support Systems (BSS).
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Infinity Technology Solutions specializes in broadband and critical communications infrastructure development. We help our channel partners deploy private wireless, microwave backhaul, IP/MPLS, and optical networking technologies.
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