Digital Operator Interface for Task Disaggregation Across MVNEs
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Solution Overview
Problem
Mobile virtual network operators face challenges in outsourcing tasks to mobile virtual network enablers due to tight coupling and identifier lock-in, which creates friction when trying to decouple or substitute enablers, leading to difficulties in managing multiple tasks and maintaining client relationships.
Innovation Solution
Implement a method where mobile virtual network operators receive client requests, map and transform identifiers, and report task completion using their own identifiers, allowing seamless substitution of enablers and maintaining client relationships.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the mobile virtual network operator uses the identifier assigned by the mobile virtual network enabler, then the task outsourcing is simplified, but the operator becomes locked into the enabler and cannot easily substitute them
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the identifier system into two distinct parts: a first identifier assigned by the enabler for internal task processing, and a second identifier assigned by the operator for client-facing operations. This segmentation allows the operator to maintain control over the client relationship while still utilizing the enabler's services, thereby enabling easy substitution of enablers without losing client access.
Solution Approach 2:
The operator acts as an intermediary between the enabler and the client by using their own identifier system. The operator maps the enabler's first identifier to their own second identifier, creating a buffer that decouples the client relationship from the enabler. This intermediary role allows the operator to switch enablers without affecting client associations.
2Ease of operation
If the mobile virtual network enabler is tightly associated with multiple task types, then service integration is improved, but the ability to decouple or split tasks between different enablers is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by separating task types (e.g., billing tasks and line provisioning tasks) and assigning different enablers to different task types. The operator maintains a mapping system that links each task type to the appropriate enabler's first identifier, while presenting a unified interface to clients using the operator's second identifier. This allows flexible task decoupling while maintaining integrated service delivery.
3Ease of operation
If the identifier assigned by the mobile virtual network enabler is exposed to the client, then the client can directly reference it, but the client becomes bound to that specific enabler
Solution Approach 1:
The operator serves as an intermediary by translating between the enabler's first identifier and their own second identifier when communicating with the client. The client interacts only with the operator's identifier system, which the operator maps to the appropriate enabler identifier behind the scenes. This intermediary mechanism allows clients to reference identifiers while remaining portable across different enablers.
Data Source
AI summary
A disclosed method may include (i) receiving, by a mobile virtual network operator from a client of the mobile virtual network operator, a request to perform a task relating to a telecommunication account of the client with the mobile virtual network operator, (ii) retrieving, by the mobile virtual network operator, a value that identifies a mobile virtual network enabler that was assigned to a type of the request from a corresponding field of a profile for the client with the mobile virtual network operator, (iii) forwarding, by the mobile virtual network operator based on retrieving the value, the request to perform the task to the mobile virtual network enabler, and (iv) reporting, by the mobile virtual network operator to the client after the mobile virtual network enabler has completed the task, that the task has been completed.