Rating Engine Promotion Advice for Wireless Subscribers
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current billing systems for wireless telecommunications do not effectively inform subscribers of potential promotions they could benefit from by changing their usage conditions, such as time or location, beyond just advising on the current cost of service usage.
Innovation Solution
A system that utilizes a rating engine to analyze the subscriber's current context and calculate alternative rates based on modifiable parameters like time and location, providing notifications of promotions that could apply if these conditions are altered, thereby enhancing user awareness and control over charges.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If the advice of charge mechanism is used to notify subscribers about current service costs, then subscribers can be informed about the cost of service usage before accessing the service, but the mechanism is not capable of advising subscribers of potential promotions they could benefit from
Solution Approach 1:
The rating engine performs preliminary calculations of alternative rates based on different usage parameters before the subscriber actually uses the service. By pre-calculating what the rate would be under different conditions (time, location, service type), the system proactively informs subscribers of potential promotions before they make their usage decision, rather than just reporting costs after the fact.
Solution Approach 2:
The rating engine is enhanced to perform multiple functions: it not only determines the current applicable rate for service usage but also calculates alternative rates for different usage scenarios and identifies potential promotions. This multi-functional approach allows a single system component to handle both cost notification and promotion advice, avoiding the need for separate complex systems.
2Ease of operation
If the system calculates alternative rates for different usage parameters, then subscribers can make informed decisions about when and where to use services, but this requires the rating engine to perform additional calculations beyond identifying the current rate
Solution Approach 1:
The system calculates alternative rates for only the most relevant usage parameters rather than all possible combinations. By focusing on key modifiable parameters such as time of day, location, and service type that are most likely to affect rates, the system provides sufficient information for subscribers to make informed decisions without performing exhaustive calculations that would consume excessive processing time.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and method are described for providing advice of promotion to notify a subscriber about potential promotions that the subscriber would benefit from if he/she changed the context under which he/she plans to use a service. The process begins when a subscriber initiates a request to use the service, e.g. establish a call session. The operator identifies the subscriber by determining whether the subscriber is permitted to use the service, e.g. establish the session, and calculates a charge rate for the service usage, e.g. call session based on a usage plan associated with the subscriber. A rating engine is then invoked to identify a promotion that includes an additional rate that is different from the charge rate determined for the session. The promotion is identified based on parameters associated with the call session by determining which additional rate would apply if at least one of those parameters were modified.