Telecommunications Cost Correlation System for Off-Net Billing Accuracy
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Solution Overview
Problem
In the telecommunications industry, accurately estimating costs for services that involve both on-net and off-net infrastructure is challenging, leading to billing discrepancies and disputes, as existing tools lack standard methods for deriving off-net planned costs before billing occurs.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for correlating costs of telecommunications services by matching customer orders to solutions composed of product instances, identifying whether each instance is on-net or off-net, and estimating off-net costs using external carrier circuit identifiers, which updates cost estimates throughout the service provisioning process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If manual cost estimation methods are used by sales agents, then flexibility in service customization is maintained, but measurement precision of off-net costs deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The cost estimation system is segmented into distinct modules: service order reception module, service matching module, cost calculation module, and discrepancy identification module. Each module handles specific tasks in the cost estimation process, allowing for precise off-net cost measurement while maintaining manageable system complexity through functional decomposition.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary system that acts as a bridge between service orders and cost calculation. This intermediary automatically matches services to infrastructure components and retrieves applicable rates, eliminating the need for manual cost estimation while maintaining system flexibility.
2Reliability
If comprehensive cost tracking is implemented, then billing discrepancy detection improves, but loss of time in processing increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary cost estimation and infrastructure mapping before actual billing occurs. By pre-calculating expected off-net costs and establishing the service-to-infrastructure relationship in advance, the system enables rapid billing discrepancy detection without time-consuming manual review during the billing process.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism that compares actual billing data against pre-calculated cost estimates. This automatic feedback loop identifies discrepancies promptly and triggers alerts, maintaining high reliability in billing accuracy while minimizing processing time through automated comparison rather than manual verification.
3Measurement precision
If detailed service-component correlation is performed, then cost estimation accuracy improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal service-component correlation framework that can handle multiple service types (telephony, data, video) and infrastructure components through a single standardized matching process. This multi-functional approach achieves detailed cost estimation accuracy without proportionally increasing system complexity, as the same correlation logic applies across different service domains.
Data Source
AI summary
Implementations of the present disclosure involve a system and/or method for correlating the cost of ordered telecommunications services. The system receives a customer order that includes various services. The services are matched to available solutions for the services. Each solution includes one or more product instances that are used to implement the solution. Each product instance may be matched to a service component. Each service component may be associated with an on-net service or an off-net service. Service components associated with on-net services may be assigned a cost. Service components associated with off-net services may be correlated to an off-net service and an estimated cost.