Convergence services such as VoIP, IPTV, Mobile TV and Smart TV among others will replace old technologies. IP-based convergence is inevitable and will result in new services and new demand in the market. Isn't it crucial for you to understand Convergence and the promise it holds? The SURE! Convergence Everywhere Whitepaper unfolds the hidden connections.

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Look around.
Convergence
everywhere.
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Convergence services, such as VoIP, IPTV, Mobile TV and Smart TV
among others will replace old technologies. IP-based convergence is
inevitable and will result in new services and new demand in the market.
Isn’t it crucial for you to understand Convergence and the promise it
holds? The SURE! 'Convergence Everywhere' Whitepaper unfolds the
hiddenconnections.

2. The world of telecommunications is in a state of lux as new arenas are emerging in a rapid pace.
Convergence is one such phenomenon that already is in full throttle and holds much promise for
businesses as well as consumers. It de ines the interlinking of formerly distinct functions,
markets and ields of application, which have changed the way companies operate and
consumers perceive & process media content. For businesses, it promises evolved operational
and process ef iciencies brought about by end-to-end BSS-CRM-OSS systems and associated
capabilities. For consumers, a converged lifestyle can be enabled, where multiple services can be
accessed from the same / multiple devices with seamless service continuity, thus ensuring
optimal customer satisfaction. Hence, the concept of convergence is gaining immense potential
irrespective of the rank of the country in the development index. With the advancement in
technology, service providers are targeting to create personalized offers/experience to
consumers through device agnostic content.
Look around. Convergence everywhere.
The ‘Convergence Everywhere’ Whitepaper's main purpose is to bring to the fore, crucial
phenomena of media and convergence management, while also addressing more speci ic issues
brought about by innovations related to media, technologies, industries, business models,
consumer behavior and content management.
Why Convergence?
Executive Summary
The volume of data traf ic is growing exponentially, be it through smartphones or via
traditional cable. In the process of re-inventing the network to handle these volumes, it
does make sense to develop a network infrastructure not only to support data but also
voice and video.
Increase in Network Traffic
Converged networks that can handle multiple services ensure launch of innovative
services and hence enhance end user experience, thereby reducing customer churn. If a
great price point can also be offered, it is going to be a smart offer. In the US markets,
contracts are tagged with smartphones to make them affordable and attract & engage
customers.
Service Innovation
With lesser costs invested in physical space, administration and consolidated CRM and
Billing systems, the possibility of faster break even and improved pro its are high.
Companies are realizing the advantages of lower CAPEX hosted models.
Quicker Breakeven Possibilities
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3. Offering both prepaid and postpaid services can pose a challenge for operators. When
the products are rated / charged on different systems, maintenance of both systems
becomes complicated and expensive. An ideal billing solution should be able to meter all
the services, regardless of the underlying technology.
Prepaid Postpaid Convergence
One can achieve this by integrating with a network agnostic BCRM and Subscriber
Management system, which can handle multiple third party integrations such as
payment gateways, SMS gateways, Vendor Management and Voucher Management to
name a few.
Leverage Network Investments
By offering lexible price plans across services, smart bundles of multiple services, cross
product and cross service promotions and discounts that gives the end customer a
unique experience, one can delight the end customer. By handling multiple services
under the same platform, the operator can juggle different options to improve and
innovate service offers.
Be Relevant and Contextual
Look around. Convergence everywhere.
Operators need to monetize their services and stop being the dumb bit-pipe providers,
just carrying traf ic.
Value Addition
Multiple Facets of
Convergence
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Multiple
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Convergence
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4. Look around. Convergence everywhere.
The Case for Convergence
Always-on,
Always-connected Devices
As per the Ericsson Mobility Report 2013, the
number of mobile subscriptions worldwide
has grown approximately 7 percent during
Q3 2013. The number of mobile broadband
subscriptions grew even faster over this
period, at a rate of 40 exceeding 2 billion in
2013. The amount of data usage per
subscription also continued to grow steadily
and around 55 percent of all mobile phones
sold in Q3 2013 were smartphones.
New Competition from Content and
“Over-the-Top” Companies
According to the same report, by Q3 2013, total mobile subscriptions were around 6.6
billion. By the end of 2019, they are expected to reach around 9.3 billion. Global mobile
broadband subscriptions passed 2 billion in 2013, and are predicted to grow 4 times by
2019, reaching 8 billion. Mobile broadband will gain a large share of total broadband
subscriptions in many markets, complementing ixed broadband, and in certain
segments replacing it. As coverage is built out, it is increasingly common for users to
replace ixed broadband with mobile broadband. The majority of mobile broadband
devices is, and will continue to be smartphones.
As per the Multimedia Research Group's (MRG) report on
Worldwide Over-the-Top Subscription Video on Demand
Market; as the market evolves on a global basis, OTT
Subscription Video on Demand (SVOD) service providers are
striving to offer exclusivity and original programs to their
subscribers. The focus is on providing video content
anytime, anywhere and on any device. Thus, MRG expects
the OTT SVOD market to record signi icant growth
worldwide in the coming years.
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5. Look around. Convergence everywhere.
According to SURE!, a Magnaquest product, this model poses a limitation as users want
usage based billing, where the subscriber pays for what he or she consumes. Therefore,
the convergence of Pre-Paid and Post-Paid along with multiple permutations in billing at
different levels is an essential condition for establishing a successful business.
Network Commoditization
The rapid adoption of data-centric
devices has fundamentally changed
the way we use the mobile phone. It
is still the device we use to make
phone calls, but for many of us it is
primarily the device we use to check
email, news, listen to music, watch
movies, or read or send updates on
Social Media sites. Voice is one of
the applications that comes with
the phone.
At the subscriber level, the move to IP-based, data-centric usage and billing models can
lead to increased average revenues per user (ARPU) if operators leverage their network
and service capabilities, and offer subscribers, options to tailor their data plans to their
interests and needs. The latest service plans show that mobile operators have started to
follow this approach, but they are still focused on a small subset of the revenue-
generating opportunities available to them.
MRG de ines Over-the-Top (OTT) as a system for Broadband Internet delivery of video
and audio without a pay-TV operator being involved in the control or distribution of the
content. The SVOD model offers subscribers, unlimited access to content for a regular fee
(usually charged monthly, quarterly or yearly).
According to SenzaFili Consulting's report on
‘A New Approach to Revenue Generation for Mobile
Broadband', mobile subscription plans do not fully re lect
this profound shift in usage models or the accompanying
change in what subscribers ind valuable – and worth
paying for. As a result, mobile operators have struggled
not only to ind ways to bene it from the huge growth in
mobile broadband consumption, but also to prevent the
erosion of revenue from their core service, voice.
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6. Look around. Convergence everywhere.
To stay on top of the game, operators must take radical
steps to innovate the ways in which they offer their
products & services and the ways in which they use
their networks in the context of different markets that
they serve. Owing to the shift in service delivery,
providers can discover new segments of customers
and different markets that they can foray into, which
would not have been possible otherwise.
The Magic Plan
New Offers, Bundles,
Services and Applications
The service provider should be in a position to
offer products in combinations and bundles with
usage based pricing plans coupled with discounts
and other smart offers.
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As users spend more time over the web using
various devices, it is important that the
operator also gives a web-like experience so
that the customer can access content
instantly.
Web-Like, Real-Time
User Experience
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7. Look around. Convergence everywhere.
Service providers should be ready to
adapt to the industry's evolving
technologies to be able to integrate
with emerging technologies in order to
stay ahead of the game. According to
the Ericsson Mobility Report 2013, LTE
subscriptions are expected to reach 2.6
Billion by the end of 2019. Does your
BCRM support your growth plans in
the light of the industry's trends?
Leverage Network Assets
According to Machina Research, by
2022 there will be 18 billion M2M
connections globally, up from
approximately 2 billion today, an
annual growth rate of 22%. Today
approximately 23% of connected
devices can be categorized as M2M,
a igure that will grow to 61% in 2022.
Emerging M2M
Applications
The biggest sector in 2022 will be intelligent buildings with 37% of all connections,
dominated by Heating, Ventilation and Air-Conditioning (HVAC) and security systems.
Accounting for 32% of connections, the second biggest is consumer electronics,
including games consoles, music players, cameras and white goods. These are followed
by utilities (10%) and automotive (8%). Short-range technologies will dominate M2M,
accounting for 73% of connections in 2022.
According to the same report, China and the US will be the biggest global M2M markets
in 2022. The US will account for 20% of revenue and 19% of connections, while the
equivalent igures for China are 17% and 20%. The next biggest markets are Japan,
Germany and Russia. In terms of traf ic, there is little concern that M2M devices will
over-run operator networks. M2M accounts for around 2% of cellular traf ic today,
falling below 1% in 2022. Growth in M2M traf ic will be dwarfed by growth in mobile
broadband data traf ic.
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8. Look around. Convergence everywhere.
According to the Going Beyond Telco
report by SAP, “The Telco industry is in a
time of intense transformation. Revenue
from core communications services is
stagnating, and there is increased
pressure to look beyond traditional
offerings while continuing to focus on
lowering operations costs.”
Beyond Traditional
Telco Offerings
@
LTE
According to the same report, opportunities are vast for communications service
providers (CSPs) that embrace this change. The explosion in devices, increased demands
of consumers, and adoption of software-as-a-service (SaaS) models by enterprises
represent entirely new potential revenue sources. With 24 billion devices expected to be
connected by 2020, machine-to-machine services such as telematics, smart metering,
and telemedicine require core services on which CSPs have built their businesses. These
include network infrastructure, complex billing and micropayments, large-scale service
delivery capabilities, and above all, trust – trust to deliver reliable service and to manage
personal data with integrity.
What Is an Ideal Solution?
Situations abound where a service provider may wish or need to address several
customer segments, using a particular business model for each one. To stay on top of the
game or forestall potential disruptors in its current markets, to expand into new
markets, may all ideally require distinct business models that operate in tandem. In the
case of subscription businesses, supporting business models requires an end to end
BCRM and Subscriber Management system with evolved apps such as FFA, Web Self-
Care, Converged Billing to name a few.
Support Multiple Business Models
A BCRM and Subscriber Management system should be able to handle multiple levels of
convergence with regard to type of subscription, products, services, bill presentment,
multiple payment methods, network elements and policy management among others.
Multiple Levels of Convergence
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9. Look around. Convergence everywhere.
Accelerating the speed of bringing new products to market is a top objective for
subscription businesses. Although bundling may appear to be a bottleneck for achieving
this objective, solving the problem requires rethinking the way in which various
activities converge during package design and development. By rede ining how these
upstream functions interact with subscription models, subscription businesses can
reduce product time to market, accelerate revenue realization, and reduce product and
package development costs.
Ability to Reduce 'Time-to-Market'
Operators should introduce new products quickly. System limitation should not be a
reason for them to stop introducing a new product.
Scalability is of prime importance when it comes to huge volumes of subscriptions to be
handled or high volumes of transactions to be processed. The system should be capable
of scaling up vertically as well as horizontally to support effective scaling. Days have
already arrived where 'elastic' hardware is deployed. Hence, the system should have the
capability to detect and adjust accordingly to the changes.
Scalability
In the Next Generation Networks (NGN) scenario, it is important that real-time usage
events generated from the network elements are captured and processed in real-time to
furnish usage details for the end customer as well as for the service provider. This
combined with balance management in real time is critical in ensuring service
continuity and other service provisioning related aspects. There should also be a
provision to transfer balances across accounts in case one service balance is depleted.
This transfer also has to work in real-time based on speci ic business scenarios. Hence,
it is important for the charging and billing system to support multiple sessions of
multiple services and manage the balance (as well as transfers) in real time and ensure
service availability to the end customer and bring in pro itability for the service provider
at the same time.
Real-Time Charging and Billing Support
Easy integration with the other IT systems of the operator is possible if the billing system
is developed on SOA with the use of open interfaces. It limits the complexity of the billing
solution. Innovation is supported by open architecture, customer centric approach,
centralized product management, built-in-process management and rule based
con iguration on various levels.
Service Oriented Architecture (SOA)
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10. Look around. Convergence everywhere.
Operators would not like to disrupt their existing infrastructure while introducing new
modules/ features. It is good if the billing system can seamlessly integrate with multiple
third party integrations.
Easy Integration with Other IT Systems
To make service convergence and prepaid postpaid convergence complete, it is essential
that the solution supports varied methods of payments. This includes payments via
mobile, prepayments for services, card based payments, online payments,
micropayments and the normal postpaid bill payments. To have these modes of payment
support, a service provider requires interfaces to payment gateways so as to support
payment realization. It is imperative adhere to industry standards (like PCI DES) to have
data encryption while storing the data as well as during transferring data across
payment gateways for payment realization.
Support Postpaid and Prepaid Payment Methods
Increasing volume of transactions puts a lot of pressure on the processing capabilities of
the system. The system can neither slowdown nor generate incorrect billing owing to
high volume.
Better Performance
Some customers end up using most of the network capacity, thus causing problems to
the other users. Policy Management is crucial in such a scenario.
Easy Introduction of New Charging Models
A convergent billing system should be capable of controlling and charging the user
based on the service type, instead of general data usage. Operators can segment data
usage and provide value-added services. A Facebook user on a smartphone can be
charged differently from a YouTube user.
This provides operators, new avenues for revenue generation, lesser maintenance and
better customer experience.
The charging data, pro ile data & plan data should be captured appropriately so that
there is no billing inaccuracy. This is highly important when you want to create superior
customer experience.
Reliable (100% Bill Accuracy,
No Revenue Leakages)
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100%

11. Look around. Convergence everywhere.
Data traf ic demand is growing rapidly in the context of operator strategies to encourage
mobile Broadband adoption. Consequently, the industry is talking about of load as a
solution, which takes many manifestations, leaving many operators unsure of which
path to take. The system should be able to handle roaming customers and mobile data
of load scenarios.
Roaming Support
SURE! Solutions for Broadband and Telecom
Convergence and multiple-play have opened up newer horizons for broadband players to
explore. Recurring businesses thrive on the ability to retain customers, increase ARPU and
monetize more services that your subscribers are using.
As an ISP, you need enough ammunition with respect to technology that does not disrupt
your existing investments but is future ready and can easily accommodate any change
you try to bring in terms of Access Technologies, Products, Services, Partners and
many more.
ISPs - Wired and Wireless
SURE! is one of the world's fastest growing Subscription Management Solutions platforms for
Small and Medium to Large scale Broadband service providers.
Are you equipped with enough ammunition to handle the change?
The penetration of devices like smartphones and tablets in large numbers in both
developed and developing worlds has added mobility to the subscribers' data and
content needs. They are going places and so is your business. However, delivering to a
customer who's always on the move comes with its own set of challenges. Establishing
the network with high speeds and lexible plans is the key challenge on the one hand and
driving revenue growth and increasing ARPU on the other. You need a solution that gives
you end-to-end control over the services, experience, monetization and quality.
Mobile BB / WiMax / 3G
SURE! offers an advantage to WiMAX Service Providers / Operators by offering a Pre-
integrated WiMAX CSN Platform including AAA, Policy Manager (PCRF), BSS,
Subscription Management, Ordering, Billing, Customer care, Rating & Charging (OCS)
enabling faster roll out services to market off and lexibility to select the complete
solution or some of the modules.
3G
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Look around. Convergence everywhere.
Today, Mobile Data Of loading (MDO) is not an option but is the most cost-effective way
to satisfy customers' ever-increasing demand for bandwidth. For unprecedented user
experience and reduction in churn, operators are turning towards MDO.
WiFi Offload
Are you equipped with the market leader to support you in Mobile Data Of load/Wi-Fi
Of load?
According to many leading analysts and world's largest carriers, 4G LTE is the only
network that will matter because of its faster speeds and better user experience. This
paradigm shift will enable new capabilities optimizing signal strength, reliability &
coverage. It opens up opportunities to provide high-speed rich data services and
innovative apps driven content (especially data-intensive services such as video). A
recent study on mobile statistics predicts that LTE will rise sharply to 1 billion
connections by 2017, when it will comprise 15 percent of all mobile connections. As a 4G
provider, you have seen the Transformation of Content from Enterprise Applications to
Retail-Applications. Social Media proliferation and Peer-to-Peer Communication has
spurred rich media collaboration across all devices. The faster you roll-out services, the
more you bene it in this space.
4G / LTELTE
The erosion of the traditional voice service, together with the ever-increasing diversity
and competition between service providers, is pushing the telecommunications
industry towards a paradigm shift in its business models. Today, this shift can only be
carried out by offering converged services built around the Internet Protocol (IP). Triple
Play, an amalgam of voice, video, and data services, is the basis of this new business
outlook.
VOIP / Triple Play
MVNOs are now in the spotlight to effectively market to their niche customer base and
respond as their subscribers evolve. This has led to a greater need by MVNOs to identify
and target niche markets in a more sophisticated manner.
MVNO

13. 1
Look around. Convergence everywhere.
Success depends on knowing your market and subscriber base and reaching out
with personalized service bundles, promotions and campaigns at the right time.
Your Success
For successful delivery you need an enabler who knows you, understands you and
builds products that perfectly suit you. Do you have one?
This publication contains general information only and is based on the experiences and research of SURE!
practitioners. SURE! is not, by means of this publication, rendering business, financial, investment, or other
professional advice or services. This publication is not a substitute for such professional advice or services, nor
should it be used as a basis for any decision or action that may affect your business. Before making any decision or
taking any action that may affect your business, you should consult a qualified professional advisor. SURE!, its
affiliates, and related entities shall not be responsible for any loss sustained by any person who relies on this
publication.
Copyright © 2014 SURE! A Magnaquest Product. All rights reserved.
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