METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR REVENUE MAXIMIZATION IN A COMMUNICATION NETWORK
Method and system for revenue maximization in a communication network. This invention relates to management of communication networks and more particularly to monitoring information of a subscriber of a communication network. Embodiments herein enable the network operator to collect and profile usage information of a subscriber on a User Equipment (UE) with the intention of using the information for revenue maximization applications and preventing fraud for a network operator, wherein revenue maximization applications include but are not limited to fraud management, revenue assurance, churn management, customer experience management, credit risk management and partner settlement.
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This invention relates to management of communication networks and more particularly to monitoring a subscriber of a communication network.
BACKGROUND OF INVENTIONSubscribers of a wireless communication network access a variety of services using the network. The services may comprise of voice based services (such as voice calls in the home area, voice calls outside the home area and so on) or data based services (surfing the internet, chat sessions, map based services, Voice over Internet Protocol (IP) (VoIP) and so on). The network operators may charge the subscribers for accessing the services, which may be based on at least one of profile of the subscriber, plan to which the subscriber is subscribed and so on.
Currently, networks operators use a plurality of discrete components spread across the network to monitor the subscribers and charge the subscribers according to the services being availed. On the subscriber availing a service, the network component associated with the service creates a record corresponding to the service availed by the subscriber. Examples of the record are account name, network phone number of the subscriber, date of activation of the connection for the subscriber, IMSI (International Mobile Subscriber Identity), Equipment ID, QoS (Quality of Service), Status of the connection and so on. The network component further creates copies of the record to be processed by other network components and systems within the network (examples of the network components and systems comprise of rating, billing, fraud, revenue assurance and data warehouse systems).
In an example, consider a subscriber updating his services from a voice only plan to a voice and data plan. On the subscriber changing the plans, the network operator updates the billing system, mediation system, HLR (Home Location Register), CRMS (Customer Relationship Management), GGSN (Gateway GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) Support Node) and SGSN (Serving GPRS Support Node). Also, the network operator ensures that systems contain the same information.
The network operator maintains multiple copies of the records of the subscriber in each of the network components. This results in a huge consumption of space, hereby increasing the costs in terms of infrastructure (such as electronic storage components and associated electronic equipment, physical storage location to place the electronic storage components and so on). Also, all the records need to be synced, which further results in a huge bandwidth requirement for transferring the records for a huge number of users across the network at frequent intervals.
Further, analysis on the revenue from the services availed by the subscriber occur after the subscriber has availed the service by analyzing the records. There might be a possibility of missing out on some records or information on the records, which might result in a revenue loss for the network operator. Also, there might be services which might be availed in a fraudulent manner (either intentionally by the subscriber or unintentionally by the subscriber) which may not realize in revenue for the network operator (due to a dispute raised by the subscriber or any other reason by which the subscriber does not pay for the availed service).
OBJECT OF INVENTIONThe principal object of this invention is to collect and profile information of a subscriber on a User Equipment (UE)/Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC), wherein the information may be used for revenue maximization applications for a network operator, wherein revenue maximization applications include but are not limited to fraud management, revenue assurance, churn management, customer experience management, credit risk management and partner settlement.
STATEMENT OF INVENTIONAccordingly the invention provides a method for managing revenue from a subscriber of a communication network, the method comprising of checking by a User Equipment (UE) if the subscriber can avail a service; on the UE attempting to avail the services based on at least one rule stored in the UE; and performing at least one action by the UE related to the service based on the at least one rule stored in the UE.
There is also provided a User Equipment (UE) associated with a subscriber in a communication network, the UE configured for checking if the subscriber can avail a service; on the UE attempting to avail the services based on at least one rule stored in the UE; performing at least one action related to the service based on the at least one rule stored in the UE.
Also, provided herein is a communication network configured for sending at least one rule to a User Equipment, wherein the UE uses the at least one rule to check if the subscriber can avail a service; on the UE attempting to avail the services.
These and other aspects of the embodiments herein will be better appreciated and understood when considered in conjunction with the following description and the accompanying drawings. It should be understood, however, that the following descriptions, while indicating preferred embodiments and numerous specific details thereof, are given by way of illustration and not of limitation. Many changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the embodiments herein without departing from the spirit thereof, and the embodiments herein include all such modifications.
This invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, throughout which like reference letters indicate corresponding parts in the various figures. The embodiments herein will be better understood from the following description with reference to the drawings, in which:
The present application is a national phase application of international application no. PCT/IN2014/000668 filed on 20 Oct. 2014 which claims priority form Indian application number 4721/CHE/2013 filed on 21 Oct. 2013, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTIONThe embodiments herein and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained more fully with reference to the non-limiting embodiments that are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and detailed in the following description. Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques are omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments herein. The examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the embodiments herein may be practiced and to further enable those of skill in the art to practice the embodiments herein. Accordingly, the examples should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments herein.
The embodiments herein achieve a method and system to monitor a subscriber of a communication network. Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to
Subscriber herein may refer to a person who is accessing the communication network using a User Equipment (UE), a UE accessing the communication network, a network entity or any other entity authorized to avail services available on the communication network.
The UE 101 comprises a revenue management module. The revenue management module may be configured to profile the usage of the UE (by the subscriber or by any other authorized person/entity), behavior of the UE 101 with respect to network events. The revenue management module may store the information. The revenue management module may take at least one action with respect to a network event, on a pre-specified event occurring. The revenue management module may send an alert to the network operator on a pre-specified event occurring. The revenue management module may send information related to the usage of the UE 101, the network usage behavior of the UE 101 to the network operator.
The revenue management module may be present in the memory of the UE 101. In an embodiment, if the UE 101 comprises of a Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC), the revenue management module may be present in the UICC. The revenue management module may be invisible to the subscriber.
The revenue management module may be made available on the UE 101 using a suitable means such as Over the Air (OTA), a data channel, encrypted SMSs (Short Messaging Services), tone dialing, Dual-Tone Multi Frequency (DTMF) tones and so on. This may be done in a manner invisible to the subscriber. Consider the example of the revenue management module present on a UICC, which uses a Java Card Runtime Environment (JCRE) which includes a Java Card Virtual Machine and Java Card API classes, the revenue management module may use JCRE. In an embodiment, the network operator may provide the UE and/or the UICC, with the revenue management module present in the UE and/or the UICC. The revenue management module may also be updated and/or modified by the network operator using a suitable means such as OTA, a data channel, encrypted SMSs, tone dialing, DTMF tones and so on. This may be done in a manner invisible to the subscriber.
The revenue management module comprises of summarization rules, evaluation rules, pattern matching rules and at least one action to be taken on conditions associated with at least one rule being satisfied. The summarization rules are a summary of events occurring in terms of parameters for any network event which the subscriber may perform using the UE 101 (wherein the network event may comprise of incoming calls from a specific entity, a call which exceeds a specific time period, outgoing calls to a specific entity, accessing an application on the UE 101, sending a message (Short Messaging Service (SMS), Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS), an Instant Message from the UE 101 or any other equivalent means to a specific entity and so on, installing/opening an app and so on), static information (threshold counts, list of suspect entities) and so on. The summarization rules may comprise of heuristics and static information. Evaluation rules may comprise of thresholds on summarized elements or rules for specific events occurring (examples of events are explained above). Examples of the threshold counts may be a limit on calls going to a specific entity, a large number of SMSs going to a specific entity, a very large number of SMSs being sent in a predefined period of time and so on. Examples of the suspect entities may comprise of a specific entity that is recognized as a fraudulent entity, an incoming call from a recognized telemarketer (when the subscriber is registered with a ‘Do-Not-Disturb’ database), a Uniform resource Locator (URL) identified as a phishing URL and so on. The summarization rules may be modified and/or updated by the network operator at any point in time using a suitable means such as OTA, a data channel, encrypted SMSs, tone dialing, DTMF tones and so on. This may be done in a manner invisible to the subscriber.
The revenue management module captures a network event initiated on the UE 101. The network event may be initiated by the subscriber of the UE 101, any other user of the UE 101, an application resident on the UE 101, the network operator or any entity capable of initiating a network event on the UE 101 for availing a service. The service may be at least one of voice calls, SMS, data and so on. Based on the summarization rules, the revenue management module may perform an action related to the network event. For example, if the network event is the subscriber dialing a fraudulent entity, the revenue management module may block the call. The revenue management module may further make an entry in the database through a communication channel in a network equipment using a suitable means such as OTA, a data channel, encrypted SMSs, tone dialing, DTMF tones and so on. This may be done in a manner invisible to the subscriber, wherein the entry comprises of details of the fraudulent entity, time the subscriber tried to dial the entity and so on.
The revenue management module creates a profile for the subscriber, based on the network events occurring on the UE 101. The revenue management module adds an entry for the network event, wherein the entry may comprise of type of network event, duration of network event, time the network event was initiated and so on. The network operator may configure the type of network events to be profiled/monitored, based on the subscriber information present with the network operator, the plan to which the subscriber has subscribed and so on.
The revenue management module further sends the information from the UE 101 to the network operator. The information comprises of profile data for the subscriber, information related to the summarization rules and so on. The revenue management module may send the information at intervals, wherein the intervals may be defined by the network operator. The revenue management module may send the information on a pre-defined event occurring, wherein the event(s) may be defined by the network operator. The revenue management module may send the information on a single entry being updated, as defined by the network operator. The revenue management module may send the information on a pre-defined number of entries being updated, as defined by the network operator. The revenue management module may send the information to the network operator using a suitable means such as OTA, a data channel, encrypted SMSs, tone dialing, DTMF tones and so on. This may be done in a manner invisible to the subscriber.
The network operator may analyze the information for revenue maximization. The network operator may further analyze the information to maintain effectiveness and efficiency of the summarization rules.
The revenue management module further sends the information from the UE 101 to the network operator via the communication interface 202, using a suitable means such as OTA, a data channel, encrypted SMSs, tone dialing, DTMF tones and so on. The revenue management module may send the information at intervals, wherein the intervals may be defined by the network operator. This may be done in a manner invisible to the subscriber.
The UICC controller 203 on receiving the revenue management module stores the revenue management module in the appropriate destination folder, which may be indicated by the received revenue management module. On the UICC controller 203 receiving updates to the revenue management module, the UICC controller 203 updates the revenue management module accordingly.
On the revenue management module capturing a network event initiated on the UE 101, the revenue management module may further make an entry in the memory 204, wherein the entry comprises of details of the fraudulent entity, time the subscriber tried to dial the entity and so on.
The revenue management module further sends the information from the UE 101 to the network operator via the communication interface 302, using a suitable means such as OTA, a data channel, encrypted SMSs, tone dialing, DTMF tones and so on. The revenue management module may send the information at intervals, wherein the intervals may be defined by the network operator. This may be done in a manner invisible to the subscriber.
The controller 301 on receiving the revenue management module installs the revenue management module as an application, in a manner invisible to the subscriber. On the UICC controller 203 receiving updates to the revenue management module, the UICC controller 203 updates the application accordingly.
On the revenue management module capturing a network event initiated on the UE 101, the revenue management module may further make an entry in the memory 303, wherein the entry comprises of details of the fraudulent entity, time the subscriber tried to dial the entity and so on.
The embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented through at least one software program running on at least one hardware device and performing network management functions to control the network elements. The network elements shown in
Embodiments disclosed herein enable the network operator to collect and profile usage information of a subscriber on the UE with the intention of using the information for revenue maximization applications, wherein the revenue maximization applications include but are not limited to fraud management, revenue assurance, churn management, customer experience management, credit risk management and partner settlement.
The foregoing description of the specific embodiments will so fully reveal the general nature of the embodiments herein that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept, and, therefore, such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. Therefore, while the embodiments herein have been described in terms of preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments herein can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the embodiments as described herein.
Claims
1. A method for managing revenue from a subscriber of a communication network, the method comprising of
- checking by a User Equipment (UE) if the subscriber can avail a service; on the UE attempting to avail the services based on at least one rule stored in the UE; and
- performing at least one action by the UE related to the service based on the at least one rule stored in the UE.
2. The method, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one rule is sent by operator of the network.
3. The method, as claimed in claim 2, wherein the at least one rule is sent by operator of the network using at least one of an Over The Air (OTA) interface, a data channel between the operator and the UE, an encrypted Short Messaging Service (SMS); and tone dialing.
4. The method, as claimed in claim 2, wherein the at least one rule is updated by the operator of the network.
5. The method, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one rule is present in a Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC) in the UE.
6. The method, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one rule is associated with an application present on the UE.
7. The method, as claimed in claim 6, wherein the application is hidden from the subscriber.
8. The method, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one action is enabling the subscriber to avail the service; blocking the subscriber from availing the service; and sending an alert to the operator of the network.
9. The method, as claimed in claim 8, wherein the method further comprises of recording information related to the service, as the subscriber is availing the service.
10. The method, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the method further comprises of creating a profile for the subscriber, based on services availed by the UE.
11. The method, as claimed in claim 10, wherein the method further comprises of communicating the profile to the network operator.
12. The method, as claimed in claim 11, wherein the method further comprises of communicating the profile to the network operator on at least one of at pre-defined intervals; on a pre-defined event occurring; on an update being made to the profile; and on an update being made to a pre-defined plurality of profiles.
13. The method, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the method further comprises of mining data related to at least one of the alert and services availed by the subscriber.
14. The method, as claimed in claim 13, wherein the method further comprises of the operator analyzing the mined data for revenue maximization.
15. A User Equipment (UE) associated with a subscriber in a communication network, the UE configured for
- checking if the subscriber can avail a service; on the UE attempting to avail the services based on at least one rule stored in the UE;
- performing at least one action related to the service based on the at least one rule stored in the UE.
16. The UE, as claimed in claim 15, wherein the UE receives the at least one rule from operator of the network.
17. The UE, as claimed in claim 16, wherein the UE receives the at least one rule from the operator of the network using at least one of an Over The Air (OTA) interface, a data channel between the operator and the UE, an encrypted Short Messaging Service (SMS); and tone dialing.
18. The UE, as claimed in claim 16, wherein the at least one rule is updated by the operator of the network.
19. The UE, as claimed in claim 15, wherein the UE is further configured to store at least one rule in a Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC) of the UE.
20. The UE, as claimed in claim 15, wherein the at least one action is enabling the subscriber to avail the service; blocking the subscriber from availing the service; and sending an alert to the operator of the network.
21. The UE, as claimed in claim 20, wherein the UE is further configured to record information related to the service, as the subscriber is availing the service.
22. The UE, as claimed in claim 15, wherein the at least one rule is associated with an application present on the UE.
23. The method, as claimed in claim 15, wherein the application is hidden from the subscriber.
24. A communication network configured for sending at least one rule to a User Equipment, wherein the UE uses the at least one rule to check if the subscriber can avail a service; on the UE attempting to avail the services.
25. The communication network, as claimed in claim 24, wherein the at least one rule is sent using at least one of an Over The Air (OTA) interface, a data channel between the operator and the UE, an encrypted Short Messaging Service (SMS); and tone dialing.
26. The communication network, as claimed in claim 24, wherein the communication network is configured for updating the at least one rule.
27. The communication network, as claimed in claim 24, wherein the communication network is configured for mining data related to at least one of the alert and services availed by the subscriber.
28. The communication network, as claimed in claim 24, wherein the communication network is configured for analyzing the mined data for revenue maximization.
Type: Application
Filed: Feb 10, 2017
Publication Date: May 10, 2018
Applicant: SUBEX LIMITED (Bangalore)
Inventors: Vinod Kumar Padmanabhan (Bangalore), Jandhyala Gowri Krishna (Bangalore), Kiran Zachariah Pulikunnel (Bangalore)
Application Number: 15/429,202