TMCnet Feature

Settlements can be an expensive proposition for service providers that don’t have systems in place to automate multi-party revenue sharing and settlement; support multiple partner charging models; do direct-to-mobile billing and in-application billing that protects the service provider as well the consumer with spending limits; and centralize consent management. That’s the word from Aepona, a U.K.-based company that is now spreading its message here in the U.S.

More than 25 mobile operators across the globe use Aepona's Universal Software Platform. That list includes AirTel, BT, Rogers, Sprint, TeliaSonera (News - Alert), TELUS, US Cellular, and Vodafone.

Michael Crossey, Aepona’s vice president of Marketing says the company’s platform allows service providers to open up their core network assets, including billing, call control, and location and subscriber profile information, and make those assets available via APIs. That allows other organizations to telecom-enable various applications and services, he says, which may include everything from consumer social networking apps to business process automation and sales force automation apps.

Crossey says Aepona sees a lot of interest in billing for third-party apps and content on the same bill on which service providers bill for phone service and/or Internet access. Content providers, games providers and app stores are looking for ways to increase their addressable markets, he says, and carrier billing is way for them to do that, especially in developing markets. But that’s a complex endeavor, he adds, because there are a lot of companies with which service providers may need to work on this front. Aepona has addressed that complexity by introducing a multi-party settlement solution, which enables each partner to have its own terms (like different revenue-sharing options) with the service provider.

A portal provided by Aepona allows partners to register to use the carrier billing capabilities the service provider is exposing, Crossey explains. The carrier can elect to pre-set various contract options.

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