There is a lot of talk about how operators should court non-traditional customers, but little information exists on how to actually monetize operators’ assets. Beyond the networks, operators possess many other monetizable resources valuable to over-the-top players, content providers, retailers and mobile advertisers, such as:
–Network policies;
–Contextually rich subscriber data;
–Analytics;
–Billing;
–Customer care;
–Security.
Each of these resources holds a commensurate value for enriching services, such as:
–End-to-end service management;
–Service level agreement (SLA) management;
–Quality of service (QoS) guarantees;
–Personalized service options and promotions, including relevant mobile advertising.
But how can operators optimize that value for more personalized services, and even open it up to third parties for further monetization?
Diameter: The ‘secret weapon’ for monetizing assets
As iconic devices like the LTE-enabled iPad or iPhone emerge, their full capabilities for revenue generation will be optimized only if operators succeed in building a network in which policy solutions intelligently orchestrate the subscriber experience, and one in which Diameter Signaling orchestrates core network communication.
The driving force behind this type of network is the Diameter protocol, which provides the common language by which service and network control elements communicate. Whether policy servers, gateways, charging systems, mobility and session management, or subscriber databases – all rely on Diameter. In terms of anatomy: policy acts as the brain; the Diameter Signaling Router acts as the central nervous system; and subscriber data management acts as the memory.
In non-technical terms, it means marketing goals for personalization can be carried out by Diameter, which works behind the scenes to orchestrate communication among all critical elements in the anatomy of an LTE or IMS network.
It will be Diameter that supports the inevitable variations in services and applications. For example, if in a certain service a subscriber switches devices often, Diameter will play a big role in authentication. If in another service a subscriber has a high degree of mobility, Diameter will do more around location updates. If yet another service gives a subscriber toll-free data apps, Diameter will focus more on policy and charging.
Because Diameter manages the complex and intricate processes and interrelationships among devices, networks and servers, it is critical for the types of services and programs operators want to launch, such as:
–Tiered tariffs;
–Shared data plans;
–Loyalty programs;
–“Toll-free” or sponsored usage;
–Mobile advertising;
–QoS for specific applications;
–Enhanced OTT applications.
For example, when a subscriber purchases a higher service tier, the GGSN/Packet Gateway (PGW) will send a Diameter message to the policy server (PCRF) to identify restrictions to be applied based on the subscriber plan. The policy server will then send a Diameter message to the subscriber database to retrieve the subscriber’s profile (data quota, preferences, usage, etc.) and send this data back to the policy server. The policy server in turn sends this information to the GGSN/PGW for enforcement.
Or, in mobile advertising, Diameter mediates and orchestrates messages around location or identity and enforces user opt in/opt out preferences. And, when combined with policy, Diameter will help an operator assemble analytics around advertisement usage.
Rather than take a wait-and-see approach, operators should expedite research and development related to signaling infrastructure so they can take advantage of all that Diameter can do for improving communication among devices, network equipment, servers and management systems. Monetization of everything outside of transport will depend on it.
