Managing the IoT connectivity for hundreds of thousands of cellular devices deployed across multiple regions or countries is already a difficult task for any organization. Dealing with the subsequent billing admin headache is also tough. They may find themselves negotiating their operator contracts from network to network, juggling operators just to squeeze in as much profit as they can. When you are struggling with tight margins, staying on top of running costs within IoT is critical and unpredictable connectivity bills can be make or break for some deployments. A key consideration for any organization looking to succeed in IoT is a connectivity management platform which streamlines billing and offers powerful billing management features.
For many enterprises venturing into IoT for the first time, the complexity of operator contracts, tariffs, rate plans, billable events, and roaming fees can seem insurmountable. Deployments may become more complicated, with multiple cellular standards and different devices using varying volumes of data at different rates on a range of networks. All these factors make it incredibly hard to get a consistent view of costs. A consolidated monthly bill means you can focus on your organization’s IoT success instead of billing admin.
Your connectivity management platform should enable you to see all your critical billing information. Look for a simple view of available tariffs/rate plans, which operator network the tariff is associated with, the contract length and any associated fees and charges. The platform should make it easy to access to your invoices and get a complete and detailed view of all billable events across your deployment.
As more Mobile Network Operators look to offer an IoT solution, customers are increasingly demanding simplified, consolidated billing, as well as a low cost per activated connected device. To respond effectively to these demands, individual MNOs have to make it easy for their customers to understand their consumption costs. This can be incredibly difficult when numerous wholesale and retail tariffs must be married up with the call data records. You can mitigate this by choosing an IoT connectivity management solution with advanced tariff or rate plan management, making it easy to create and deliver monthly invoices to your customers within the platform.
For MNOs, it is critical to keep on top of IoT connectivity costs and provide your customers with consistent and accurate invoicing. If your connectivity platform of choice also offers automated usage alerts and barring, this should eliminate billing surprises and increase customer retention. To hear more about the benefits of a Connectivity Management Platform for MNOs, check out our on-demand Webinar "How will a CMP help MNOs win the IoT Market".
Arm Pelion Connectivity Management can help simplify your billing admin. Learn more