PDF of this tutorialDefinition
Prepaid wireless service requires payment from the subscriber before wireless providers will extend service. Real-time billing debits the prepaid subscriber's account as the prepaid subscriber uses service and prevents the prepaid subscriber from exceeding the account's available balance.
Overview
Transmission control protocol (TCP)/Internet protocol (IP) and signaling system 7 (SS7) networks are designed to provide reliable communications between service nodes 365 days a year, seven days a week, and 24 hours a day. The wireless intelligent network (WIN) uses the existing TCP/IP and SS7 network infrastructures in combination with the American National Standards Institute (ANSI)–41 standard to allow wireless providers to offer the enhanced services made possible by an intelligent network without the expense of deploying a new network infrastructure.
One such enhanced service is real-time billing for prepaid accounts. Real-time billing decreases the wireless provider's credit exposure due to prepaid accounts while offering the prepaid subscriber the ease of a prepaid account that mirrors postpaid convenience.
After completing this tutorial, the reader will understand how the WIN enables a wireless provider to bill prepaid accounts in real time when the subscriber is located in the home area. The reader is expected to be familiar with networking, signaling, and telecommunication technologies and standards.
