Openet Delivers Fair Usage Solution

A new Openet tool allows facilities-based service providers, which are struggling with how to increase their margins in a world of over-the-top Web 2.0 players, to police subscriber bandwidth usage to ensure users aren’t getting more than they pay for.

“Consumers are displaying a growing appetite for bandwidth-heavy content and applications. But with this comes the need for service providers to enforce contract terms to prevent revenue loss, and offer consumers transparency for their own data usage,” said Michael Manzo, CMO of Openet. “Fair usage policies can not only capture potentially lost cash, but actually generate revenue by charging for additional bandwidth. Openet’s Fair Usage solution enables service providers to exert unprecedented control over their networks.”

The solution, based on Openet’s FusionWorks Policy Manager and Convergent Charging products, identifies high-volume usage over any time period; provides subscribers with visibility into their usage through a self-care Web site, as well as e-mail and text message alerts prior to imposing usage limits; implements various escalation responses when limits are reached, such as reducing bandwidth or limiting specific types of services during peak hours; creates exception policies for high-value and loyal subscribers; offers multiple options for subscribers to purchase additional volume including pay-per-use, usage bundles and service plan upgrades; and generates reports on repeat violators to enable the service provider to take additional actions.