Transactional intelligence company Openet has an idea for helping carriers to monetize the immense amount of data being generated by Apple Inc.’s darling of the tablet world, the iPad. And in fact, it says that a “Tier 1 North American operator” (our money’s on AT&T Inc.) has signed on to give those ideas a whirl.
Openet says that this operator has deployed its Subscriber Initiated Provisioning and Service Pass solutions, which allows it to sell ad-hoc and recurring data plans to iPad customers, while enabling subscriber-initiated provisioning of data access by volume of data usage and duration. In other words, customers can self-activate and pick the plan that works for them. The vendor is characterizing it as a third class of service, between postpaid and prepaid.
This is of course the strategy that AT&T has taken with its 3G access for the iPad, which has been sold on a prepaid basis and which allows customers to buy and set up service right from the iPad itself. But, Openet says, it’s particular operator the operator was unable to offer mobile network access for defined period of time and/or usage unless the user was connected to Wi-Fi. Now, customers using the iPad are able to:
- Purchase a data plan that fits their usage needs anytime, from anywhere
- Access data services without committing to a long-term contract
- Exert more control over their data plan and view their usage in real time
The popularity of new categories of mobile Internet devices such as netbooks, tablets, e-Readers and smart phones present operators with new and unique customer needs. As these devices proliferate, consumers need an alternative to long-term service contracts and are seeking a data plan that fits their needs, when and where they need it. Moving beyond only pre- or postpaid offerings, operators have a new monetization opportunity with devices like the iPad that support real time over-the-air activation.
Openet’s Subscriber Initiated Provisioning and Service Pass solutions allow operators to quickly roll out new mobile data plans on any type of mobile device. This flexibility enables subscribers to purchase data services in a variety of ways, including by time period and volume of data, or for specific services or applications. The solutions also provide regular notifications for subscribers, giving full transparency into charges, usage and new service options.
“As tablets and other mobile Internet devices continue to be rolled out by all operators, a new market segment has emerged — those customers who want network access without having to sign long-term contracts,” said Mike Manzo, CMO at Openet. “With the iPad supporting over-the-air activation, the operator is implementing both Openet’s Subscriber Initiated Provisioning and Service Pass solutions to give its device users the option to purchase a flexible data plan that fits their needs. By adding a third type of service option, the operator is uniquely able to meet customer needs, which is a powerful competitive advantage.”
