Telecom, one of the most competitive industries, faces market saturation as most consumers already own multiple SIM cards. Core services like voice and data have become commoditized, with little differentiation, prompting consumers to switch providers over minor pricing differences. This has caused Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) to decline, while capital costs and shrinking margins persist. The rise of e-SIMs has further simplified switching between operators.

To mitigate retail market challenges, telecom companies are diversifying into the B2B segment, targeting enterprise and government clients. They are also offering non-core products and services, such as cloud services, IoT, Datacenter, cybersecurity, 3rd Party products and services, CPaaS, UCaaS and more. This diversification helps telecom operators maintain competitiveness and expand revenue streams.

Telecom Billing Challenges

As telecom operators expand into B2B markets and offer value-added services, they face significant billing challenges, primarily due to the limitations of legacy billing systems, which were not designed to accommodate non-core services:

1. Inflexible Billing Solutions for Non-Core Services – Legacy billing systems are often ill-equipped to handle billing for non-core services like cloud computing, IoT, and data centers. These services typically involve complex billing models, including subscriptions, licenses, and one-time purchases, which may also be customized or bundled to meet client needs. This requires specialized billing mechanisms that legacy systems cannot support effectively.

2. Manual and Complex for 3rd party products – Billing for third-party services adds another layer of complexity. Telecom operators must bundle services from multiple providers into a single invoice and re-rate vendor charges for customers. Legacy systems are not designed for such tasks, making vendor invoice reconciliation a significant challenge. Accurate tracking of service usage and payments for vendors further complicates this process.

3. Difficulty in Synchronizing Data Across Billing Platforms – As legacy billing systems are inadequate for non-core services, telecom operators often deploy specialized platforms for these needs. This leads to the coexistence of multiple billing systems—sometimes 3–4 platforms—which necessitates seamless data transfer and interoperability. The lack of streamlined data synchronization increases operational complexity and inefficiencies.

4. Limited Automation for Complex Enterprise Billing – B2B customers often demand highly customized solutions with varied pricing and billing models. These solutions may involve multiple combinations of services within the same organization. Without automated billing software, managing such complexity manually becomes prone to errors and inefficiencies.

5. Inaccurate Billing and Disputes – Billing inaccuracies—stemming from complex plans, multiple service subscriptions, and mismatches between contracts and invoices—can lead to disputes. These disputes erode trust between telecom operators and their clients and are difficult to resolve without precise and accurate billing systems.

6. Challenges in Financial Reporting – Telecom operators often struggle to enhance financial reporting for better data visibility. Customers increasingly demand cost center-wise billing reports aligned with their organizational structures. However, generating such detailed reports often requires manual intervention, making the process labour-intensive and error prone.

7. Vulnerability to Data Security Breaches – Protecting customer data is critical, especially as cyber threats like ransomware, phishing, and DDoS attacks evolve. Telecom billing data, containing sensitive customer and financial information, is a prime target for hackers. Operators must also comply with regulations such as GDPR to ensure data security and privacy.

Invia Bill360 – A Converged Billing Solution

Invia has developed Bill360 an end-to-end order-to-cash billing solution designed to address billing needs of telecom operators’ B2B services.

1. Non-Core Services Billing – Bill360 is a comprehensive enterprise BSS platform that seamlessly handles billing for both core and non-core services. It centralizes and simplifies CSP billing across diverse segments and products.

2. Billing for 3rd Party Services – The platform includes a "Bill on Behalf" functionality to bundle third-party services into a single invoice. It automates vendor charge re-rating and offers an inbuilt reconciliation facility, streamlining vendor invoicing and revenue sharing.

3. Transitioning from Legacy Billing Systems – With its "BSS Bridge" functionality, Bill360 facilitates the transfer of customer and product data from legacy systems to modern billing platforms. It supports hybrid bundles combining legacy and strategic platforms, ensuring a smooth transition.

4. Automating Complex Enterprise Billing – Bill360 automates billing for usage, time, fleet, and speed-based services. Its machine learning-powered policy core replaces manual billing, delivering real-time usage analysis and proactive exception management.

5. Improved Billing Accuracy – The platform’s "Bill Guarantee" ensures 100% invoice accuracy by integrating contracts and billing with its CORS framework. Automated audits and workflows reduce disputes, enhancing trust between operators and their clients.

6. Enhanced Financial Reporting – Bill360 provides advanced financial reporting with detailed customer and product insights. It offers automated cost centre-wise billing that mirrors organizational structures, eliminating the need for manual workarounds.

7. Robust Data Security – As a security-first SaaS solution, Bill360 is supported by an in-house SOC and NOC team. Regular vulnerability assessments and penetration testing ensure compliance with global data security standards and protect sensitive customer data.

Conclusion

In today’s competitive telecom landscape, operators must diversify their offerings and adopt innovative solutions to remain relevant. However, legacy billing systems are inadequate for handling the complexity of modern B2B services. The Invia Bill360 platform provides a converged solution to streamline billing, enhance accuracy, and improve customer trust, empowering telecom operators to scale their business and adapt to market demands.

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