Intec Launches End-to-End Solution for Revenue Generation and Sharing from WLAN

Business Wire, March 13, 2003

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

ATLANTA & LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 13, 2003

Intec WLAN Solution integrates convergent mediation and settlement solutions to provide complete collection, rating, revenue sharing, and

multi-ledger support for WLAN network operators, mobile carriers,

credit card companies and third-party data and financial clearing

houses

Intec Telecom Systems has announced the immediate availability of a solution to the problem of generating real revenue from consumer Wireless LAN (WLAN, 802.11a/b/g or Wi-Fi) networks.

The Intec WLAN Solution allows the network usage capture, pricing and billing for a broad range of WLAN services consumed by roaming WLAN users. These services include WLAN user authentication, simple Internet access, data traffic, VoWLAN, messaging, content delivery and many other IP based services. It can also integrate WLAN charging with the roaming wholesale charging on 3G, GSM and conventional networks, allowing providers a solution to revenue generation across multiple access technologies.

The Intec WLAN solution integrates fully with a leading WLAN network access control system from TRANSAT, the Wireless Access Internet Node (WAIN). WAIN uses a variety of methods to authenticate WLAN users, including legacy RADIUS and SIM based authentication. The WAIN system solves the problem of closely controlling and metering network usage of WLAN roamers over the public IP network.

For the mobile operator, Transat's WAIN allows high bandwidth services to be delivered through any Wi-Fi hotspot to the mobile customer. WAIN for the broadband CATV network operator ensures that a single account is not "shared" through a wireless access point around neighboring homes and apartments. User identity is protected even though a host of new services can be directed to the user, such as integration with pay per view video. WAIN for the broadband DSL network operator offers the security that is a cornerstone of enterprise computing.

Publicly accessible WLAN is growing rapidly, with many large communications providers announcing substantial rollout programs. The consulting firm In-Stat/MDR estimates that the number of WLAN 'hotspots,' or wireless access points, has grown from under 2,000 locations worldwide at the end of 2001 to more than 12,000 locations at the end of 2002.

The Intec WLAN Solution supports end-to-end financial transaction processing for:

-- WLAN Network Operators, to capture any type of end-user activity on their networks, and to generate wholesale charges against mobile carriers, credit card companies, or other subscriber billing organizations.

-- Organizations such as mobile carriers, wireline carriers, WISPs (Wireless ISPs), ISPs, credit card companies, or subscription resellers, to settle wholesale activity or roaming charges with partners.

-- WLAN Clearing Houses, to capture and price end-user authentication requests and service access, and to clear transactions for multi-lateral agreements between WLAN Network Operators and end-user organizations.

The Intec WLAN Solution is based on a combination of convergent mediation, settlement, payment management and roaming technology that is already proven in many current and next generation carrier networks.

Generating revenue from new services

Publicly accessible WLAN is growing rapidly, with many large communications providers, including AT&T Wireless, BT and T-Mobile, announcing substantial rollout programs. Generating revenue from these networks is much less straightforward than it appears. Simple time or volume based charging on home networks using an 'ISP' model does not address the problem of customers wanting to roam onto other providers' networks or hotspots. In addition, more complex charging and revenue sharing activities, such as for premium content or transactions, are not available with flat-rate, access-based models.

The Intec WLAN Solution solves these problems. By collecting and processing usage and traffic data from WAIN servers, or other charging gateways, then interfacing with a variety of roaming and billing systems, it allows all customer activity to be securely and proactively identified, rated and billed. The Intec WLAN Solution also includes full capabilities for dealing with roaming users, pre-paid, post-paid and current-paid models, balance management and authentication, rating and revenue sharing, and content and transaction identification. It can also be linked into financial systems such as SAP and Oracle Financials and operated within or alongside existing subscriber billing systems.

"WLAN represents a major challenge to existing mobile communications business models," said Intec CEO Kevin Adams. "By using the public IP network to deliver service and capture billing data, the WLAN market provides exciting opportunities for providers both inside and outside of the existing telco sector to extend a new kind of service to customers. We believe it will happily co-exist with 3G and GSM access as it has unique strengths, but it is never going to be a complete answer to mobile access. The Intec WLAN Solution has been designed to help providers solve the technical issues of revenue generation from WLAN users who want to roam across networks and who will be generating significant revenue potential from activities that are not easily billed using flat-rate type models."