Business implications for ATM charging in a multimedia environment

This paper presents an approach to a business strategy that relates the charging for ATM-based network services to the charging for premium Internet services. It is based on a case study. For the purpose of this paper there are some abstractions which are meant to highlight the underlying basic principles. The reference network of the example is the InfoCity NRW field trial environment. It is an SDH/ATM based municipal area network (MAN) which links the major cities of the Rhine-Ruhr area. Within each of these cities there is a metropolitan switching node that establishes access to hybrid fibre coax CATV sites. The paper explores both the rationale as well as the technical approach to charging customers for IP based multimedia services. It explains tariffing ideas from the service provider point of view. In addition, it highlights those aspects of ATM charging which are relevant from the point of view of the network operator and its relationship to the service provider. Conditional access, customer care and billing are tightly connected in an online multimedia infrastructure. The current dominant model is flat rates which is neither a good long term solution for network operators nor an attractive option for service providers. This paper explores the implications of the service trends and requirements for multimedia charging