Establish a Satellite Reseller
Starting a Satellite Reseller from scratch do not need a lot of capital - it is possible to start reselling terminals and airtime from existing top level satellite resellers called Tier1 satellite resellers. These resellers will offer their own web portal interfaces for the new reseller to get started - these Tier1 resellers are typically directly connected to the different satellite network operators like Inmarsat, Iridium, Intelsat, Viasat, Thuraya, Eutelsat and simular.
These Tier1 resellers will be providing ability to buy satellite terminals, associated satellite airtime and often also a range of value added services.
Tier1 resellers will be sending the new reseller traffic CDR file that contain the amount of traffic processed on the different terminals or simcards - some will provide subscription fees and other will not. The new reseller will need to be able to decode the received traffic CDR files.
So that traffic data for a given terminal get added on the correct invoice - this process is often in the beginning handled relative manual using tools like Excel. When the business grow will their be a need for a range of software to support and automate the different provesses across provisioning, billing and monitoring - that is where a satellite business environment come intop the picture.
Buying Satellite Services
Satellite services canbe purchased directly for the differenmt satellite network operators like Inmarsat, Intelsat, Iridium, Eutelsat, Viasat, Yagsat,Thuraya and many mor or an easier as simpler way is to be buying the services as well as the needed satellite terminal hardware from a Tier1 satellite reseller like Singtel, AST Group, Satcom Direct or similar.
When the agreemenmt with any of these are in place then is the next step to get a web site in place that offer the new satellite services as well as getting the needed satellite business environment in place as well as a financial (accounting) software. In the beginning where their is few customers can it be possible to operate the business using a simple Excel sheet - but when the business start growing will it be required to have a more automated business environment - to automate traffic billing , to offer end customers a degree of self service as well as the must have monitoring functionality to minimize the risk of loosing money.
Software Types to Operate the Business
The followiong will briefly explain more about the different software typically being used by operators and resellers. When getting a certain amount of customers will it be needed to have a provisioning system that manage and maintain the customer data across users, packages and inventory - where possible will this provisioning software as well be integrated into the actual satellite networks to offer end to end functionality like auto suspend, speed changes and alike. Billing is also one of the main software blocks it offer the ability to capture remote generated traffic CDR files - that contain all the needed information about usage - and billing will normally ionternally be generating the needed fees like activation fee, subscription fee and similar. As satellite traffic is often pretty expensive is it needed to have a monitoring system that keep track of the actual spending as well as usage. A long range of other optional software and hardware modules can be needed depoending on the actual business - it could be implementation of a Data POP environment to handle terminal authentication, IP assignment as well as firewall settings.
Satellite Provisioning Software
This is software that capture the different customer data across multiple levels - where needed integrate with underlaying platforms herunder satellite network operators like Inmarsat, Intelsat, Iridium, Thuraya, Eutelsat, Yagsat etc This integration ensure that their is no replicated data as all is alighned.
Provisioning also handle all inventory across simcards, MSISDN numbers, Additional MSISDN numbers, IP addresses, Serial numbers, EMEI numbers and alike - Provisioning is needed to handle data capture - for internal services, for external services created in resellers like Satcom Direct, AST Group, Singtel and especially needed when connecting directly to major satellite network operators like Inmarsat or similar where provisioning is a must have.
Satellite reseller that buy their airtime at tier1 resellers will often be forced to be using their web interfaces as they don't offer an API interface - where larger satellite network operators do offer a long range of API interfaces to handle provisioning, prepaid topup, remote terminal access and similar.
Satellite Billing Software
Satellite Billing software is typically less complicated compared to satellite provisioning but one of the most important software for a satellite reseller as this is automating the end to end traffic CDR processing and in the end generating the needed invoices.
The different satellite operators or resellers that your business will be connected to do provide traffic data in the form of traffic CDR files - these files are all in different formats dependantt on what source is delivering the data. These files need to be collected, possible preprocessed like unzipped, splitted , following mediated, then rated and in the end invoiced.
Collector
Traffic CDR files can be collected across FTP, SFTP, across emails as well as through drag&drop interface - the different CDR types will be identified through collection source and/or through file naming. CDR files can be in standard formats like TAP2, NTAP2, D91, ASN1, as well as in a long range or CSV formated file types. Our platform allow integration of new formats using drag&drop of a sample CDR file that will use AI to dertermin the layout of the file format linked to common used field type, IMSI, ICC, MSISDN, Call Start and similar - the operator can following through a wizard be correcting as well as apply name and similar for the new traffic CDR format. Our platform do out of the box support almost all formats currently on the market. Collector can as well perform special filtering on the collected data - a filter could be to split the received CDR files linked to IMSI numnber ranges - that allow a single account to be used across multiple satellite operators or simply allow military customers to have completly seperate data being processed in their platforms.
Mediation
Mediator will convert the collected data into an internal billing format - in our case is it an event based format that mean each single service or fee type will have an unique event associated - this event id can then in the rating plans be named in the way the operator want - it also mean the operator can name services differently from customer to customer. Most operators are using event based billing today an example is Inmarsat that is using Singview event based billing. Mediated traffic CDRs will be seperated with a single event for each billing event - it will have any associated data attached in the unrated CDR data like B-number, IP address, APN gateway and similar collected from the raw CDR file. In case a CDR can't be mediated then will it be added to failed CDR's with all associated premediated data- a mediation error could be that thgeir is no CDR association linked to a given provisoned package.
Rating
Applying rating (billing) of a given mediated traffic CDR or an internal event like a subscription - will be done mapping between CDR and user/ratingplan - it will work in the following way - first check type of product like postpaid, prepaid, group package etc. Then try to match a user and a rating plan with the CDR data. Rating of traffic CDR's are typically associated with a long range of rating plan rules, it can be a ruyle saying that a subscription is minimum 6 months, or their is a minimum usage, or a minimum increment as well as a long list of other rules.
Invoicing
When traffic have been rated and fees have been applied then is it possible to perform invoicing, it can be invoicing in draft mode, approved mode, credit notes, invoice mirroring, invoice reports etc. Invoicing are typically based on templates that allow different invoices per customer group like in different formats, different languages, tax handling, currency handling, billing periods, in-band prices, out-band prices, discount models and a lot more.
Billing Errors
Handling failed traffic CDRs are a normal part of a billing process, as well as validation of generated invoice and performing rerating after correcting issues - it is possible to have Revenue Assurance reporting thay give a complete picture of what is going on in the business, Revenue Management that validate credit risks and similar.
Billing Integration
Operating a end to end satellite billing system - will need direct integration to the operators accounting system (ERP Finance) - it can be SAP Finance, Navision or a more simple one like Odoo Accounting - these ERP systems will need to get the invoice data transfered so they can validate the received amounts in the bank account - similar will provisioning also need integration to the accounting system and possible as well to the companies CRM platform to get a replicated copy and direct mapping of customers.
User & Product Bulkloading
Upgrading an existing satellite reseller to a fully automated provisioning, billing and monitoring environment can be done using bulkloading of existing users across resellers, companies, subscribers and packages.
Software for Satellite Business
Running and operating a succesful satellite business setup that can scale demand a number of software to fully automate the normal time consuming tasks.
Typical Satellite Software:
- Provisioning software
- Billing - Invoicing software
- Monitoring software
- Financial System for Accounting
- Support Software - Tickets
- Web site for sale, documentation..
- Selfcare environment
- Customer Relation Management CRM
- Optionally a POP Environment to apply services
We do offer any part needed to operate a satellite reseller business - but the main functionality will be provisioning, billing and monitoring - our platform are directly integrated with all major satellite operators offering the new satellite reseller a major advantage as no manual provisioning activity will be needed and end customers have real time access to their terminal setup.
We offer any needed part in your satellite business setup - just contact us and will will be guiding your all the way across integration, bulk loading, software training as well as be delivering a comprehensive getting started through documentation in any area of the business.
Satellite Monitoring Software
Satellite traffic is still coming with a relative high price across the different traffic types and especially the introduction of streaming services demand near real time monitoring across spending and usage. When a certiaon level is reached should the platform generate an outgoing notification and possible even be automatically autosuspending the given service or perform service throttling to lower example bandwidth on data connectivity. Satellite Traffic monitoring is fast becoming a must have service - that allow the operator to monitor as well as the end customers to perform own monitoring.
Finance / Accounting Software
When traffic data have been rated as possible invoices then will it be required to get key data transfered across to the operators accounting system - that will allow the accounting software ERP like SAP finanmce, Navision, BSCS and similar to monitor if invoices are being paid by the different end customers - this is done mapping bank data with the different customers invoice data.
Support - Ticketing Software
Dealing with en customers and their possible problems or requests need a support ticketing system - that allow end to end monitoring of what is reported by the end customers - thistype of support environment need to allow SLA tracking where needed - it will offer a single interface for end customers linkedt to the issues that they are facing.
Web site for the business
Running a satellite business setup demand a associated web site that offer access to products and associated technical details - this is typically a standard web site environment combined with an integrated shopping environment that allow B2C or B2B as well as access to the customer self care environment, possiblke combined with guideline documentation, user manuals, knowledge base setup.
Selfcare across Airtime
Satellite IoT applications, Terminal provisioning - mailbox, Messaging integration and charging
Need of a Satellite POP Environment
If the reseller is a tier1 operator and want to connect to Inmarsat directly across BGAN, FBB, GSPS, SBB, LINK, GX.. then will Inmarsat require that a POP environment is established by the reseller - to handle radius authentication, routing, redundancy, firewalling and similar.
Establishing a satellite POP environment require the needed software like freeradius as well as a POP manager that will handle the integration between reseller provisioning system and the POP environment across radius servers, firewall profiles as well as value added services like WAN acceleration and more.
Having a own POP implemented do offer a long range of advantages for the operator and the end customers - a POP will be comnnected to provisioning directly using a POP manager - that offer integrated end to end provisioning of IP addresses, Firewall profiles, VPN routing, Value added services and a lot more - end customers will directly be able to manage own firewall settings across any terminal.
Value Added Services for Satellite
Offering satelliote terminals and airtime is often not enabling the new satellite reseller to enter the current market - so a range of value added services are typically added on top to make the new reseller more attractive to customers.
One API for Satellite Access
It is possible to access all commercial satellite in the sky through a single uniform API interface - it allow easy integration of own platforms and also allow the resellers end customers to integrate their services and own platforms in a super simple way - access Iridium Burst, access Inmarsat BGAN, Inmarsat GX and similar just by implementing a single interface.
API interface provide exactly the functionality as their is offered in the frontend environment - and the same level of security are applied to ensure highest possible data protection.