Debit/Credit Telecomms billing system

T

Tunasashimi

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 1, 2005
Messages
337
Reaction score
0
Debit/Credit Telecomms billing system; TELCO PAYS YOU for recieving calls.

When you make a call, you pay.
When you recieve a call, you are paid.

I was just being annoyed once again over how wrong our telecomms billing systems are, when the obvious solution struck me. So obvious, I'm sure there must be telco's operating on a similar model, out there:

(American and Australian power companies operate on a similar model - whereby you can pump generated electricity back into their grid, and even make profit each month)

If nobody had any knowlededge or services to share, there would be no need for phone companies to exist. They should thus pay to those people who make their services most useful. (And should have right from the start!)

I'm fairly certain that at some point in the future, all phone companies are going to operate on this principle. Maybe they are already, if you take a bigger chain of events and transactions into consideration, although, the average consumer should be more directly part of that chain.

What do you think?

* Would you subscribe to my phone company, operating on this model?
* Do you think I would have to charge more than other companies?
* Can this model work for a small phone company?
* Any specific cases where this billing system would be ideal?

"I don't think it would work" is meaningless without elaborate thought and discussion from your side, in the same post!
 
Last edited:
Die$eL said:
I don't mean to be a "stick in the mud" or anything, but from what i hear, according to legislation, every bit of telecommunication has to at some stage or another be routed via Telkom. now, Telkom obviously charges Mtn, vdc, cell c etc each time this happens.

Therefore your theory of the cellular networks not paying anything for people calling others within the same cell is incorrect.

In the same way, you would probably need to route your traffic the same, and there would be charges to that.:mad: :mad:

But, as I say, this is from what I hear. I may be wrong.....:o
Click to expand...

Yes, in South Africa, at the moment, you would OBVIOUSLY have to be wildly creative to pull something like this off, in any new upstart. Simplest, obviously, for VoIP phone companies to use this as a way to lure customers.

Anybody feel like sketching us a scenario whereby all companies make a transition to this kind of billing system (if only for fantasy's sake).

That is the status quo at the moment, but nothing lasts forever....
 
Spam

spiderz said:
Look at the WebAfrica billing system....seamless is all i can say. :D
Click to expand...

Is this a lame attempt at gaining hits for their homepage, or is there actually some debit/credit billing going on there? Because nothing of the sort is obvious on their homepage. I just checked.
 
Tunasashimi said:
Is this a lame attempt at gaining hits for their homepage, or is there actually some debit/credit billing going on there? Because nothing of the sort is obvious on their homepage. I just checked.
Click to expand...

Their Billing system works like a charm. I order PrePaid ADSL, paid with the credit card, and had my Data within a few hours. (Was only this slow the first time). If i now add a extra Gb it is avaliable immediatly. (You get mailed a pdf invoice immediatly when you order something.)
I've never have to phone them, everything can be done from their site's interface. I once cancle and extra IS acount i had with them, just click on the delete acount, and it removes it, no hasels, no phone calls nuffing. They have a ticket support sustem aswell if you need to do quiry something.
It just workes.
(https://www.webafrica.co.za/client/)
Ask some of the other WebAfrica users what they think about it.

ps. ... and no, i don't work for them.
 
How old are you? Maybe you misinterpreted the thread topic, which is NOT "Some dumbass ISP who can install a basic billing system"

The topic, my dear friend, is "TELEPHONE COMPANY PAYS YOU"

Yeah, woohoo. I ordered ADSL from SAOL's website and they activated it instantly, without me having paid or any of my details having been verified, and it was even 3am. Big whoop. I wish I could just trash your posts or move them to there they belong. NOT HERE.
 
Hello oh world of mindless consumers. Smart people msg. me. We're building a spaceship, getting the !@)(#) out of here and starting a new colony where murphy's law doesnt exist and everyone lives in harmony, forever. You can apply now but I can't guarentee you'll get in :D Also, the only pet allowed will be the maltese poodle.
 
Last edited:
No, thats what happens when I get enough sleep for once...

If you think the US customs are bad, wait till you see what we have planned.
 
Tunasashimi said:
When you make a call, you pay.
When you recieve a call, you are paid.

I was just being annoyed once again over how wrong our telecomms billing systems are, when the obvious solution struck me.
Click to expand...
Dont really think this will fly.

Providers pay others termination/interconnect fees for the usage of the infrastructure they have invested in. You as the customer have invested zip, so why should they pay you?
 
Roman4604 said:
Dont really think this will fly.
Click to expand...
Think in a longer term than 10 years. Or purely in a theoretical sense, then, if you will...

Roman4604 said:
Providers pay others termination/interconnect fees for the usage of the infrastructure they have invested in. You as the customer have invested zip, so why should they pay you?
Click to expand...
BECAUSE:
Without you to provide content, or you to be contacted, there is no use for their service.

The reality is that the network providers are making money off people providing content. Content providers are driving the need for the network providers' services.

Think of it this way:
Why did telkom make so much money in the last few years?
Dial-up.
Instead of paying the actual people who provided content, Telkom got paid. Their services should've been rendered at a nominal cost/been included in whatever taxes you pay, and any cost above that, should have been for internet content.
 
Telcos generally make the money cause they invested in the infrastructure. Without the communication network the content's value (as you call it) is irrelevant.

I cant think of anyone who'd pay me to talk to them face to face? Would be nice tho ... I'll meet you tomorrow to continue discussion, only R5 per min :p
 
This idea will never work. It does not make sense for a service provider to pay you when you receive calls. I mean every call is made by someone and received by someone. If the one is paying and the other person is receiving the money, then the service provider would hardly make profit.

You misunderstand the power concept. certain people install a generator, etc at their home and generate electricity. Any excess electricity generated is then supplied to the grid, so that other users may use it. That is the only reason the power companies pay some users. They are paying for electricity that you have generated and they then sell it to someone else. In this model it makes sense but not in the telecommunications model:mad:
 
Sharkey said:
This idea will never work. It does not make sense for a service provider to pay you when you receive calls. I mean every call is made by someone and received by someone. If the one is paying and the other person is receiving the money, then the service provider would hardly make profit.

You misunderstand the power concept. certain people install a generator, etc at their home and generate electricity. Any excess electricity generated is then supplied to the grid, so that other users may use it. That is the only reason the power companies pay some users. They are paying for electricity that you have generated and they then sell it to someone else. In this model it makes sense but not in the telecommunications model:mad:
Click to expand...

Information is more valuable than electricity.

Do you think the people who make the pipes should profit from the fact that people have wells of information and allow other people to suck/pump their intellectual water through the pipes?

Think about it, try to be very progressive..... I'm suggesting someone research this as a thesis, and runs a simulation, defines the critical points of failure/success....

You don't understand the architecture of the internet properly, if you fail to see the implied solutions and consequent benefits...
 
Roman4604 said:
Telcos generally make the money cause they invested in the infrastructure. Without the communication network the content's value (as you call it) is irrelevant.

I cant think of anyone who'd pay me to talk to them face to face? Would be nice tho ... I'll meet you tomorrow to continue discussion, only R5 per min :p
Click to expand...

Interesting view ;D

But that is what people do, you pay to talk to a doctor, you pay more to talk to a lawyer. You pay nothing to talk to the quacks on this forum.... ;D

Only, the more in demand your information is, well, the more valuable it is and the more infrastructure it requires to sustain.....

As I said, lots of interesting ideas and things to think about.

The fact is that the internet as it is today has not been properly designed to fit its current usefulness.... It has become what it is through trial and error. A kind of digital tower of babylon. Its almost miracle it's hasn't totally collapsed yet ;D makes you want to believe in the innate good in all men. Mostly. ;D
 
Vox: "Someone's listening to you".

Vox: "Someone's listening to you"...

I sure feel like they are - to a lesser - maybe more practical extent.

Although, this idea was thought up for a much more global scale, something larger than profit sharing... *yawn*

I like the beauty of the idea - scale, demand, etc... -wise... and how telecomms protocols could theoretically perfectly accommodate it.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top
Sign up to the MyBroadband newsletter
X