Virgin expands rating functions with Telcordia

Virgin Mobile USA said it is using an Advanced Rater capability from Telcordia that will give the wireless MVNO more flexibility to quickly launch and manage different prepaid pricing packages, promotions and discounts. The announcement comes just days after wireless MVNO competition was intensified with the announcement of Disney's plans to enter the market.

"You are seeing the need for MVNOs to launch more sophisticated service options," said Perry Passarotti, executive director of wireless product management strategy at Telcordia.

He said Virgin's use of the new Advanced Rater function represents an expansion of the three-year relationship between the two companies. Virgin's launch in 2002 relied on the Telcordia ISCP System to support its prepaid billing and charging functions.

Advanced Rater allows service providers to quickly set up billing for new services such as mobile games, offer customer rewards such as two-for-one ringtone downloads, support special promotions such as holiday calling offers, and enable multiple people within a family to access a shared account. Virgin has used it to roll out its new Day2Day service offering.

"Our customers are savvy young consumers whose mobile phones are an essential part of their lifestyle. However they use their handsets, it's essential that we deliver each service quickly, reliably and cost-effectively," said Mike Parks, CIO of Virgin Mobile USA.

Telcordia's Passarotti said the rating functionality is a component of an eventual larger industry evolution to real-time charging and cross-promoting of voice and data services. "Virgin's not doing that yet, but they could," he said.