The Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) onboarding process is a critical step in establishing a successful partnership between MVNOs and their host network operators. It involves a series of structured activities designed to ensure seamless integration, efficient operations, and a strong foundation for delivering services to end customers. This blog explores the MVNO onboarding process, highlighting key steps, considerations, and best practices based on the comprehensive MVNO Standard Onboarding Document.
Understanding the MVNO Onboarding Process
The onboarding process begins with a well-defined business plan that outlines the target market, value proposition, subscriber offerings, pricing strategies, growth forecasts, and service evolution. This plan serves as the blueprint for the entire onboarding journey, ensuring alignment between the MVNO and the host network operator.
Key Activities in the Onboarding Process
1. Use Case Capabilities and Timelines MNO provides a detailed document outlining baseline capabilities and functionalities available in the system. MVNOs review and understand these functionalities to align their business requirements with the system’s capabilities.
2. BSS Demo of Capabilities A high-level demo session showcases the system’s capabilities, modules, and configurations. MVNOs gain access to a demo sandbox for one week, allowing them to explore the GUI, test functionalities, and familiarize themselves with the system.
3. Statement of Work (SoW) Clarification Workshops are conducted to clarify the baseline scope and identify change requests (CRs) outside the standard scope. MVNOs define their use cases and high-level functionalities, ensuring alignment with their business needs.
4. Project Plan and Timelines MNO presents a project plan and timelines for the onboarding process. MVNOs review, agree, and approve the plan to ensure smooth execution.
5. Final Statement of Work Submission A Comprehensive SoW is submitted, detailing commercials, scope of work, and project plans. Both parties approve the final document, marking the official start of the onboarding process.
6. Onboarding Kick-Off The project is officially launched, with workshops scheduled to finalize the high-level design (HLD) and prepare for implementation.
Defining the Market Segment
A successful MVNO launch requires a clear understanding of the target market and a well-defined strategy. Key steps include:
- Adopting a Challenger Mentality: Focus on simplicity and value, offering competitive pricing and straightforward plans.
- Identifying Channels: Build customer relationships online and leverage direct and indirect channels for acquisition.
- Online-First Approach: Prioritize online portals and apps for customer acquisition, top-ups, and care.
- Building Credibility: Offer predefined use cases and simple plans to attract customers.
- Aggressive Subscriber Growth: Focus on data-centric value plans, app-based services, and disruptive use cases.
Key Considerations for Go-to-Market Plans
MVNOs must develop their value proposition under specific headings, which feed into the solution configuration phase. These include:
- Plan Types: Postpaid, prepaid, and hybrid options.
- Service Offerings: Voice, SMS, data, and international roaming.
- Sales Channels: Retail stores, online portals, and telesales.
- Customer Care: Self-care portals and online support.
- Customer Acquisition: Seamless onboarding via retail, online, or mobile app channels.
- Fulfillment: Efficient SIM and handset delivery through fulfillment partners.
- Provisioning: Assigning service classes and tariff plans to customer profiles.
- Rating and Billing: Real-time rating for prepaid and postpaid customers, with detailed billing and invoicing.
- Reporting: Regular KPI reports and dashboards for system performance monitoring.
Self-Care Portal: Empowering Customers
The self-care portal is a cornerstone of the MVNO onboarding process, enabling customers to manage their accounts and services independently. Key features include:
- Personalization: MVNOs can configure the portal’s look and feel to align with their brand.
- Subscriber Authentication: Secure login options with password policies and two-factor authentication.
- Dashboard View: Real-time usage and financial information displayed in graphical and textual formats.
- Subscription Management: Customers can view, modify, and add subscriptions, including base plans and add-ons.
- Usage Tracking: Detailed historical usage records for voice, SMS, and data.
- Ticketing: Customers can create and track tickets for issue resolution.
- Payments and Top-Ups: Integrated payment gateways for seamless transactions.
CRM System: Enhancing Customer Management
The Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system provides a holistic view of customer data and automates key business processes. Features include:
- Customer Acquisition: Capturing customer details during onboarding through multiple channels.
- Customer Profile Management: Updating and managing customer profiles, billing accounts, and service details.
- Customer Service Management: Handling requests, enquiries, and trouble tickets efficiently.
- Subscription Management: Configuring, modifying, and terminating subscriptions based on customer needs.
Billing and Invoicing: Ensuring Accuracy
The billing and invoicing system aggregates chargeable events, applies discounts, and taxes, and generates invoices. Key features include:
- Supported Charges: Rental, usage, recurring, and one-time charges.
- Discounting: Tiered, volume-based, and cross-product discounts.
- Taxation Handling: Configurable tax policies for accurate billing.
- Bill Cycle Management: Flexible billing cycles with prorated charges for mid-cycle activations or terminations.
- Invoice Delivery: E-bills, PDFs, and hard copies delivered via email, SMS, or print bureau.
Unified Product Catalogue: Streamlining Offerings
The Unified Product Catalogue (UPC) manages multiple products and services, defining relationships and attributes. Features include:
- Product Definition: Creating service and device products with detailed specifications.
- Plan Management: Configuring rate plans, base prices, promotions, and billing structures.
- Family and Shared Plans: Supporting group allowances and hierarchical account structures.
- Quota Rollover: Configuring unused quota rollover for enhanced flexibility.
- Offers and Discounts: Time-based, tiered, and volume discounts to attract customers.
Mobility Support: Enabling Seamless Connectivity
The solution supports mobility services, including real-time charging, roaming, throttling, parental control, and fraud management. Key features include:
- Roaming: Real-time data roaming and offline voice/SMS processing.
- Fair Usage Policies: Configurable actions for unlimited plans with fair usage limits.
- Fraud Management: Reporting high-frequency events and NRTRDE file ingestion.
- Revenue Assurance: Generating detailed reports for billing, disputes, and payments.
Change Request Process: Managing Customizations
Customizations are assessed, managed, and implemented through a structured change request process. This includes:
- Tracks all Change Requests (CRs) including their description, approval dates, and production deployment.
- Captures impact details such as time, cost, affected documents, and commercial implications.
- Documents technical analysis covering scope, interoperability, and risks.
- Outlines required modifications to requirements, design, and development models.
- Includes validation steps like QA activities, review plans, and test strategies.
- Assesses schedule impact and suggests adjustments or sub-projects if needed.
- Requires formal approval and tracks key milestones and documentation locations.
Conclusion: A Framework for MVNO Success
The MVNO onboarding process is designed to simplify the complexities of launching a mobile service. By following a structured framework, MVNOs can focus on delivering value, building customer trust, and scaling efficiently. From defining market strategies to configuring systems and managing customer relationships, the onboarding journey is the cornerstone of a thriving MVNO business.
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