Sponsored Content
Use Case : The Connected Car
MediationZone powers an exciting new machine-to-machine solution for Telenor Connexion which was showcased at the 2013 Mobile World Congress event.
DigitalRoute’s MediationZone platform needed to addresses the data processing requirements demanded, to support the evolution of machine-to-machine services from simple telematics to a growing range of more complex offerings such as infotainment. If this trend is to become profitable for the Communication Service Provider and in this case, the car manufacturer, the need to differentiate data traffic is critical. An example is segmenting traffic that would be paid for by the content provider versus that purchased and paid for by the end user. Can we say something about why this way of counting data is important and give an example, e.g. Spotify would be paid for by the user but something else would not be?
The MediationZone Solution
DigitalRoute’s solution demonstrates the necessary traffic monitoring capabilities including counting and control using our Usage Management solution. It segments traffic, deploys counters to monitor usage and then activates controls or triggers when allowances are exceeded. These are important functions for Telenor Connexion to enable more flexible business models.
The showcase is particularly relevant and timely because it demonstrates the transformation of machine-to-machine services beyond simple device metering and towards monetizing any type of activity between connected devices on any data network. Data content derives from both telematics (in this case, the car’s engine diagnostic systems) and also to apps that are used by the car’s infotainment system. An example of the latter is the use of Spotify, TuneIn Radio and e-books, which allow the driver of the car to access entertainment without having to manually manage over-the-air radio broadcasts, CDs, and other “hard” devices that require greater physical interaction while driving.
For auto manufacturers and dealers, “connected cars” present a growing commercial market opportunity, but to capitalize on it, they need to ensure they build relationships with M2M connectivity providers such as Telenor Connexion, who offer the necessary traffic segmentation. MediationZone allows some data consumption to be charged in a B2B mode to partners and other consumption in a B2C mode to the end-use of the content but in all cases meets the manufacturer’s requirements. Other content services still might be classified as sponsored content, for instance data volumes based on a Spotify offer.
MediationZone’s Policy Control and Usage Management solutions manage integration between the in-car device data volume display and MediationZone as well as the integration between the MediationZone and the separate billing nodes of the CSP. The functionality demonstrates how MediationZone can manage consumed data volumes, thresholds and policy reactions to limits in real time. MediationZone exposes this data over an API for the in-car connected device to present usage and thresholds to the end user. It further enables the creation of split charging records, based on the usage volumes reported, for billing purposes.
