Bridgewater Puts Subscribers in Control with myPolicy
- Thursday, June 18th, 2009
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Bridgewater Systems, the mobile personalization company, has unveiled its myPolicy solution. It features the new myPolicy application for the Apple iPhone and Research in Motions BlackBerry, and policy control components that communicate with network and IT systems to provide a real-time view of mobile usage.
The solution enables mobile operators to give subscribers control over their mobile experience including:
- My Usage: Tracking real-time data, SMS and applications usage, as well as voice and roaming charges anytime, anywhere.
- My Limits: Setting personalized limits, notifications, and roaming controls to manage mobile usage and prevent bill shock.
- My Offers: Receiving special offers in real time such as day passes for new applications, roaming passes for subscribers who are traveling, bandwidth top-ups, or free SMS with mobile advertising.
In addition to the myPolicy client application for the iPhone and BlackBerrys, the solution also includes software development kits that allow operators to brand, customize and extend the myPolicy application to meet operator-specific requirements. Also included is the myPolicy Broker, a module of the Bridgewater Policy Controller that brokers requests between the myPolicy application and the Policy Controller, and retrieves the appropriate information to present to the subscriber according to their preferences.
In addition, the Bridgewater Policy Controller is a PCRF-compliant (Policy & Charging Rules Function) policy control function that applies real-time network, application and subscriber rules such as updating usage information, providing subscriber context, and enforcing limits. The Policy Controller sends requests and receives information from relevant network and IT systems. Bridgewater says that myPolicy enables mobile operators to improve customer loyalty by empowering consumers and enterprises to set their own policies including mobile usage at home, in the office, and while roaming. It also enables customers to set personal limits and notifications, prioritize applications, and assign different usage thresholds by employee function.
The solution can also increase application store brand awareness with a mobile application that offers easy access to personalized usage controls and service options that leverage subscriber assets such as preferences, location, billing, and behaviours. Operators can customize the myPolicy application with functions available on self-service web portals such as modifying plans and access to account features.
Nridgewater says the solution can also drive incremental revenues with personalized services such as roaming or application day passes, bandwidth boosts, and special event offers based on usage or location. Custom myPolicy solutions can be provided to enterprise IT departments to manage mobile usage. Finally, customer services costs can be reduced by giving subscribers the freedom to set their own policies and monitor usage in real time on their mobile devices.
There has been a rapid take up of mobile data services in the last two years, driven by the introduction of more usable Smartphones, such as the iPhone and more attractive mobile data tariffs, says Peter Mottishaw, Principal Analyst at Analysys Mason. However, users remain concerned about unexpected charges and bill shock. They are looking for ways to personalize and control their mobile data usage and experience. They want to monitor their roaming usage while traveling, receive notifications when they are near their monthly bandwidth limit, know how much data an application is using, and receive timely offers. Mobile operators who can meet these requirements will be rewarded by loyal customers and increased take up of mobile data services.