As carriers move to tiered pricing and shared data plans, the ability to track each device’s data use is critical. The software that enables this is called the policy manager.
“The power of a policy management system lies in the information supplied to it, driving the need for operators to be able to gather and analyze data about their networks, services and customers. Once that occurs, that information can then be used to make contextual policy decisions that address the specific requirements of the customer while optimizing network resources,” said analyst Shira Levine of Infonetics Research.
Chris Hoover, marketing VP of Ireland’s Openet, said that policy management enables operators to move past tiered data plans to one-off purchase plans that engage customers by offering them data when and where they need it. This can incent users to keep using data when they are roaming. “What I get [as a consumer] is a lot more control over my spend and what the operator gets is a lot more control over a subscriber who would otherwise turn off data completely,” said Hoover.
