It is no secret that before the saturation of cellular phone markets, operators are seeking new sources of income, and within these new sources of income are working with device integration.
is a logical progression: cell phone networks have almost total coverage in most countries where it is located and mobile devices can benefit from this effort to be always online. The first application is expanding on service speed is the AVL (Automatic Vehicle Location - Automatic Vehicle Location) that enables integrate GPS devices via the cellular network and have a real-time control of position, velocity and even other variables such as engine temperature or oil pressure.
The next service is beginning to develop is that of AMI (Advanced Metering Infrastructure - Advanced Metering Infrastructure) that enables the integration of utility meters (water, gas, energy) to automate the operations of: reading, cutting and reconnection *. In an AMI system, the meters using the cellular network to be connected to a central server and from the central server orders are sent reading, cutting and reconnection and received the answers (values measuring, cutting confirmation and / or reconnection), all electronic level.
From the business point of view (the telephone operator and utility) is a business where both parties win: the telephone operator wins new "users" and revenues associated with these (for the transport service measurement data and court orders and reconnection) and the utility saves on operating costs (no need to send to read the meters, or cut, or reconnect), and other gains in productivity and operational efficiency.
Knowing that this solution is a viable alternative medium term, utilities have begun to look beyond and realize that the prepaid model will solve the enormous problems of portfolio they have to deal with now. Move
prepaid model implies that the user has to pay in advance for the service. From then on, all responsibility rests with the user himself: there is a fee, a consumer and an amount of money available for balance, as the service is used, the balance is decreased in real time and in proportion to consumption , and if the service is cut simply because the user forgot to recharge. The big difference with the cell phone service is that in this case can not be fail to take even a day service. But the results achieved in practical terms is: zero debt.
The monopoly status in which companies operate normally utility lets users defenseless if they decide to go the prepaid model.
Possible advantages of this solution is that by having a better "financial health" (no accounts receivable in respect of provision of service, no bad debts and is not affected by the devaluation or inflation) and the major operating cost savings (savings in wages of workers engaged in reading, cutting and reconnection) could think that the value of rate (cost of service) would be lower.
Potential disadvantages of this solution is that the situation "hard" (cutting machine with zero balance) may encourage fraud (connections outside meters) which will increase risks of problems (such fraudulent connections do not meet standards).
Beyond the advantages / disadvantages of these solutions, the question remains in the air is: be a good move at a social level? Because, it will just disconnect service to a user on a Saturday (for at this time reached its balance) and has no money because the payment date falls on holiday and is effective on the next business day? The market will have the answer and the last word.
(*) AMI is the development of AMR (Automatic Metering Reading - Reading of Automatic Measurement) which was limited only to the consumer read operation.
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