Excite@Home
256 kbps Upstream Toolkit
Step-by-step instructions on implementing for-fee 256 kbps Upstream Rates
 
Eric Colsman
v. 1.0
 
Toolkit Table of Contents
 
1. Introduction
2. Provisioning and Billing Summary Table
3. Step-by-step: Provisioning and Billing
4. Additional Support Procedures
5. Contact people: How to deploy and launch for-fee 256 kbps
6. Frequently Asked Questions
7. CSR Script
8. Background Information and Product Description
  (a) Market Demand
  (b) Competitive Analysis
  (c) Product Objectives, Positioning, Branding
  (d) Pricing
 
1. INTRODUCTION
 
Given that the ONadvantage Upstream Enhancement deployment delivers 128 kbps upstream, this document explains how and what steps MSOs can take to deploy a for-fee 256 kbps upstream rate. While the ability to deploy this for-fee 256 kbps upstream rate has existed for some time now, this toolkit aims to make this feature more readily available and easier to deploy quickly. The following issues are addressed:
 
* How is the product sold?
* How is the product provisioned and billed?
* What additional methods and procedures are required?
* What are the roles and responsibilities for MSO and Excite@Home   organizations?
* Who does an MSO call to launch this product?
 
This product is targeted for a small percentage of subscribers -- the small segment of customers who are particularly angered by the implementation of the 128 kbps upstream rate.
 
* The methods and procedures outlined here support low volumes.
* Pricing, marketing, and sales programs must encourage low volumes. * This product is designed to be offered only to those subscribers who complain   strongly about the 128 kbps upstream policy and seek an alternative.
 
Pricing Recommendation
Excite@Home recommends that customers be charged a one-time set-up fee of $50 and a recurring monthly charge of $30 to provide enhanced upstream. This product is designed to be low-volume and is thus priced accordingly. If a customer wants to use additional upstream bandwidth, they need to bear the costs of receiving this scarce resource.
 
2. PROVISIONING AND BILLING TABLE SUMMARY
 
The following table summarizes the sales, provisioning, billing, and tracking steps involved in offering 256 kbps as a premium (low-volume) service. Note that the table accounts for the two types of billing systems and with Tier 1 and Tier 2 division of responsibilities.
 
 
MSO Customer Care and Billing Infrastructure:
  Billing = BOS/Kenan
  Tier 1 =  Excite@Home or MSO
  Tier 2 =  Excite@Home
    (EXAMPLE InterMedia, Insight)
 
SALES and PROVISIONING 
Step 1
Tier 1 takes call, addresses any performance issues, qualifies caller for for-fee 256 kbps
Step 2
Tier 1 creates trouble ticket and passes call to Excite@Home Tier 2 Step 3
Excite@Home Tier 2 does final performance troubleshooting including running Net Diag test if necessary, gives final sales pitch, and passes ticket to Excite@Home Tier 1
Step 4
Excite@Home Tier 1 provisions 256 kbps upstream rate using SCOPUS
 
BILLING 
Step 5
Excite@Home Tier 1 applies appropriate billing code using SCOPUS and closes ticket
 
Tracking 
Step 6
MSO tracks provisioning status through trouble ticket
 
Other Notes
* Before process goes live the MSO agrees upon billing code.
* Reconciliation and reporting agreement between Excite@Home and MSO required.
 
MSO Customer Care and Billing Infrastructure:
  Billing =  MSO Billing
  Tier 1 =  MSO
  Tier 2 =  Excite@Home or MSO
    (EXAMPLE Cox)
 
SALES and PROVISIONING 
Step 1
Tier 1 takes call
Step 2
Tier 1 creates trouble ticket and passes call to Excite@Home Tier 2/2.5(Tier 2 troubleshoots speed)
Step 3
Excite@Home Tier 2/2.5 does final performance troubleshooting including running Net Diag test if necessary, gives final sales pitch,  and passes ticket to Excite@Home Tier 1
Step 4
Excite@Home Tier 1 provisions 256 kbps upstream rate using SCOPUS and closes trouble ticket
 
BILLING 
Step 5
MSO applies appropriate billing code in their MSO billing system
 
Tracking 
Step 6
MSO tracks provisioning through trouble ticket or email receipt
 
Other Notes
* Excite@Home to bill the MSO for appropriate revenue share.
* Reconciliation and reporting agreement between Excite@Home and MSO required. * For MSOs that do not have Remedy, an email will provide status.
 
3. STEP BY STEP:  PROVISIONING AND BILLING
 
Given that this is a low-volume product, provisioning and billing are both manual steps that require Excite@Home and/or MSO representative involvement. The following points outline the methods and procedures.
 
Sales and Provisioning
 
Step 1 - Tier 1 takes the call.
* The process begins with Tier 1 taking the subscriber's call.
* Caller complains about performance issues.
* Tier 1 applies basic performance troubleshooting procedures. Given that the   subscriber has an issue with performance, care must be taken to isolate the   issues between upstream, downstream, and simultaneous up and downstream speed   issues. The subscriber's system must be checked and if possible, cured for   speed issues/problems.
* If the performance issue is resolved, the call ends here.
 
Step 2 - Tier 1 creates a trouble ticket and passes the call to Excite@Home         Tier 2.
* If the performance issue remains unresolved, escalate to Tier 2. * If the subscriber and CSR ascertain that the caller has 128 kbps ONadvantage   upstream (in fact the caller may be (despite best efforts of MSO and   Excite@Home) learning this for first time) and the caller is angered by 128   kbps, the for-fee 256 kbps upstream product should be offered. * CSR asks the subscriber if he/she would be interested in 256 kbps upstream   and informs him/her of the price.
* If the customer is interested, Tier 1 opens a trouble ticket. * Tier 1 passes the call to Excite@Home Tier 2/2.5.
* If the trouble ticket shows that performance issue remains unresolved, then   Tier II must complete the troubleshooting process.
* Run Net Diag/performance test if appropriate
* Run ping tests if appropriate
 
Step 3 - Excite@Home Tier 2 revises the trouble ticket and passes ticket to         Excite@Home Tier 1.
* If the subscriber wants 256 kbps upstream, then the following prerequisites   must be checked:
* Confirm that more upstream will help the issue. Performance troubleshooting   must be completed.
* Run Network Diagnostics tool
* Subscriber must be made aware that 256 kbps upstream cannot be guaranteed and   that this is a burst capability.
* Review price (one-time set-up fee of $50 and monthly recurring fee of $30). * Review billing (Monthly billing, added to bill).
* Pass ticket to Excite@Home Tier I.
 
Step 4 - Excite@Home Tier 1 provisions.
* Excite@Home Tier 1 provisions 256 kbps upstream rate using SCOPUS. * Updates trouble ticket.
 
Billing
Step 5 - Apply the appropriate billing code.
  5a (BOS/Kenan billing) - Excite@Home Tier 1 applies billing code   * Excite@Home Tier 1 applies appropriate billing code using SCOPUS.     * One-time set-up fee.
    * Recurring monthly fee.
    * Given that billing does not happen automatically for this low-volume product,       activation of billing is a manual step.
 
  5b (MSO Billing) - MSO applies billing code
  * MSO applies appropriate billing code upon receipt of email (see Tracking).     * One-time set-up fee.
    * Recurring monthly fee.
 
Tracking
 
Step 6 - MSO tracks provisioning status
 
Through trouble ticket (BOS/Kenan billing).
MSO tracks provisioning through the trouble ticketing system (Remedy).
 
Through email (MSO Billing)
MSO tracks provisioning through email receipt (for those MSOs without Remedy). Note that for low-volumes this is manageable. Once the MSO receives notice that provisioning is complete via email, then the MSO applies the appropriate billing code in the MSO billing system.
 
 
4. ADDITIONAL SUPPORT PROCEDURES
 
Billing
 
Excite@Home will bill the MSO for the appropriate revenue share if the MSO performs billing. Reconciliation and reporting must be agreed upon by the MSO and Excite@Home before implementation.
 
MSO Billing Reconciliation
* Monthly reports provided by Excite@Home to MSO
* Reports include:
  * Newly provisioned subscriber count
  * Previously provisioned subscriber count
  * Data by region
* Revenue to be split as per the MSO and Excite@Home revenue split agreement * Excite@Home bills MSO monthly
 
BOS/Kenan Billing Reconciliation
* Monthly reports provided by Excite@Home to MSO
* Reports include:
  * Newly provisioned subscriber count
  * Previously provisioned subscriber count
  * Data by region
* Revenue to be split as per the MSO and Excite@Home revenue split agreement * Excite@Home pays MSO monthly
 
 
Tools
 
The following resources will be made available to Customer Care: * Modem check tool: check the current rate of a particular modem's upstream   rate. (deployed)
* Modem rate-setting tool: Set the modem's rate (128, 256, 512, unlimited).   (deployed)
  * SCOPUS tool.
  * Privilege granted to system administrators only.
* Performance and Speed Training document. (released)
* Performance and Speed Troubleshooting 1-page guide. (released)
 
5. CONTACT PEOPLE: HOW TO DEPLOY AND LAUNCH FOR-FEE 256 kbps
 
To launch the for-fee 256 kbps option the following people at Excite@Home should be contacted:
 
Troy Strahl    Customer Care Overall                  sorry - deleted Jim Broshar    Customer Care Tier 2/2.5                sorry - deleted Darcy Collet    Customer Care Excite@Home Tier 1        sorry - deleted Joe Kugler      IT-Ops, decide Billing Code            sorry - deleted Elise Gerich    Operations                              sorry - deleted Drew Hamer      Billing, Reconciliation, Excite@Home    sorry - deleted Eric Colsman    Product Manager                        sorry - deleted
 
 
 
6. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
 
I. Why does Tier 2 need to be involved, why can't the process reside with one Customer Care group?
 
The sales process (see CSR Script below) starts with a subscriber calling in. The subscriber either complains about performance issues ('my service is slow') or is upset that his/her service has been changed to 128 kbps. In either case the sales process begins with a performance issue and great care must be taken to be sure this is addressed accurately and resolved with root-cause analysis. Excite@Home's Learning and Development Team has a Performance Training Guide to address performance issues. Furthermore, a 1-page Performance and Speed Troubleshooter guide has been released and is on the partner site under:
 
 
Performance issues can be complicated and tricky to diagnose. Tier 1 can solve many performance problems, but not all. Tier 2 is outfitted with the Network Diagnostic Tool and Performance Test, Ping Test tools, and additional training. These must be brought to bear on the problem before 256 kbps can be sold as a solution. Otherwise there is a large risk that the product will be sold and without having solved a critical performance issue that will continue to plague the customer experience regardless of what upstream is provided.
 
Finally, it must be made clear to the subscriber that 256 kbps upstream is a maximum burst capability and cannot be guaranteed.
 
 
II. What are the most important aspects of the sales process?
 
It must be made clear to the customer up front that the 256 kbps is a maximum burst capability. Sustained 256 kbps upstream cannot be guaranteed. It is also important to understand exactly what the customer requirements are because the issue at hand may not be solved with additional upstream and may require a truck role, circuit troubleshooting, computer performance enhancements, or other solutions instead.
 
 
III. Can we offer 256 kbps upstream without a fee?
 
No. The 256 kbps upstream offering is provisioned manually and thus Excite@Home and the MSOs incur operational costs in supporting it. The product has been designed as a competitive alternative but is not scaleable in its current form.
 
 
IV. How was 128 kbps decided upon?
 
128 kbps was chosen to give residential subscribers fast, multimegabit downstream while protecting the upstream HFC limited resources. 128 kbps upstream supports multimegabit downloads and provides significantly more bandwidth than dial-up modems (a 56 kbps dial-up modem uploads at ~ 30 kbps).
 
V. What performance issues will 256 kbps solve and which will it not solve?
 
* Yes for simultaneous uploading and downloading. For the power user who   downloads large files while simultaneously uploading files (sending email,   for example), the 256 kbps upstream rate will provide a significant   performance boost. Asymmetrical links, when burdened with simultaneous up   and down traffic, transmit all traffic (in both directions) at the slower of   the two rates. This is true for all TCP/IP traffic, regardless of network   technology deployed (DSL, Microwave, HFC).
 
* No for Gaming. Gaming is unaffected by 128 kbps upstream. The primary issue   is latency, and 256 kbps upstream will not address latency. Additional   network capacity (circuits) will. If a subscriber is pursuing gaming through   their own server or another privately owned server on the network, 256 kbps   upstream will provide performance improvement. HOWEVER, SERVERS ARE AGAINST   THE AUP.
 
* Yes for servers in the living room. HOWEVER, SERVERS ARE AGAINST THE AUP.
 
* Yes for large emails. At 128 kbps a 5 MB email (including attachment) takes   ~ 7 seconds, at 256 kbps is takes ~ 4 (3.5) seconds. Related to this is the   simultaneous uploading and downloading issue that is outlined above.
 
* Yes for sending large files. This will help. However, if a subscriber is   regularly sending large files, through FTP or similar means, they should   pursue a solution that is better suited for heavy upstream (non-residential)   use (an @Work or other commercial product).
 
 
7. CSR SCRIPT
 
I. Why has my service slow?
 
  What kind of degradation are you experiencing? (Email? Speed issues? Other?)   Apply the performance and speed troubleshooting guide and the skills learned   in the training manual.
 
II. Irate customer. Upset that his/her upstream has been set at 128 kbps.     "Why has my service been capped?"
    "Why is my service being degraded?"
 
General Response:
 
  The @Home service is a residential service designed for residential use, and   the 128 kbps upstream rate is more than enough for residential use while   ensuring consistent speed and service across all markets. We're committed to   giving EVERYONE the fastest experience possible for a reasonable price.
 
  The @Home Network is designed for residential use, and 128 kbps upstream is   more than enough for typical residential use. Applications that are designed   for residential use are designed for 128 kbps upstream or less. If you find   this slow, you're transferring great quantities of data at speeds several   time faster than a typical dial-up modem and data that is not typical of a   residential user. If you need more capacity, you should consider a product   designed for telecommuting or business purposes. (Or upgrade customer to 256   or related product if applicable.)
 
From a newsgroup posting from Milo Medin:
 
  "The issue here is primarily managing the upstream that is shared amongst   several users in a market.  With no limits on upstream, we have a few   "enthusiastic" users who tend to run servers at home pumping out pirated   MP3's and a variety of other data, sometimes at megabit rates, slowing   things down for other users in the network, who then complain how it used to   be fast, but now is "slow" since more users have joined.  If the upstream is   congested, acknowledgement packets will not get through properly to the   headend slowing down the downstream as well.
 
  Even though this sort of behavior is generally prohibited by the service   agreement, it happens all the time.  Rate management of 128Kbps rarely   impacts consumer services, and still supports a multimegabit download speed.
 
  Commercial users don't have such rate limits in place, and thus can burn   more of the upstream capacity which is the most expensive resource in the   system to the operator.  Commercial users are sometimes provisioned on   different carriers, or have preferred access to the upstream, with fewer   users being allocated to those carriers.
 
  As Excite@Home and its cable partners have stated before, we are not trying   to provide a T1 ISP connection for $40/month.  If you buy the service with   that expectation, you will be disappointed.  We believe the commercial   access products over the cable infrastructure provide excellent value, but   it definitely is more expensive.  That's because commercial users burn more   network and cable resources than consumers.
 
  Why should the average consumer be forced to pay a higher base rate (or   suffer much worse performance) so that users who want to basically buy a T1   service for less than the cost to provide it can pay a lot less?
 
  That's why you see product tiering, things like ONadvantage.  The goal is to   deliver an excellent consumer service for the base $40/month price, and a   great commercial service at a higher price..
 
  DSL has to deal with some of the same issues, though its limits come from   other reasons.  If we only had more spectrum available in the upstream, the   cost to provide the upstream would be lower."
 
  - Milo Medin
 
Additional detailed points:
 
Residential Internet traffic is asymmetrical, that is most of the traffic is downstream and very little of it is upstream. 128 kbps provides plenty of upstream.
 
At 128 kbps upstream, you are receiving 4 times the upstream of a 56 kbps dial-up modem (delivers ~ 30 kbps upstream). You're getting substantially more than your dialup modem, and the downstream is rated at multimegabit speeds, up to 100 times faster than a 28 kbps dial-up modem.
 
 
 
III. "I'm going to cancel the MSO @Home Service" 
 
We hate to see anyone leave our service.  There are some actions we want to take before you decide to leave.
* Be sure performance and speed troubleshooting is done.
* Be sure 256 kbps upstream solves the problem at hand.
* Offer 256 kbps: "We can offer you 256 kbps upstream. You do need to know,   however, that this is a premium feature and you will be charged a one-time   set-up fee and billed $_____ per month. Also, the 256 kbps is a maximum   burst capability, you may experience lower upstream rates at certain times.   This is not a guaranteed, sustained upstream rate.
 
 
IV. Continued irate customer.
 
It's important to note that the service is designed for residential use, and that large upstream transfers are a sign that you may be using the product in a manner that violates the Acceptable Use Policy (AUP). What are you sending over the upstream?
 
* Read the AUP if there are any doubts as to what is and is not acceptable. * 'Rules of the Road' on the @Home service under the Member Services Tab   "What's New" clearly states the 128 kbps upstream rate. * Note that servers of any kind are NOT allowed.
* Note that transferring copyrighted material without permission is illegal   and not allowed.
 
V. "I bought an `unlimited' service. This doesn't sound like the `unlimited'   service I signed up for. What happened?"
 
The service is unlimited. The @Home Network is committed to providing the highest level of network performance for the majority of our subscribers. We constantly improve the service to ensure the fastest possible experience. The upstream enhancement is a positive step because it means that the majority of our subscribers can enjoy fast, consistent service. ONadvantage Upstream Enhancement ensures that everyone has upstream and downstream rates required for the fastest possible residential use.
 
 
VI. "I haven't heard anything about this upstream rate change."
 
An ONadvantage email was sent out well before the ONadvantage Upstream Enhancement was deployed. In addition, a broadcast banner with a click-through letter was posted on the @Home homepage. Both pointed to websites that further explained ONadvantage. We've made every reasonable attempt to inform customers.
 
 
VII. "This is unacceptable. I am going to let the media know, organize a     protest group, and sue."
 
As per the Acceptable Use Policy we reserve the right to make changes to the network as needed to ensure that everyone has the fastest possible residential experience. This is not a new policy. The AUP has been in place for quite some time. You should read the Acceptable Use Policy for more information: http://www/V3/tabhelp/houseruls/aup/index.htm.
 
 
8. BACKGROUND INFORMATION AND PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
 
Summary
 
Starting Q4 1998 Excite@Home began deploying 128 kbps upstream rate management in all markets as part of the ONadvantage initiative to ensure a more consistent product offering to a rapidly growing customer base. Prior to the deployment of upstream rate management, markets had not actively managed upstream rates and were therefore limited only by the `natural' limits of the modem and related equipment.
 
For those customers who wish to pay for a service with upstream rates higher than 128 kbps, who for whatever reason will not migrate to an @Work or a related product, and who threaten to cancel their @Home subscription because of these factors, Excite@Home proposes the following product - A 256 kbps upstream product for an additional fee.
 
The product is designed to be priced high and targeted to a small percentage of subscribers (the small segment of customers particularly angered by the new 128 kbps rate).  This low-volume product is not suitable for high-volume or significant revenue-generating purposes.
 
 
Market Demand
 
Market demand is expected to be small, less than 0.01% (at most 1 of every 10,000 customers) of the @Home subscriber base is expected to buy this product.
 
This product is offered to appease customers who want more than 128 kbps upstream and are willing to pay for it. The product is designed be offered under the following stipulations:
a) Offered to existing subscribers only, not to new subscribers. b) Offered only to customers who complain.
c) Offered only to subscribers who for whatever reason cannot or will not buy     an @Work or equivalent service.
d) Offered only as a last resort in a customer retention situation.
 
The spirit of this product is to offer an alternative to the subscriber who feels they must leave the service given the change in upstream rates.  This type of customer would be an early adopter who places value on an unlimited upstream rate or upstream rates greater than 128 kbps. The target subscriber would probably be an early @Home subscriber who is technically savvy and wishes to have unlimited access to the internet not only for everyday surfing but to quickly post pictures, upload large files, or send large emails. This customer pushes the boundaries of the definition of residential use, and is probably active in voicing any discontent whatsoever about the Internet, Internet Service Providers, changes in service, and any shortcoming he/she may find. While 128 kbps upstream is more than enough upstream to address all known residential applications, the 256 product is being made available to provide the MSO partner with an alternative offering to the customer in the situation stipulated above.
 
The sole marketing method will be pull marketing through customer operations. If a subscriber specifically asks for the product or expresses extreme dissatisfaction at the current upstream rates and threatens to disconnect, then customer care may offer this product as an alternative.
 
This product will not be advertised or marketed to the customer base.
 
The vast majority (over 99%) of @Home customers will not want or ask for this product for the following reasons:
* Customers do not want to be bothered by network management details including   the definition and policies of up and downstream rates, burst
  characteristics, and abuse.
* Customers expect Excite@Home to manage network details for them and in their   best interests.
* Customers want speed, and this is delivered primarily by providing   multimegabit downstream performance. Upstream at 128 kbps ensures that this   fast experience remains as the customer base grows.
* Customers have no need for large upstream bandwidth -- there are no known   residential applications that demand more than 128 kbps upstream bandwidth.
 
 
Competitive Analysis
 
Tiered services exist in some marketplaces as of this writing. Most U.S. markets have only one broadband option. A few US markets have several broadband alternatives including xDSL. There are instances of tiering including price, upstream, downstream, and bit caps in several U.S. markets. Canadian markets tend to have more offerings in each market. This includes offerings with different instances of mixes of upstream and downstream rates at different price points.
 
Excite@Home remains committed to delivering the fastest Internet experience to the home at the most economical price point and unlimited downstream burst capability. Note that the deployment of upstream rate management is having a positive effect because it ensures consistent speed and service levels across the growing subscriber base. By capping upstream rates, the service cannot be `hi-jacked' by high-bandwidth abusers. The 128 kbps upstream rate addresses the limited HFC resource issue by making the service unattractive for non-residential users while keeping the upstream rate orders of magnitude faster than dial-up services for residential users.
 
 
Product Objectives, Positioning, Branding
 
The 256 kbps upstream rate product is designed to offer an alternative (as opposed to the `cancellation of service' or `@Work or equivalent product' alternatives) to the subscriber who insists that 128 kbps upstream rate management is not adequate for his/her needs. See section 2.1.
 
The product will be positioned as a feature or a new service level. It will be sold on an incremental cost basis  (a tiered service would be sold as a complete product). The marketing message to the existing customer who threatens to cancel his/her service is that if you need upstream rates that burst beyond 128 kbps upstream, there is a 256 kbps alternative. Note that the term 'burst' is important. @Home can guarantee upstream bursts up to 256 kbps, but cannot guarantee that this will happen at any given time or for sustained periods of time. This feature will be sold separately and will not be bundled at this time with other offerings. It will not be branded per se. It is to be used as a last resort in retaining subscribers who might otherwise cancel their subscription.  See section 2.1.
 
 
Pricing
 
This feature will be separately priced on a per-month additional fee basis. There will be a one-time non-refundable order/installation charge of $50. There is no termination fee. The recommended monthly recurring fee is $30 per month.