Definition
Unified Invoice (Consolidated Billing) supports combining usage from multiple countries, multiple projects, and multiple devices into a single invoice, with unified billing cycles and settlement processes. It supports invoice issuance, e-invoices, multi-currency reconciliation, and Reconciliation. In the International IoT Cloud Platform (ICMP), Unified Invoice is a key capability for cross-border connection management, simplifying financial processes for enterprise customers and supporting Cross-Border Billing and Multi-Currency Settlement.
Working Principle
Unified Invoice aggregates dispersed usage data (from CDR and Usage Aggregation) by customer, project, and billing cycle, calculating charges using Rate Card, Tiered Pricing, and Volume Discount, to generate a unified invoice. It supports multi-currency quoting and FX Management exchange rate handling, and invoices can be issued in the local currency or a unified currency according to customer preference. It supports paper invoices and e-invoices, and works with the Reconciliation process to ensure invoices match actual usage.
Use Cases
Typical scenarios include: Cross-border enterprise unified settlement—enterprises deploying equipment in multiple countries want to receive a consolidated invoice monthly rather than settling by country; Pooled Data and Shared Bucket billing—usage of data pools and shared quotas is aggregated for billing; Reseller channel settlement—usage of resellers and their downstream customers can be consolidated or split for invoicing; Multi-project cost allocation—invoice details are split by project and department to support internal accounting and TCO analysis.
Practice in ICMP
SimtoLink ICMP's Unified Invoice supports flexible configuration of billing aggregation dimensions by customer, project, and device group. Combined with Usage Aggregation and Usage Analytics, customers can preview invoices and download details in the Global Dashboard. It supports Multi-Currency Settlement and FX Management to meet cross-border settlement needs. Integrated with Payment Gateway, it supports online payments and automatic deductions. Combined with Reconciliation, it provides reconciliation reports to ensure financial accuracy.