Method and system for providing a financial analysis of an enhanced wireless communications service

• US 7,343,334 B1
• Filed: 05/26/2000
• Issued: 03/11/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Original Assignee: Accenture LLP (Accenture PLC)
• Inventors: Liles, Scott D., Kothary, Parag P., Adduci, Richard I. Jr., Yorulmaz, Tunc
• Primary Examiner(s): Kramer; James
• Assistant Examiner(s): BORLINGHAUS, JASON M
• Application Number:
  US09/580,233
• Time in Patent Office: 2,846 Days
• Field of Search: 705/36, 705/35, 705/39, 705/38, 705/10
• US Class Current: 705/36.00R
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0202 Market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/06 Asset management; Financial planning or analysis

Abstract

A method and system for providing a financial analysis for enhanced wireless communication services provides a financial analysis for a service provider or another user interested in the provision of enhanced wireless communications services. The method includes accepting user input related to an existing wireless communications service and a proposed enhanced wireless communications service. A reference database is accessed for reference to general market data related to the proposed enhanced wireless communication service and a standard adoption curve for adoption of the enhanced wireless communication service. The standard adoption curve is adjusted to obtain an adjusted adoption curve based on the accepted user-specific input. A graphical depiction of a financial analysis is presented to the user based on an evaluation of the adjusted adoption curve and the general market data.

Claims

1. A method for providing a financial analysis for an enhanced wireless communications service, the method comprising:

accepting user-specific input into a computer relating to an existing wireless communications service and the enhanced wireless communications service, wherein the user-specific input includes a wireless application selection for selecting at least one wireless application supported by the enhanced wireless communications service and a market data input interface for entering existing data about the existing wireless communications service;

accessing a reference database including general market data applicable to the enhanced wireless communications service and a standard adoption curve for adoption of the enhanced wireless communications service, wherein the market data comprises at least one of demographic or financial data, wherein the reference database further includes a first set of cost data values associated with a wireless infrastructure deployment cost and a second set of cost data values associated with an operations and maintenance cost for the enhanced wireless communications service, wherein the reference database further includes a revenue data value associated with the existing wireless communications service;

adjusting the standard adoption curve to obtain an adjusted adoption curve, wherein the adjusted adoption curve is responsive to chances in a parameter associated with the standard adoption curve and selected from the group consisting of a geographic region, a slope and a saturation point;

estimating at least one potential revenue value associated with the at least one wireless application, wherein estimating comprises generating at least one revenue estimate based on the accepted user-specific input, the revenue data value, the general market data and the adjusted adoption curve, and wherein estimating further comprises generating at least one cost estimate based on the first set of cost data values, the second set of cost data values and the adjusted adoption curve;

generating a financial analysis, wherein the financial analysis is selected from a group consisting of net present value (NPV), internal rate of return (IRR), return on investment (ROI) and payback period; and

presenting a graphical depiction of the financial analysis based on an evaluation of the at least one potential revenue value, the adjusted adoption curve, the general market data, the first set of cost data values, the second set of cost data values and the revenue data value.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the adjusting comprises:

adjusting the standard adoption curve based on a user input of a selected geographic region from a library of regions and a selected application from a library of applications of the enhanced wireless communications service.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein the adjusting comprises:

changing a slope from the standard adoption curve to a revised slope of the adjusted adoption curve based on a user input of a specific geographic region.

4. The method according to claim 1 wherein the adjusting comprises:

changing a saturation point from the standard adoption curve to a revised saturation point of the adjusted adoption curve based on a user input of a specific application.

5. The method according to claim 1 wherein the adjusting comprises:

increasing a slope from the standard adoption curve to a revised slope of the adjusted adoption curve based on a user input of a more affluent region than average for deploying the enhanced wireless communications service.

6. The method according to claim 1 wherein the adjusting comprises:

decreasing a slope from the standard adoption curve to a revised slope of the adjusted adoption curve based on a user input of a less affluent region than average for deploying the enhanced wireless communications service.

7. The method according to claim 1 wherein the adjusting comprises:

lowering a saturation point from the standard adoption curve to a revised saturation point on the standard adoption curve and based on a user input of a particular application.

8. The method according to claim 1 further comprising:

assigning a first level of security for a user with respect to the presenting and the accepting and assigning a second level of security higher than the first level of security with respect to the user being capable of modifying content of the reference database.

9. The method according to claim 1 further comprising:

estimating revenue of the enhanced wireless communications service within a geographic region based on the accepted user-specific input and the adjusted adoption curve.

10. The method according to claim 1 further comprising:

estimating cost of the enhanced wireless communications service within a geographic region based on the accepted user-specific input and the adjusted adoption curve.

11. The method according to claim 1 wherein the presenting comprises providing a graphical depiction selected from the group consisting of a revenue by a market segment graph, a cash-flow projection graph, number of subscribers by application of the enhanced wireless service, and number of subscribers by market segment.

12. The method according to claim 1 wherein the financial analysis comprises a sensitivity analysis showing sensitivity of net present value of a business based on the enhanced wireless communications service to a change in at least one variable factor.

13. The method according to claim 12 wherein the at least one variable factor is selected from the group consisting of operating costs of the enhanced wireless communications service, investment costs of the enhanced wireless communications service, market uptake of the enhanced wireless communications service, usage rate of the enhanced wireless communications service, and price level for service offerings of the enhanced wireless communications service.

14. The method according to claim 1 wherein the financial analysis comprises a bar chart of different variable factors potentially impacting net present value of a business based on the enhanced wireless communications service, the variable factors presented as horizontally extending bars along a vertical axis, a respective percentage change in the net present value for a corresponding incremental constant change in a variable factor indicated by a horizontal length of the bar from the vertical axis.

15. The method according to claim 1 wherein the financial analysis comprises a graph of average revenue per user per a measured time interval, the graph including a group of plotted lines representing said average revenue per user within different market segments versus time.

16. The method according to claim 15 wherein the market segments include an adult market segment, a youth market segment, a large business market segment, a medium business market segment, and a small business market segment.

28. The method according to claim 1, wherein the parameter is the geographic region.

29. The method according to claim 1, wherein the parameter is the slope.

30. The method according to claim 1, wherein the parameter is the saturation point.

17. A system for developing a business model for an enhanced wireless communications service, the system comprising:

a storage device containing a reference database including general market data for the enhanced wireless communications service and a standard adoption curve for adoption of the enhanced wireless communications service, where the reference database further includes a first cost data value associated with a wireless infrastructure deployment cost and a second cost data value associated with an operations and maintenance cost for the enhanced wireless communications service, where the reference database further includes a revenue data value associated with an existing wireless communications service;

a user input interface for accepting user-specific input relating to an existing wireless communications service and the enhanced wireless communications service, wherein the user-specific input includes a wireless application selection for selecting at least one wireless application supported by the enhanced wireless communications service and a market data input interface for entering existing data about the existing wireless communications service;

an application tailoring module for modifying the standard adoption curve to obtain an adjusted adoption curve, wherein the adjusted adoption curve is responsive to changes in a parameter associated with the standard adoption curve and selected from the group consisting of a geographic region, a slope and a saturation point;

an estimator adapted to access the reference database and to receive the user-specific input to perform a financial analysis associated with the enhanced wireless communications service as a function of the user-specific input, the first cost data value, the second cost data value, the adjusted adoption curve and the revenue data value, the estimator for generating an estimated revenue value and an estimated cost value;

a financial analyzer that generates a financial analysis, wherein the financial analysis is selected from the group consisting of net present value (NPV), internal rate of return (IRR), return on investment (ROI) and payback period; and

wherein the financial analyzer presents a graphical depiction of the financial analysis.

18. The system according to claim 17 wherein the application tailoring module includes an adoption curve adjuster for adjusting the standard adoption curve based on a user input of a selected geographic region from a library of regions and a selected application from a library of applications.

19. The system according to claim 17 wherein the application tailoring module changes a slope from the standard adoption curve to a revised slope of the adjust adoption curve based on the user input of a specific country.

20. The system according to claim 17 wherein the application tailoring module changes a saturation point from the standard adoption curve to a revised saturation point of the standard adoption curve and the adjusted adoption curve based on a user input of a specific application.

21. The system according to claim 17 wherein the application tailoring module increases a slope from the standard adoption curve to a revised slope of the adjusted adoption curve based on the user input of a more affluent region than average for deploying the enhanced wireless communications service.

22. The system according to claim 17 wherein the application tailoring module decreases a slope from the standard adoption curve to a revised slope of the adjusted adoption curve based on a user input of a less affluent region than average for deploying the enhanced wireless communications service.

23. The system according to claim 17 wherein the application tailoring module lowers a saturation point from the standard adoption curve to a revised saturation point of the standard adoption curve based on a user input of a particular application of the wireless communications service.

24. The system according to claim 17 further comprising a security manager for assigning a first level of security for a user with respect to the user input interface and assigning a second level of security higher than the first level of security with respect to the user being capable of modifying content of the reference database.

25. The system according to claim 17 wherein the estimator generates the estimated revenue value as a function of a geographic region based on the accepted user-specific input and the adjusted adoption curve.

26. The system according to claim 17 wherein the estimator generates the estimated cost value as a function of a geographic region based on the accepted user-specific input and the adjusted adoption curve.

27. The system according to claim 17 wherein the financial analyzer depicts a graphical representation of the financial analysis selected from the group consisting of a revenue by market segment graph, a cash-flow projection graph, number of subscribers by application of the enhanced wireless communications service, number of subscribers by market segment, a graph showing sensitivity of net present value to a variable factor, and a graph of average revenue per user within different market segments.

31. The system according to claim 17, wherein the parameter is the geographic region.

32. The system according to claim 17, wherein the parameter is the slope.

33. The system according to claim 17, wherein the parameter is the saturation point.