A service provider can build a multi-level network of resellers to reach more customers. The chain of resellers in PortaBilling is virtually unlimited.
A top-level reseller is created and managed by the service provider's admin. A top-level reseller deals directly with the service provider, can create and manage their own subresellers, and can provide services directly to customers.
A subreseller is created and managed by a top-level reseller or another higher-level subreseller. A subreseller can create and manage their own subresellers and provide services directly to customers.
Owl Telecom is the PortaSwitch owner and provides voice services. ABC Shuttle is a reseller of Owl Telecom. For calls to Spanish numbers, ABC Shuttle pays Owl Telecom a wholesale rate of $0.006/min.
ABC Shuttle signs up Star Telecom as a subreseller, which sells services under their own brand to customers. ABC Shuttle charges Star Telecom $0.01/min for calls to Spanish numbers. Star Telecom charges their subcustomers $0.04/min for calls to Spanish numbers.
When a Star Telecom subcustomer, John Doe, makes a 20-minute call to a Spanish phone number:
- Star Telecom charges John Doe $0.80.
- ABC Shuttle charges Star Telecom $0.20.
- Owl Telecom charges ABC Shuttle $0.12.
The margin per call is $0.60 for Star Telecom and $0.08 for ABC Shuttle.
Each reseller operates with three types of tariffs:
- Reseller (Wholesale) tariffs – used by the service provider to charge the reseller or a higher-level reseller. See Reseller (Wholesale) tariffs.
- Resale tariffs – used to charge subresellers by the reseller.
- Customer (Sales) tariffs – used to charge customers by their reseller. See Customer (Sales) tariffs.
Resale tariffs
A reseller's resale tariff serves as the wholesale tariff for their subreseller. When a reseller creates a subreseller, they clone their wholesale tariff and apply a profit markup to create resale tariffs. The mapping between wholesale and resale tariffs is configured on the Usage charges step during the subreseller creation.
Rates in resale tariffs are higher than wholesale rates, allowing the reseller to earn a profit margin each time the service is used. Resellers also can adjust the rates in resale tariffs for specific rate codes.
When a reseller changes a resale tariff (e.g., switching from tariff A to tariff B), the subreseller's wholesale tariff is updated accordingly. However, the subreseller's own resale tariffs – previously cloned from tariff A – remain unchanged. As a result, the subreseller may continue charging their own subresellers based on outdated pricing while being charged according to the new wholesale tariff. To keep wholesale and resale rates aligned, the subreseller must re-clone the updated wholesale tariff and create new resale tariffs.
