Advertiser supported bandwidth platform
Among other things, a content item is received that is associated with an offer for wireless network credit. The wireless network credit is redeemable for free or discounted data usage of one or more metered wireless networks. In response to a selection input, the content item is presented to a user. Data is transmitted reflecting the presentation of the content item to a remote server to cause the remote server to add the mobile broadband credit to an account.
1. A computer-implemented method comprising:
identifying, through a dedicated interface for at least one of two or more accessible ad networks, an offer by a participant in the ad network to pay for an amount of usage of a metered wireless network that is to be expended to download a mobile app or data for a mobile app to a mobile device of a user;
exposing the offer through a user interface to enable the user to invoke a downloading of the mobile app or the data for the mobile app;
causing the mobile app or the data for the mobile app to be downloaded to the mobile device of the user wirelessly through the metered wireless network, the metered wireless network being operated by a supplier of wireless communication services, the mobile app or the data for the mobile app comprising a tracker to report the downloading of the mobile app or the data for the mobile app, wherein data traffic of the downloading of the mobile app or the data for the mobile app is routed through a first access point name (APN) dedicated to the downloading of the mobile app or the data for the mobile app, and wherein data traffic other than the downloading of the mobile app or the data for the mobile app is routed through a second APN different from the first APN;
receiving a confirmation that the mobile app or the data for the mobile app has been downloaded to the mobile device,
obtaining an amount of the data to be used to download the mobile app or the data for the mobile app;
calculating a credit for additional bandwidth based on the data from one or more trackers and the obtained size;
causing a server to apply, through a network interface exposed by the supplier of wireless communication services, the credit on a data plan of a metered wireless services account that is maintained by the supplier of wireless communication services on the metered wireless network;
identifying a marginal cost of the additional bandwidth based, at least in part, on a wholesale agreement between the participant in the ad network and the supplier of wireless communication services; and
charging the marginal cost associated with the credit to the participant in the ad network.
2. The method of claim 1 , in which the offer is contingent on completion of a registration transaction.
3. The method of claim 1 , in which the offer is contingent on a submission of a comment or review.
4. The method of claim 1 , in which the mobile app or the data for the mobile app is downloaded over the metered wireless network and the usage required to present the content item is free to the user.
5. A computer-implemented method performed by one or more processing devices, the method comprising:
receiving data specifying several content items from one or more-participant in an ad network, each content item being coupled to an offer for communication services on a wireless network in exchange for the content item being presented, the offer being redeemable for additional bandwidth or zero-rated bandwidth to be added to a data plan for at least one metered wireless network;
selecting one or more of the offers for presentation to a user;
exposing the offer through a user interface to enable the user to download a mobile app or data for a mobile app to a mobile device of the user, wherein data traffic of the downloading of the mobile app or the data for the mobile app is routed through a first access point name (APN) dedicated to the downloading of the mobile app or the data for the mobile app, and wherein data traffic other than the downloading of the mobile app or the data for the mobile app is routed through a second APN different from the first APN;
receiving a confirmation from the ad network that the offer has been accepted,
calculating a credit for additional bandwidth based on the data from one or more trackers and a size of a mobile app or a size of data for a mobile app;
applying the credit for additional bandwidth to a data plan of a metered wireless services account that is maintained by a supplier of wireless communication services on a metered wireless network;
identifying a marginal cost of the additional bandwidth based, at least in part, on a wholesale agreement between the participant in the ad network and the supplier of wireless communication services; and
charging the marginal cost associated with the credit to a paying party.
6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising:
determining a conversion rate for converting a bid associated with one of the several content items to an offer for credit.
7. The method of claim 5 , further comprising:
receiving data reflecting the presentation of a second content item from a second user device; and
adding a credit corresponding to an offer associated with the second content item to the account.
8. The method of claim 5 , further comprising:
receiving contextual data about the user from the supplier of the wireless communication services.
9. The method of claim 8 , in which the selection of offers for presentation to the user is based on the contextual data about the user.
10. The method of claim 5 , in which the one or more of the offers are selected based in part on campaign parameters received from the ad network.
11. The method of claim 5 , further comprising:
receiving parameters defining a redemption policy of the supplier of wireless communication services, including a limitation on an amount of credit that can be redeemed in the metered wireless services account.
12. The method of claim 5 , further comprising:
verifying that the metered wireless services account is eligible to redeem the credit.
13. The method of claim 1 , wherein monitoring the amount of bandwidth used to provide the content item on the metered wireless network includes receiving information from one or more trackers.
14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the trackers are embedded in the content item.
15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the content item is a video and monitoring the amount of bandwidth includes determining a portion of the video watched by the user.
16. The method of claim 1 , further comprising identifying packets on the metered wireless network matching a pattern signature includes performing deep packet inspection on the metered wireless network.
17. The method of claim 1 , further comprising encoding a predetermined pattern signature into packets for the mobile app or the data for the mobile app.