MÉTODO E APARELHO PARA MEDIR DISTINÇÕES ENTRE FATIA DE MERCADO E BASE DE CLIENTE PRÉ-PAGO VERSUS PÓS-PAGO PARA PROVEDORES DE SERVIÇO DE COMUNICAÇÃO SEM FIO

Methods and systems are provided for determining customer distinctions for one or more wireless communication service providers. Determinations are drawn from a sampling of telephone numbers that have been determined to be assigned by wireless service provider(s) (to its/their customers) and are employed to determine whether the assigned number is assigned to a pre-paid "customer" or a post-paid "subscriber" of the carrier(s). A message is sent to the telephone number and the response is interpreted to determine whether that assigned number is assigned (by the carrier) to a pre-paid customer or a post-paid subscriber. Alternatively, a sampling of telephone numbers from one or more service providers are sent messages to determine pre-paid customer/post-paid subscriber ratios of these carrier(s), based upon a preset numbering scheme that differentiates between the two categories (pre-paid "customers" vs. post-paid "subscribers"). Alternatively, once a number is determined to be assigned by a carrier, a determination as to whether that number is assigned to a pre-paid customer or a post-paid subscriber is performed through inquiries into the service provider's customer database/billing records.