Introduction

This article will help you get started with Dualog Quota and configure quota policies for your ship(s). In the article we cover the following: 

• Pre-requisites
• Dualog Quota
• Volume Quota (Price List & Purchasing Limit)
• Time Quota (Optional)
• Ship Setup (How to enable volume/time quota on either fleet-wide or individual vessel)

Pre-Requisites

• Dualog Network control must be enabled on a ship-level.
• Dualog Network control must be configured with relevant firewall rules with user group authentication.
• A Dualog portal account equipped with owner role.

Dualog Quota

1. Access and login to the Dualog portal with a valid account.
2. On the top left corner > Click on connection suite > Quota

Purchasing limit (volume quota)

This feature sets the minimum and maximum purchase values for seafarers, determining the smallest amount they can buy per transaction and the maximum allowed per month.

1. To edit the values > click on Edit 

2. Fill in the currency abbreviation (default: USD), followed by both the maximum and minimum purchase limit.

   For example: USD - Minimum Purchase: $10, Maximum Purchase (per month): $200

3. Save changes.

Disclaimer:
If the currency is changed at a later date, all historical data will also change currency. Numbers will remain the same, but it could lead to confusion if users previously purchased quota in a different currency. It's essential to choose the currency carefully and maintain consistency to avoid confusion among users.

Price list (volume quota)

Configuring price lists can vary in complexity, contingent upon the intricacy of the fleet’s communication equipment, user groups and especially the airtime data package.

Price lists are exclusively configurable via the shore portal. On ships, only the current price lists are accessible when purchasing quota. It's important to note that price lists cannot be modified onboard the ships.

The term "price list" denotes the pricing structure designated for particular groups, such as Crew, Captain, or Business, or for specific targets, like Starlink, VSAT, or FBB.

This concept parallels the framework commonly seen in mobile data plans.

Price list configuration

1. Under Price list > click on Add Price list.
2. Under Price list date, click on Add Price change.
3. Configure the following:
   • Start date of this price list
   • Value of free quota
   • Period (Monthly/Weekly/Daily)
   • Allowance purchase (Optional)
   • Price per MB (Optional)
4. Save
   
   
5. Under Price list targets > Add specific target.
6. Specify the carrier, method, accounts group
   • Carrier: The available and supported carriers
   • Method: The available carrier profile(s) configured by the user previously
   • Account Group: The user group that will be assigned to this price list.

• Price List Date: Indicates the validity period of the prices, including the company's set price per MB of traffic, the provision of free quota, and whether purchasing extra quota is permitted.

• Price List Target: Specifies the communication equipment for which the price list is applicable, along with any specific CS Group it may apply to. While multiple rules can be added, simplicity is advised. Price lists can be applied either fleet-wide or to a specific ship.

Note:

Please note that the options available in the drop-down menus under "Method" and "Account" groups are determined solely by the configurations made at the organizational level and are aligned with the customer's specific requirements within the Dualog system.

By selecting ALL for each field, this will indicate that this price list will be applicable to all groups and carriers.

EXAMPLE 1

This indicates that all accounts within the crew account group will be subject to the same price list, irrespective of the available carriers onboard the vessel. Put differently, crew members can access internet services using VSAT, FBB, or even Iridium Certus if these carriers are available and configured in the Dualog system.

7. Add a Description to the newly created price list > click on Save and close.

8. Your new price list is now created and available!

Time Quota

Time quota limits the amount of time seafarers can spend surfing on the internet on a daily basis. The value is defined in minutes daily for each user group.

Ship setup - Enabeling Quota (fleet wide or ship-level)

• Global Settings: Enable/disable Quota for Stationary/Roaming users. (Default is Disable)
• Individual Ship Settings: Alternatively, quota can be enabled or disabled on a ship level. (This will override global settings)

To enable or disable quota for individual ship:

1. Click on + Ship setting button and select the designated ship.
2. Save