AI assistant in the PortaBilling web interface
Admins can now get answers to their questions — for example, how to configure a 30-day bundle with top-ups, what a specific option means, or how to troubleshoot a service — directly in the PortaBilling web interface. An AI assistant provides version-specific answers within seconds by combining relevant details from PortaOne documentation into a single, clear response. This reduces the need to open a support ticket or to spend time searching through documentation. Each admin sees only their own chat history.
The assistant has been built using the OpenAI Responses API and is available to service providers with an active PortaCare subscription.
What’s improved?
Easier administration
Enable faster onboarding for new staff and reduce time spent on admin tasks.
Find more details here.
Preview invoices before the billing period ends
Admins can now generate invoice previews. The system simulates the closure of a billing period for a specific customer, calculates all charges, and produces an invoice-like document — without affecting the customer’s balance or other data. This feature allows admins to:
- Verify charges, discounts, and taxes before invoices are issued
- Check how mid-period changes (e.g., plan upgrades or cancellations) will affect charges
- Give customers clear previews of their upcoming charges
This feature requires a subscription to the Add-on Mart module. All preview invoices are watermarked to avoid confusion with real invoices.
Example
ABC Company upgrades its plan mid-month from 100 Mbps ($35) to 300 Mbps ($50). The company asks their provider what they will pay at the end of the month in which they upgraded. The telecom admin generates a preview invoice showing both plans prorated for a total of $41.50, and shares this information with the customer.
What’s improved?
Prevent billing issues
Spot and fix errors before invoices go out.
Increase transparency and trust
Give large enterprise customers an accurate estimate of upcoming charges, reducing disputes.
Find more details here.
Access to voicemail and fax messages in customer portals
Call center supervisors and cloud PBX admins can now manage voicemail and fax messages for any extension in a self-care portal. This allows them to access all mailboxes in one place, spot urgent messages, and ensure faster follow-up.
You can add this feature to your customer portals using the PortaBilling API. It will also be available in the CloudPBX Self-Care Portal soon.
Example
Lisa, a sales supervisor, oversees a team that shares a voicemail box configured on a dedicated extension. A client calls during a period when all agents are busy, and leaves a message. Lisa sees that there is a new voicemail in the portal, listens to it, and assigns an agent to call back — ensuring the request is handled quickly.
What’s improved?
Centralized voicemail and fax management
Supervisors can spot urgent requests in one place and delegate them instantly — ensuring fast follow-up.
Find more details here.
Embedded forms in reseller/distributor/representative portals
You can now embed custom forms in the reseller, distributor, and representative portals as well as the admin web interface. These forms are implemented as UI plug-ins that connect PortaBilling to external systems, such as eSIM platforms, identity verification services, or payment gateways, via API. This lets your partners and representatives complete all of the subscriber sign-up steps (verify identity, activate a SIM, choose a plan, and process payment) in one place without the need to switch tools.
Example
Owl Mobile embedded a multi-step SIM activation form within its distributor portal, connecting PortaBilling with its ID verification and payment systems. An Owl Mobile admin configures the products and bundles, creates inactive accounts with assigned SIM cards, and allocates the accounts to a distributor. The distributor can then log into the portal, navigate to the new “SIM activation” page, and follow the steps — enter customer details, upload ID documents, select a plan, and process payment — all in one flow. The SIM is activated instantly, and the new account is funded.
What’s improved?
Streamlined sign-ups
Guided forms help partners onboard subscribers quickly and accurately.
Scalable operations
Automation minimizes back-office work, enabling growth without the need to hire more staff.
Find more details here.
No service disruption during security certificate renewal
PortaSwitch uses TLS (transport layer security) certificates to encrypt traffic and confirm domain ownership — for example, to show browsers that they are connected to the intended web server. Certificates are typically issued by a certification authority (CA), which verifies that the service provider owns the domain, and then applied to the PortaSwitch servers. These certificates have expiration periods and must be renewed regularly — for example, free “Let’s Encrypt” certificates are valid for 3 months.
Previously, the renewal of these certificates required the restart of services, leading to brief outages of the web UI, SIP, or Diameter. Now, certificate renewal takes place in the background, without restarts. This ensures that web access, calls, authorization, and charging can continue without interruption.
What’s improved?
Continuous service availability
Customers stay connected — even during certificate renewal.
No stress for staff
No maintenance windows to plan, no service interruptions to explain.
Find more details here.
Redesigned customer, account, reseller, and distributor pages
Several pages in PortaBilling have been redesigned, so admins see more data at once and spend less time clicking through menus. Changes to the customer, account, reseller, and distributor pages include:
- Search and results are now in one panel — more columns fit on the screen without horizontal scrolling.
- When admins open a record (e.g., a customer page), the list of submenus is instantly visible — no unfolding required.
- Submenus that used to open in sliding side panels are now grouped into tabs. Tabs use the full page width and show more items at once, reducing both clicks and scrolling.
What’s improved?
Easier administration
Faster record management: admins can search, view, and edit records in fewer steps.
Find more details here.
