What is Interconnect Billing System in Telecom?

Interconnect is a process for telecom operators to handle calls for other operators thus allowing people who are using different networks to communicate with each other in both domestic and international scenario. Point of Interconnection is used to connect the physical interface between two different telecom operators to connect their customers. If operator A and operator B are not interconnect partners, their customers would not be able to call each other. So, to allow ease of communication, operators get into interconnect agreements with each other thus allowing good business opportunity for them.

What is Interconnect Billing System

It is a centralized automated solution that supports multi-party agreements with multiple service providers to use the network and facilitate the traffic routing between multiple networks like circuit-switched networks (e.g. PSTN), or computer networks (e.g.

Internet). The traffic flow is regulated through the policies defined by the rules integrated in the system according to the interconnect agreement between the operators. The interconnect billing solution  is capable of near real time processing to allow business optimization and help in achieving increased operational efficiency and network profitability.

As the business in most of the cases is bidirectional, billing systems perform 2 key tasks-

• Managing Deals or Bilateral Bulk Agreements
• Partner Settlements  –the incoming and outgoing invoices are taken through a net-off process where the net payable or receivables are identified

Need for Interconnect Billing System

• 360 ° Process Efficiencies

Achieve accurate rating, invoicing, reconciliation and settlements with efficiency to manage interconnect, roaming and content settlements.

• Near Real-Time Insights

Enable fast business decision making with the help or near real time reporting to prevent losses.

• Business Control and Transparency

Allow better control over carrier related activities with proper monitoring system and achieve transparency with timely and insightful decision making.

Key Features in an Interconnect Billing System

• Billing and settlements: Manage interconnect, digital and content services
• Roaming management: Enables settlements between partners for roaming services
• Partner portal: Provides partner interface for business and self-service operations without unveiling the application
• Number billing and routing: Manages interconnect billing and routing for origin-based routing  (OBR) by tracking buy and sell destinations, dial code movements for terminating destinations and origin groups
• Prepay management: Guides business relationships with new partners and mitigates business risk
• Reconciliation: Verifies payables and receivables between partners
• Dispute management: Minimizes disputes between partners related to payments and services
• Multi-tenant environment: Supports mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) , multi-BU environment
• Buying, selling, routing: Optimizes transactions related to international calls

The article is originally published on Subex

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Category: Telecommunications Carriers Solutions Manufacturers Profile: Subex is a leading telecom analytics solutions provider, enabling a digital future for global telcos. Subex leverages its award-winning analytics solutions in areas such as Revenue Assurance, Fraud Management, Asset Assurance, and Partner Management, and complements them through its newer solutions such as IoT Security. Subex also offers scalable Managed Services and Business Consulting services. Subex has more than 300 installations across 90+ countries.