Universal International Freephone Numbers

1
Universal International Freephone Numbers

• An excellent service for customers,a tough case
  to handle for suppliers
• Monica Swanson Hans Faasen
• On behalf of the International Inbound Services
  Forum

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Goal of this presentation

• To introduce the International Inbound Services
  Forum
• To create awareness of the International
  Freephone Service as described in ITU-T Rec.
  E.152, notably access method 3 Universal
  International Freephone Numbers
• To prove that accessibility of this service
  requires good co-operation between
  (international) parties
• To go over current cost-settlement arrangements
  and the advantages and disadvantages these have
  for our customers

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The International Inbound Services Forum

• The purpose for which The Forum is established is
  to promote and aid the development of
  international inbound services, such as the
  International Freephone Service, the
  International Shared Cost Service, the
  International Premium Rate Service and the Home
  Country Direct Service (as defined by the ITU-T),
  and to develop and expand the market and use of
  these services.
• Why?
• This type service only works if there is a
  provider in every country
• And if every operator follows the same procedures

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The objectives of the IIS-Forum

• To strengthen the links among international
  carriers and to facilitate the free and open
  exchange of ideas and information about existing
  or potential international service offerings
  pertaining or related to international inbound
  services.
• To stimulate the expansion of the market for
  international inbound services by adding new
  providers to the current group.
• To exchange knowledge and information and to
  provide a platform for co-operation.
• To develop new inbound phone services on a global
  scale

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Some history

• Initially, the International Freephone Service,
  had one access method domestic freephone numbers
  (the customer has to communicate a different
  number in a different format in each country)
• This is generally too complex for larger
  companies and their customers
• There was a clear market demand for a universal
  number format
• This demand was expressed in a contribution to a
  study group of the ITU-T in 1993 and was
  supported by members of the IIS Forum
• In 1997 UIFN was introduced by ITU and adopted by
  carriers/operators around the world
• Now
• IFN is for companies who want a local profile and
• UIFN is for companies who prefer a corporate
  image and want to reach customers in more than
  one country with one message and one number

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Statement of the IIS Forum

• Anyone, anywhere, who picks up any type of
  telephone should be able to dial an International
  Freephone number and the call should be free.
• Because in some some cases it is technically
  and/or economically not feasible that calls are
  always free to the callers, there is also a
  second statement
• Where a choice has to be made between access
  with some type of charge and no access at all
  (particularly with mobile phones), it is
  acknowledged that access with some charge (for
  the callers) is preferable to no access.

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Theres only a few problems

• ACCESS UIFN is an unregulated service, it is not
  mandatory. Some telecom providers feel free to
  block or to not provide access to UIFN
• DOUBLE CHARGING some mobile providers charge
  mobile callers dialling Freephone numbers (whilst
  at the same time receiving wholesale rates for
  the use of their network)
• TECHNICAL BARRIERS adjustments to (financial)
  systems are required to ensure correct handling
  between parties.

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Conditions for implementation of UIFN between any
two countries

• Bilateral Service Agreement of UIFN between two
  international carriers (the one acting as access
  provider for the service provider in the other
  country and vice versa)
• Existing domestic 00800-interconnection
  arrangement with all fixed and mobile operators,
  incl. payphones
• Willingness of all parties involved to route
  00800-calls to the UIFN access provider
• The implementation of an agreed method between
  the international carriers to distinguish
  different origins/tariffs (usually dual routing)
• Ideally no roaming fee to be levied by host
  mobile operator (in case where the access is
  toll-free for non-roaming mobile callers)
• In case there are more parties in one country
  providing access to UIFN, it will be necessary to
  implement a method of identification of the
  access provider in the network (possibly IN
  solution)

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Bilateral Service Agreement
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Service Ordering
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Traffic Flow
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Money Flow
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Result end-to-end service interoperability
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What do we expect from the workshop attendees?

• Discussion on
• How to achieve that all parties recognise the
  need to apply the principles as mentioned before
• Freephone business as usual in the domestic
  environment applicable for the International
  Freephone Service and
• An agreed method between international operators
  to support the possibility that the end-user
  (called party) has a choice between bearing the
  additional cost involved for mobile (and/or
  payphone) calls and restricting the access
• How established solutions of the above can be
  copied to other operators/countries your
  suggestions for improvement, please!
• What the role of the Commission could be to
  create awareness of the UIFN/800 service