The Billing Validation Study is conducted using SS7 data collected by VeraTeq and Access Billing Data provided by Local Exchange Company (LEC). The study data is loaded and processed by the Skyview Revenue Assurance System. In addition to a written report, the LEC will be provided access to the SkyView System for a period of 90 days to conduct additional analysis of the processed data.

 The Billing Validation Study addresses the following:

Identifying Phantom Terminating Traffic – This is terminating access traffic for which either the central office switch or the tandem service provider is not producing billing records. The amount of Phantom Terminating Traffic varies based on the number of Competitive Local Exchange Companies (CLEC) and wireless carriers in the local calling area, as well as, the proximity of the central office to a large metropolitan area.

1. Validating the Inter-Exchange Carrier (IXC) provided Percent of Interstate Usage (PIU) factor for the billing of terminating IXC traffic. The PIU factor is applied to call records missing a designation of whether the calls should be billed at Interstate or Intrastate rates. Depending upon the volume of terminating IXC traffic an adjustment of even just 5% in favor of the LEC can result in a significant increase of Access Revenue.
2. Validating Originating and Terminating Ratios of existing Wireless and CLEC Interconnect Agreements.
3. Resolution of IXC Billing Disputes. The SS7 Call Detail Records (CDR) can be used as an independent second source to substantiate the LEC’s billing records that are disputed by an IXC.       Utilizing the SS7 CDRs for the resolution on IXC billing disputes reduces the clerical work effort to research the billing data and helps the LEC avoid accepting a settlement to a dispute that results in loss revenue.
4. Verification of the Carrier Access Billing Process (CABS). The reconciliation of SS7 CDRs to Switch Billing records identifies anomalies in the access billing process. This includes the discovery of switch translation errors that result in the failure of a switch to produce AMA billing records, and CABS filters that are incorrectly filtering out valid billing records.

Billing Validation Study Process

1. Collection of SS7 Data (VeraTeq can provide a probe if the LEC does not have access to SS7 CDRs)
2. Load and Process the SS7 Data by the SkyView System
   1. Enhancement of the SS7 CDRs to include information from the LEC’sTrunk Inventory and LERG.
   2. Determine the Jurisdiction of each SS7 CDR (local, intrastate, interstate, 800, international, etc.)
3. Load billing records produced by the LEC’s Switches and the Tandem Service Provider.
4. Reconcile SS7 CDRs to their corresponding billing records.
5. Production of Revenue Assurance Reports.

Non-Reconciled Terminating Access

The Non-Reconciled Terminating Access Report provides a monthly summarized view by trunk number of terminating minutes of use (MOU) that were not reconciled to billing records from either the switch or tandem service provider.   The reported non-reconciled MOU is for traffic that originated from LECs and RBOCs that should have been billed to an Inter-Exchange Carrier (IXC).   The non-reconciled MOU are categorized by the following jurisdictions:

IntraState – IntraLata

IntraState – InterLata

InterState – IntraLata

InterState – InterLata

Toll Free 800 Service

International

Percent of Interstate Usage (PIU) Report

The Percent of Interstate Usage (PIU) Report provides a calculation, by IXC, of terminating interstate traffic that is terminated to a Central Office via a Tandem Service Provider Trunk.   The associated 1101 EMI Billing Records supplied by the Tandem Service Provider(s) often fail to distinguish between Intrastate and Interstate traffic (the 1101 EMI Jurisdiction flag is set to ‘Unknown’).  

To bill for Terminating IXC Traffic where the 1101 EMI Jurisdiction value is unknown LECs have had to rely on PIU factors supplied by the IXCs.   It has been very difficult, or impossible, to validate the IXC provided PIU factors.

SkyView utilizes the reconciled SS7 and 1101 EMI call detail records to calculate individual PIU factors for each IXC. The 1101 EMI record provides the Carrier Identification Code (CIC) of the IXC that terminated the call and the matching SkyView enhanced SS7 record contains the jurisdiction information. By combining these two records, SkyView derives PIU factors that can be used to validate, or challenge, PIU factors supplied by the IXCs.

Phantom CLEC Report

 The Phantom CLEC Report identifies Minutes of Use (MOU) to and from CLECs that have not been reconciled to billing records from the Central Office Switch or 1101 EMI records from a Tandem Service Provider. The Phantom CLEC Report provides monthly aggregated totals by OCN number for both originating and terminating non-billed local, intrastate, and interstate traffic.

 Purpose: The Phantom CLEC Report can be used to:

 Validate the Originating and Terminating Ratio of existing CLEC Interconnect Agreements. If the SkyView calculated ratio for a CLEC is to the advantage of to the LEC it may be advisable to renegotiate the Interconnect Agreement.

Identify CLECs that your company does not have an Interconnect Agreement with which are terminating a high volume of traffic and have a Term Percent value greater then 50%.
1. Group phantom traffic from CLECs based on the Parent Company. Instead of negotiating individual interconnect agreements; your company may be able to negotiate a master agreement with the Parent Company which can be applied to all the CLECs they own.
2. Identify possible occurrences of CLECs transporting traffic from other CLECs outside of the Central Office’s Local Calling Area. This is terminating traffic that should have been handed off from the CLEC to an IXC for termination to the Central Office.

Phantom Wireless Report

 The Phantom Wireless Report identifies Minutes of Use (MOU) to and from Wireless Carriers that have not been reconciled to billing records from the Central Office Switch or 1101 EMI records from a Tandem Service Provider. The Phantom Wireless Report provides monthly aggregated totals by OCN number for originating and terminating non-billed traffic by the Major Trading Area (MTA).

Purpose: The Phantom Wireless Report can be used to:

 Validate the Originating and Terminating Ratio of existing Wireless Interconnect Agreements. If the SkyView calculated Wireless Originating to Terminating Ratio is to the advantage of your company it may be advisable to renegotiate the Interconnect Agreement.

1. Identify Wireless Carriers that your company does not have an Interconnect Agreement with which are terminating a high volume of traffic and have a Term Percent value greater then 50%.
2. Group phantom traffic from Wireless Carriers based on the Parent Company. Instead of negotiating individual interconnect agreements; your company may be able to negotiate a master agreement with the Parent Company which can be applied to all the Wireless Carriers they own.
3. Identify possible occurrences of Wireless Carriers transporting traffic from locations outside of the Central Office’s Local Calling Area. This is terminating traffic that should have been handed off from the Wireless Carrier to an IXC for termination to the Central Office.