FCC will soon consider whether US wireless carriers can charge for carrier access; Intec has CABS product ready for use.
March 13th, 2002-London: Intec Telecom Systems today announced that it can help US wireless carriers unlock a potential new revenue stream- one that is dependent on an upcoming Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ruling.
The FCC proceeding may allow US mobile companies to bill long-distance carriers for every call that those carriers terminate on a wireless network. Some wireless companies have already begun to bill for this new "carrier access" revenue, but many long-distance providers have refused to pay incoming bills.
AT&T Corp. has taken the issue to the FCC, asking it to prevent wireless companies from collecting carrier access revenue. The case is pending a Commission ruling scheduled for June 24, 2002.
If the FCC rules that wireless companies can bill for access revenues, this will offer a potential new revenue stream for wireless carriers. However, it may not be cost-effective for wireless carriers to collect for access if their billing is not efficient. The US Carrier Access Billing System (CABS) process is a highly complex billing method that is based on many government regulations and requires sophisticated software support to maximise the available revenue.
Intec's InterconnecT CABS product, which is in use by over 60 US operators, makes it is easy for carriers to determine their potential return on investment (ROI) for carrier access billing. By analysing a representative sample of a wireless carrier's current network traffic, InterconnecT can quickly assess whether billing for access revenues will have a net positive impact to a company's revenue stream.
"An expert in the area of interconnect and carrier access billing, Intec has helped hundreds of leading wireline and wireless carriers across the world - including Cable & Wireless, BellSouth, Verizon and Orange - determine how they can collect the most revenue for their access services," said Fred Brott, director of U.S. operations. "Intec's experienced CABS consultants can quickly help a carrier determine its ROI - and then establish an efficient CABS billing structure if that ROI is significant. Meanwhile, Intec's consultants may also help that carrier recover existing revenue such as in the case of Logix Communications where Intec pointed out that Logix's unprocessed records represented close to a million dollars worth of revenue.
InterconnecT's unique Bill Usage Verification Support module, which collects and organises detailed records of all usage data, helps carriers better defend against billing disputes, thereby improving revenue collection. Carriers can license Intec's InterconnecT software or fully outsource the CABS billing process through Intec's service bureau.