Universal International Freefone Numbering

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Universal International Freefone Numbering 2005
UIFN Task Force
Task Force Participants Joanie Purser BT
Michael Lamatsch Swisscom Peter
Rodgers Telecom New Zealand Int Arthur
Helwig KPN Gerhard Krohn T Com Hans
Faasen KPN Ted Smith BT
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Universal International Freefone Numbering 2005
UIFN Task Force

• Agenda
• Background and refresh from last years forum
• Work undertaken during the year
• Access Issues Document
• Case Study
• Customer Viewpoint
• Work with the EU
• Survey results
• Summary
• 2 Breakout Sessions

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Universal International Freefone Numbering 2005
UIFN Task Force

• Background
• The UIFN task force was reformed after the 2003
  forum. There was a
• consensus view to take another opportunity to
  review the customer and
• commercial requirements with regard to the UIFN
  or the 800 Toll Free
• number range.
• 2004 - The Task Force reported back on the
  progress made and was
• invited to continue the good work looking at the
  following tasks
• Continue with the survey and expand the number
  of responses
• from Tier2/3 carriers
• Analyse the information received and follow up
  where necessary and
• Continue with the link with ETNS

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Universal International Freefone Numbering 2005
UIFN Task Force
What is UIFN? Product Description Taken from
the Preparing your Carrier for IFS and UIFN
Document Published in October 2001 Universal
International Freephone Service is a concept that
attempts to combine the purpose of International
Freephone, in connecting caller and subscriber
toll free to the caller between two service
territories/(countries), with the benefits of
National or Domestic Freephone, which provides
the caller and the subscriber with the same set
of dialed digits regardless of where the caller
is located within the service territory.
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Universal International Freefone Numbering 2005
UIFN Task Force

• Part of the 2004 Survey asked carriers to
  identify
• suggestions for improvement?Memory Refresh!
• Further analysis and greater response to the
  survey - prepare a document to be circulated
  with an IISF Newsletter
• Continue the Task Force. Involve alternative
  carriers and regulators
• To fetch UIFN in line with IFS
• Within Europe - pressure (Directive) could be
  applied by the EU commission so that all networks
  give access to UIFN free of charge to the caller.
  This would allow domestic regulators to intervene
  as they do in IFN.
• Airtime cost principle for mobile calling
  parties to limit call charges for IFS/UIFN
  service subscriber
• It would be very helpful if all countries
  adopted a common International access code
  format!
• We have not been able to look at all issues, but
  most have been covered!

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Universal International Freefone Numbering 2005
UIFN Task Force
Comparison
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Universal International Freefone Numbering 2005
UIFN Task Force
Comparison
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Universal International Freefone Numbering 2005
UIFN Task Force

• What have we completed this year?
• Spoke to our respective regulator contacts -
  education with regard
• to the benefits of the UIFN access type
• Hans and Gerhard met with EU made contacts
  within the Industry
• Access Document reviewed and considered still
  relevant.
• Case study of how to go about improving
  understanding of UIFN
• Despatched UIFN survey - updated for 2005

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Universal International Freefone Numbering 2005
UIFN Task Force
Freephone Access Issues Document
Originally Issued October 1999 Reviewed by both
Access and UIFN Task Force teams Aim of the
document Around the world, there are a number
of access restrictions for freephone numbers.
These restrictions lessen the usefulness of
freephone numbers for customers. In particular,
restrictions on access to Universal
International Freephone Numbers (UIFN's) are of
great concern to members of the International
Inbound Services Forum (IISF).
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Universal International Freefone Numbering 2005
UIFN Task Force
Freephone Access Issues Document
Education programmes - for businesses,
hotels - for PABX vendors - for other
carriers in your country - for
callers Regulatory action Commercial
arrangements between carriers. The following
statement describes the ideal scenario. Anyone,
anywhere, who picks up any type of telephone
should be able to dial an ITFS number and the
call should be free. Access to Standard IFS
numbers and UIFN should be identical.
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Universal International Freefone Numbering 2005
UIFN Task Force
Case Study How did KPN go about educating
customers the Marketplace about the benefits
of UIFN? Arthur Helwig - KPN
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Universal International Freefone Numbering 2005
UIFN Task Force

• Breakout Session 1
• Following on from Arthurs case study - what
  could we all do to raise the profile of UIFN
  within
• 1 Our own Company Sales Marketing Teams
• Our own Company Regulatory Interconnect Teams
• Customers Have any of you received feedback
  from customers and
• Aimed at those without UIFN
• What supporting information would you all need
  to produce a compelling case to open UIFN for
  your carrier?
• Time allotted 25 minutes

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Universal International Freefone Numbering 2005
UIFN Task Force
Feedback
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Universal International Freefone Numbering 2005
UIFN Task Force
Customer Perception 1 Is there a commercial
reason to implement UIFN? There is a requirement
from multi-national businesses for a single
contact number, which can reach across
geographical boundaries. Last year the team was
approached by Mercedes-Benz (MB) who were
looking to resolve a pan European service issue.
There telecoms provider Had covered much of
Europe, however key areas remained uncovered. MB
had little confidence in the service working
across all networks and from Fixed, Mobile and
Payphones. MBs response was to investigate a
mobile offering. Surely, this is Not what we are
about? MB service was a Pan Europe call centre!
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Universal International Freefone Numbering 2005
UIFN Task Force
Customer Perception 2 Would it not be a great
Marketing pitch to have a single Home Country
Direct number for your customers? Think of the
cost savings in producing literature with
different access numbers for each country!
Could this be the saviour of the HCD
product? The issue remains that UIFN is not very
flexible when it comes to a roaming (cross
border) type of service. Technically, carriers
are not geared up to handle such a service,
however, neither are mobile telephone
operators. There is a demand!
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Universal International Freefone Numbering 2005
UIFN Task Force
Work with the EU The Task Force took the
opportunity to promote and discuss with EU, the
requirement for a UIFN service. In the latter
part of 2003, the idea was formed within the EU
circles That there was a requirement for a Cross
Border Freephone service. A proposition was put
forward to use the prefix 116 across
Europe. Following a discussion, Hans prepared a
set of slides for presentation at a meeting held
in Brussels's in June. http//forum.europa.eu.int
/Public/irc/infso/cocom1/library?l/public_ docume
nts_2005vmdetailedsbTitle
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Universal International Freefone Numbering 2005
UIFN Task Force

• Breakout Session 2
• Topic
• 1 Is there a demand for UIFN within your country?
• 2 Any ideas how we can improve the UIFN Product
  image
• 3 Any radical views on improving
  Access/Commercial issues?
• Ideas ranked
• Committed to the Forum notes
• Time allotted 20 minutes

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Universal International Freefone Numbering 2005
UIFN Task Force

• 2005 Survey
• Following on from the 2004 survey, the Task Force
  reviewed the
• content and results and decided to survey again
  with emphasis
• placed upon those carriers, who do not provide
  such a service.
• Survey in three sections
• Those who provide UIFN
• Tier 1 carriers who do not provide and
• Other carriers who do not provide

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Universal International Freefone Numbering 2005
UIFN Task Force
Survey 3 Q1 Reasons for not providing
UIFN? Restriction on services offered and
calling overseas Q2/Q3 Plans to offer
UIFN? No Q4 Would you consider implementation
if carriers request UIFN? Yes Q5 Would you
consider implementation if retail customers
request? Yes Q6 What would make UIFN more
attractive? If more countries offered UIFN
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Universal International Freefone Numbering 2005
UIFN Task Force
Survey 2 3 responses Q1 What are the main
reasons for not offering? Small number of IFS
agreements, usually one per country, UIFN and
coverage would be limited Not enough info or
knowledge - only one customer has requested No
demand Q2 Plans to offer UIFN from other
countries? 2 X No 1 X Yes No time scales have
been set Q3 Plans to offer outbound to other
countries? No Q6 What would make UIFN attractive
to implement? Market demand to ensure that a
business case would cost in
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Universal International Freefone Numbering 2005
UIFN Task Force
Survey 1 4 Responses Comments Business
Driver Carrier demand One number for a
certain product or customer Advertise UIFN 4 X
No number of issues Actively discourage use 1
X Yes 3 x No however, a caveat is applied to
the sales process advising of access
issues What is stopping carriers offering
UIFN? Difference between IFS and HCD
Settlements, carrier payments UIFN access
issues Carriers need to sort out rates!
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Universal International Freefone Numbering 2005
UIFN Task Force
Survey Summary Those of you who have not
completed a survey.. I will summarise all
survey responses and combine with last years
results. What is disappointing for me, is that
the responses from this years survey, are
similar, if not a mirror image of last years
results. Therefore, have the access restrictions
started to wear us all down? Do we have any more
fight left in us to ensure that there is a
UIFN service, or should we just admit defeat and
use IFS?
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Universal International Freefone Numbering 2005
UIFN Task Force

• Personal Comment
• With my HCD hat
• I would love a single number per service
• I can appreciate the technical issues of
  providing such a service
• I can appreciate the commercial issues around
  the service
• However, I do believe that we are leaving ,
  or on the table, which our customer may like to
  spend.

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Universal International Freefone Numbering 2005
UIFN Task Force

• Summary
• Make you aware of the ongoing challenge to
  improve the availability
• of UIFN ?
• Identify customer needs ?
• Do we need a pan global type Toll Free product
  (is their a market?) ?
• Identify additional actions we can take
  ?