IFS UIFN HCD Access

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IFS / UIFN / HCD Access

• International Inbound Services Forum
• Access Task Force

Task Force Members Joanie Purser - BT UK
Preben A. Larsen, TDC Michael
Lamatsch - Swisscom Ted Smith - BT
UK Jacqueline Strehlow T-COM Arthur Helwig
KPN Netherlands Avigal Maor Bezeq International
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Tasks

• EU/mobile
• Education / Information
• Payphones
• Impact of IP on Access
• Analyse models proposed by Vodafone
• Survey

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Background Why an Access Task Force

• IFS/UIFN and HCD access situation is very
  unsatisfying
• In some countries
• access only for IFS and not for UIFN
• caller has to accept additional costs from mobile
  and/or payphone network
• the access cannot be guaranteed from hotels
• VoIP Many providers do not allow the access to
  free phone other charge an additional fee (e.p.
  Skype)
• Unclear situation for the costumer in many
  situations
• For ISF/HCD providers its difficult to
  communicate the different access situations to
  their costumer

4
EU / Mobile

• No results to report
• contacting the EU representative withouth success
  but opinion and decisions of EU commission
  important for task force

5
Education / Information

• Workshop Double Routing
• Survey

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VODAFONE PAY 800 PROPOSAL
Example Swiss customer visiting Denmark and
would like to make a phone call to his Swiss
Bank
Denmark
CH
Customer goes to Denmark
Needs to speak to bank using mobile
Dials the UIFN number of his Swiss bank
Danish Mobile Operator sends the call with
message saying calls to this number will be
charged , Caller is charged by the Mobile
Operator(s) Denmark sends call to Switzerland as
UIFN and collects no revenue from Danish Mobile
Operator. TDC collects accounting rate from
Swisscom. -gt call might be charged twice.
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VODAFONE PAY 800 PROPOSAL

• Recommendation of the Access Task Force
• The Vodafone pay 800 proposal should not be
  suported
• Mobile phone originated calls might be charged
  twice (caller pays mobile operator, UIFN/IFS
  customer pays mobile surcharge to service
  provider)
• The UIFN/IFS access provider cannot differentiate
  between different mobile operators
• The implementation of the Vodafone model would
  have the consequence that sooner or later all
  caller using a mobile phone would be charged with
  a surcharge when calling a IFS or UIFN number -gt
  For mobile user the IFS or UIFN product would not
  be a freecall product.

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PAYPHONE ISSUES

• The biggest issue for the travelling public
  is the ability whilst away on business
• or pleasure is to be able to make a call.
• Payphone access is becoming so confused as
  many countries have moved
• To a Payphone Access Charge (PAC) to
  generate revenues to prop up failing
• Payphone operations.
• There is a confused state of affairs, as to
  which carriers collect PAC and on
• Which products?
• Do carriers blend the PAC with Mobile and come
  up with a single rate?
• In countries with multiple payphone operators,
  are the rules followed
• By all operators?
• Do our colleagues, in the forum, understand
  other Payphone operations in
• Their country?
• Example on next slide

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Typical scenario for a country
Operator 1 Incumbent carrier who provides IFS
HCD has a Payphone operation.
Usually, good access. PAC is included in the
rate. Reliable
Operator 2 Local Operator has some payphones
Usually a local fee is required to dial the toll
free call. Customer Response is poor as they see
this as fraud
Operator 3 Hotels and Airports
Hotels. Usually a local fee is required to dial
the toll free call. Airport. Toll Free is barred
and customer is pushed towards A cash, credit
card or collect call at extremely high rates
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How does the ITFS or HCD provider advise the
customer what to do?

• 1) Work in conjunction with the incumbent
  operator and advise the
• Customers to only to make calls from that
  particular operators Payphones
• How do you tell the customers
• Customer literature
• Website
• Direct communications
• How much can you tell the customer, or how
  complex can you be
• before they lose interest and reach for the
  mobile?
• We need to have all carriers participating on
  the IISF fact book and
• with up to date information
• Even then will we succeed?

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Impact of IP on Access

• Examples
• Skype Switzerland Offers access to national
  Freecall numbers but charges those calls to the
  caller. Freecall is no longer freecall depending
  which network one uses -gt difficult for the
  customer to understand when is a call to a
  freecall charged and when not. (similar to the
  mobile issue)

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Access Task Force

• Survey 2006 - Results

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Participating carriers

• Slovakia Telekom (Slovakia)
• Cesky Telekom (Czech Republic)
• Eircom (Ireland)
• Croatian Telecom (Croatia)
• Vietnam Telecom Int. (Vietnam)
• Telecom New Zealand (New Zealand)
• Telecom Italia (Italy)
• Polish Telecom (Poland)

• Singapore Telecommunications Ltd. (Singapore)
• Dacom Corporation ( South Korea)
• Teleglobe (Canada)
• Sprint (USA)
• Telkom SA Ltd. (South Africa)
• Telefonica (Spanien)
• T-Com (Germany)
• Swisscom (Switzerland)
• Colombia Telecommunications

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Product availability (17100)
Question Please indicate which products your
carrier offers either domestically or
internationally.
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Product availability (17100)
Question Please indicate which products your
carrier offers either domestically or
internationally.
16
Product availability (17100)
Question Please indicate which products your
carrier offers either domestically or
internationally.
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Access Restrictions
Question Please indicate in the box whether
access is restricted or a surcharge is in place.
18
Access Restrictions
Question Please indicate in the box whether
access is restricted or a surcharge is in place.
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Plans to do access restrictions

• UIFN access for our costumer also from the Czech
  Republic in preparations
• Technical restrictions for Local Number Access
  (e.g. the costumer needs a telephone extension
  for having a geographic number)

20
Plans to remove restrictions

• Colombia Telecommunications is trying to do an
  agreement with one operator (OLA Colombia
  Mobile) in order to provide access from this
  network. Besides they are trying to get a deal
  with Payphones Operator.

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Plans to change the current situation

• Colombia Telecommunications has a business model
  for OLA Mobile and Payphones Administrator

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Does restrictions has limited the growth of
certain products?

• Obviously restricted access leads to restricted
  growth, however IFN/UIFN as a market is
  contracting and eircom does not have the
  resources to invest in systems to support this
  product, given competing demands.
• The inability to get access from mobiles and
  payphones in some customers countries lessens the
  usefulness of both IFS and HCD for some customers
• Surcharges charged by originating mobile/payphone
  carriers are much too high and limit the growth
  of the services
• Calling Card Provider do not use that much IFN or
  UIFN for their products ? volume has declined
• Surcharge has influence to the traffic volume

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Break Out Sessions Most important Topics
Group I Monthly fees for allocated
numbers Installation fees
Group II IIFS Marketing Examples/Ideas to
market the service
Group III VoIP Toll-Free
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Backup
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Background Why an Access Task Force

• The access situation within the IFS/UIFN and HCD
  providers is still very unsatisfying. Some
  carriers still block mobile and/or payphone
  originated calls for IFS/UIFS/HCD, because the
  services provider may not compensate the access
  provider for the additional costs of originating
  these calls.
• In other countries the access to the freephone
  services is possible but only for IFS and not for
  UIFN services
• In some countries the access works from all
  mobile and/or payphone network but the caller has
  to accept some aditional costs (e.p. airfee)
• In some countries the access cannot be guaranteed
  from the hotels. Some hotels bar the access
  others charge an aditional fee for calling an
  international freephone numbers.
• A new dimension is arising with VoIP providers
  (e.p. Skype). Many VoIP providers do not allow
  the access to freephone services other VoIP
  providers charge the caller with an aditional
  surcharge (e.p. Skype charges the access to Swiss
  freephone numbers)
• -gt In many occasions the situation for the
  customer (the caller) is very unclear. He does
  not know from where or under which condition he
  has access to international freephone services
  unless he carries all the time a country list
  with him that explains all the details. The
  acceptance of the product fails, tries to call a
  international freephone number and does not get a
  connection.
• For ISF or HCD service providers it is very
  difficult to market their products and to
  communicate to their customers the different
  access situations.

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The most important issues witch should be
discussed at the forum

• Monthly fees for allocated numbers
• Installation fees
• Utilizations of allocated numbers
• Mobile access surcharges
• Mobile/Payphone access (how can we encourage
  provider to seek access)
• IFS/HCD transit
• IIFS Marketing
• Induction of HCD usage in customers Roaming
  Phone at overseas
• What impact will the European Commission
  proposals have?
• International Shared Cost
• Product developments in generell
• Getting more partners to sign bilateral
  arrangement
• Local Access Numbers availability and
  characteristics per country
• Second Routing solution for country with
  mobile/payphone surcharge
• VoIP Toll-Free