The CLN billing/administration system can provide:

1. Billing on demand.
2. Management of multi-users.
3. Customer identification by authorization codes or ANI/DNIS.
4. Multiple sub-accounts hierarchies.
5. Account status display.
6. The ability to review unlimited months of account activity.
7. Varied rate tables dependent on types of calls and customers.
8. Wholesale and retail accounting simultaneously.

Billing Structure

1. Local CLN first checks the billing profile of the customer. Billing profile contains quality parameters (first tier, second tier carrier requests) and billing parameters (30 + 6, 60 + 60, etc…).
2. Local CLN then confirms if the call is being placed during a weekday or weekend.
3. Local CLN then checks whether the call is being placed during peak or off-peak hours.
4. Local CLN then finds the Country Code and City Code of the destination telephone number within the cost table.
5. Local CLN then routes the call according to the Least Cost Routing path within the quality parameters of the customer profile.
6. If the Country Code, City Code or Customer Profile is not located by the CLN, the CLN will route the call using a default rate and path.

Billing Process

Option 1: Cobra

Billing for all applications running under CLN Version 2.2 — Fax Store and Forward, Callback to TLN and Callback to CLN — are performed by transferring event files from the CLN to the COBRA software programming for processing.

Option 2: Transfer Events to Service Provider or 3rd Party Billing Software

The call records generated by the CLN will be available for electronic output for post processing by the appropriate Service Provider billing/invoicing system or a 3rd party system. The CLN/COBRA system can output the records in any type of format, including ASCII or dbf format.

Call Detail Records

Call detail will be generated by the CLN Switch and may be transferred by Arbinet to the Foreign CLN or CLN Operator as frequently as desired (see below for details). The CLN will produce individual records for each call, including the following account information:

Service Provider, User ID, DID or PIN number, origination number, origination country, destination number, destination country, call time stamp (start and end time in DD/MM/YY), first leg start time and first leg duration (in minutes and seconds), second leg start time and second leg duration (in minutes and seconds), total call duration (based on a single call or in the case of multiple calls, they are split into individual calls), call status and cost of call.

The data provided by Arbinet’s CLN may be used to provide customers with a periodic statement of their calls to date.

Accessing CDRs

Updates to the switching CLN will automatically update the management CLN with every login of the CLN administrator. The user may log on to the CLN by screen or remote access, through either a dial-up or dedicated procedure. The CLN security is protected by a password with the ability to set read only functions. Accounts are resolved and reconciled when problems occur via direct interaction on the network. The CLN has full data on domestic and international billing that shows reseller’s bill back and surcharges.

• Billing data may be accessed from either CLN Switch or foreign CLN through the use of the CLN Admin Node + Software and/or Cobra.
• Currently billing data is received is when a data update is performed. Real-time billing is possible in future development.
• The CLN Admin Node + Software and/or COBRA Node + Software must also be installed in foreign location.

Transfer of Events

Transferring call detail may be provided in a variety of formats:

Diskette: call details may be processed periodically (every month, every two weeks etc.) and sent via express mail to the foreign CLN.

Batch Processing: call details may be processed periodically and sent to the foreign CLN via X.25 or Internet etc.

On-Line: every time a call from the foreign CLN is placed and completed, call detail may be sent in return to the foreign CLN by the US CLN Server.

Call Rating

The CLN collects call records and rates the calls in the following manner:

1. 6 second billing based on underlying carrier.
2. 30 +30 second billing based on underlying carrier.
3. 60 + 6 second billing based on underlying carrier.
4. 60 + 30 second billing based on underlying carrier.
5. 60 + 60 second billing based on underlying carrier.

Future Releases

Negative Back Supervision: By second quarter of 1997, the CLN will allow for a feature called Negative Back Supervision, where the callback leg is not answered until the destination leg is answered. This will completely eliminate all (non-billable) system time due to busy / no answer calls. Only answered calls will be billed.

CLN to CLN event billing: The CLN will determine the tariff for a call on the basis of the origin and destination countries using the currency of the origin country. The CLN Operator will be able to setup each rate table depending on the appropriate exchange rate between the UK and the origin country, allowing support for an unlimited number of currencies and tax structures.

In currency billing: currently possible through applicable third party billing software. Internal integration into the CLN Administration software is a future development.

In-language billing: currently possible through applicable third party billing software. Internal integration into the CLN Administration software is a future development.

Local time billing: currently possible through applicable third party billing software. Internal integration into the CLN Administration software is a future development.

Amalgamated Bills: (e.g. corporate accounts; multiple accounts on a single statement).

Accounting with in-country agents: In addition to advising customers of the calls they have made, Arbinet’s system will allow the CLN operator to charge their in-country agents for carrying calls on their behalf. The CLN is capable of producing summary reports of call minutes (both effective and ineffective) from each country of origin to each destination country for settlement purposes. The Local CLN Solution can further provide billing invoices for each local CLN.

• Weekly call detail records with matching monthly invoice.
• Arbinet assumes that the DMS will perform all billing functions based on answer supervision being passed from the CLN.