Billing Standards

Billing standards define the measurements, record format and the methods of transfer for billing related information within a network. Because of deregulation of the telecommunications industries around the world, new services are being offered by network operation. As a result, billing standards are continually being revised and they are converging. Because companies can use different billing standards or different revisions of billing standards, clearinghouses often provide translation services between different billing standard formats.

The use of industry standard billing systems is important to processes such as revenue sharing, partner settlement, authorizations and denials of service, as well as the ability to adequately use the data collected for marketing and customization of services. Configuring systems to accept standardized input will allow an easier operations model for not only service providers, but also trading partners that are involved in the value chain of the service. Settlement among various partners that is of greater complexity of voice or data service will drive the need to have industry collaboration on an accounting standard that will allow a reduced time in the market entrance of new service and features. Not just getting data from the network of being able to identify the service associated with the usage and handle the usage accordingly. 

There are many billing standards that have been developed for telecommunications networks. Because the services offered by different types of network operators (e.g. cable television compared to local telephone companies) are beginning to overlap, billing standards are also converging.

Some of the billing standards that may be used for or linked to IPTV billing systems include Internet Protocol Detail Record (IPDR), automated message accounting (AMA), Cellular Intercarrier Billing Exchange Roamer (CIBER), and Transferred Account Procedures (TAP).

Internet Protocol Detail Record (IPDR)

Internet protocol detail record (IPDR) is a standard billing format that is used for exchanging information about and over IP data communi

Figure 1., CIBER Billing Record Structure

maintained by CiberNet. The Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association (CTIA) owns Cibernet. 

Figure 1 shows some of the information (fields) contained in a type 22 CIBER record. This example shows that the type 22 Ciber record field structure has been updated from the previous type 20 record structure to include additional fields that allow for telephone number portability (enabling telephone number transfer between carriers). This list shows that fields in the Ciber record primarily include identification of airtime charges, taxes, and interconnection (toll) charges.

Transferred Accounting Process (TAP)

Transferred accounting process (TAP) is a standard billing format that is primarily used for 3rd generation WCDMA wireless, global system for mobile (GSM) cellular, and personal communications systems (PCS). As of 2003, the versions of TAP TAP 2, TAP 2+, NAIG TAP 2 and TAP 3. Each successive version of TAP provided for enhanced features.

Due to the global nature of 3G wireless and GSM, the TAP billing standard provides solutions for multi-lingual and multiple exchange rate issues. TAP3 was released in 2000 as a significant revision of TAP2. TAP3 has changed from the fixed record size used in TAP2 to 

variable record size and TAP3 offers billing information for many new types of services such as billing for short messaging and other information services. The GSM association at www.GSMmobile.com manages the TAP standard.

Network Data Management - Usage (NDM-U)

The network data management - usage (NDM-U) is a standard messaging format that allows the recording of usage in a communication network, primarily in Internet networks. The NMD-U defines an Internet Protocol detail record (IPDR) as the standard measurement record. 

Because Internet services are now offered in almost all communications systems, the IPDR record structure is very flexible and new billing attributes (fields) are being added. The NMD-U standard is managed by the IPDR organization at www.IPDR.org. 

different systems, primarily between wireless systems in the Americas. IS-124 messaging is independent of underlying technology and can be sent on X.25 or SS7 signaling links. 

The development of the standard is primarily led by Cibernet, a division of the cellular telecommunications industry association (CTIA). 

Extensible Markup Language (XML)

Extensible markup language (XML) is a software standard that is used to define exchangeable elements of a file such as a web (HTML) page. Extensible Markup Language was developed in 1996 by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). It is a widely supported open technology (i.e. non-proprietary technology) for data exchange. XML documents contain only data, and applications can display data in various ways. XML permits document authors to create their own markup for virtually any type of information. Therefore, authors can use XML to create entirely new markup languages to describe specific types of data, including mathematical formulas, chemical formulas, music and recipes.

Extensible Rights Markup Language (XrML)

Extensible rights management language is a XML that is used to define rights elements of digital media and services. Extensible Rights Markup Language was initially developed by Content Guard and its use has been endorsed by several companies including Microsoft. The XrML language provides a universal language and process for defining and controlling the rights associated with many types of content and services.

Because XrML is based on extensible markup language (XML), XrML files can be customized for specific applications such as to describe books (ONIX) or web based media (RDF). For more information on XrML see www.XrML.org.