TECHNICAL TRENDS OF INTERCONNECTION CHARGE BILLING SYSTEM

In Japan, along with the liberalization and deregulation of telecommun ications, an increasing number of telecommunications carriers are ente ring the field anew, and the reorganization of the telecommunications industry through amalgamations with existing carriers, etc., is also u nderway. Attendant to this, forms of interconnection are becoming more diverse and complex, moving from the conventional 2-party connection of the past to forms where 3 or more carriers inteconnect. In order to provide end-to-end services straddling multiple carriers in this way, it has become necessary to improve the current charge billing systems , in addition to standardizing them. This paper introduces the latest technical trends of charge billing systems among carriers.