SERIES D: GENERAL TARIFF PRINCIPLES

General tariff principles - Charging and accounting in the international telephone service

Guiding principles governing the apportionment of accounting rates in intercontinental telephone relations

ITU-T Recommendation D.155

(Previously CCITT Recommendation)

ITU-T D-SERIES RECOMMENDATIONS

GENERAL TARIFF PRINCIPLES

For further details, please refer to ITU-T List of Recommendations.

ITU-T RECOMMENDATION D.155

GUIDING PRINCIPLES GOVERNING THE APPORTIONMENT OF ACCOUNTING RATES IN INTERCONTINENTIAL TELEPHONE RELATIONS

FOREWORD

ITU (International Telecommunication Union) is the United Nations Specialized Agency in the field of telecommunications. The ITU Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T) is a permanent organ of the ITU. Some 179 member countries, 84 telecom operating entities, 145 scientific and industrial organizations and 38 international organizations participate in ITU-T which is the body which sets world telecommunications standards (Recommendations).

The approval of Recommendations by the Members of ITU-T is covered by the procedure laid down in WTSC Resolution No. 1 (Helsinki, 1993). In addition, the World Telecommunication Standardization Conference (WTSC), which meets every four years, approves Recommendations submitted to it and establishes the study programme for the following period.

In some areas of information technology which fall within ITU-T's purview, the necessary standards are prepared on a collaborative basis with ISO and IEC.

NOTE

In this Recommendation, the expression "Administration" is used for conciseness to indicate both a telecommunication administration and a recognized operating agency.

ã  ITU  1996

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CONTENTS

Page

Recommendation D.155

GUIDING PRINCIPLES GOVERNING THE APPORTIONMENT OF ACCOUNTING RATES IN INTERCONTINENTAL TELEPHONE RELATIONS

(Malaga-Torremolinos, 1984; amended at Melbourne, 1988; revised in 1992 and in 1996)

1 Scope

This Recommendation sets out the guiding principles governing the apportionment of accounting rates in intercontinental telephone relations in the case where Administrations decide to use the accounting revenue division procedure. It covers:

- direct relations;

- switched transit relations;

- temporary alternative routes.

2 General considerations

2.1 The principles relating to the establishment of telephone accounting rates are contained in Recommendation D.140.

2.2 The various procedures relating to remuneration of Administrations of destination and transit countries are described in Recommendation D.150.

2.3 The accounting revenue division procedure, in the intercontinental telephone services is described in Recommendations D.150 and D.151.

2.4 On grounds of fairness, additional guiding principles should be established to ensure that accounting rates between the terminal and any transit Administration concerned should be apportioned in such a way as to take account of the service rendered by each of these Administrations.

2.5 The telecommunication facilities provided by Administrations should be used as profitably as possible.

2.6 In accounting between Administrations the principle of remunerating the first transit exchange as described in Recommendation D.150 is gradually being superseded by the concept of a remuneration plan for switched transit.

3 Principles governing the apportionment of accounting rates

3.1 General principles

In an intercontinental telephone link, bilateral or multilateral agreements between the Administrations concerned should normally provide for the application of the same accounting rate in both directions of the relation, regardless of the route used.

3.2 Principles for direct relations

3.2.1 A direct relation is a relation between two terminal Administrations in which the traffic is routed over direct circuits, i.e. over circuits established for the exclusive use of these terminal Administrations.

3.2.2 In the case of traffic routed over direct circuits, the accounting rate is in principle shared equally between the Administrations of the terminal countries in respect of each traffic direction. A sharing basis of other than 50/50 may be agreed if both Administrations agree:

- that cost-orientated accounting rates have been achieved; and

- that the costs incurred by each Administration for the provision of international telephone service are not essentially equivalent.

3.2.3 If a direct link exists and the traffic is unilaterally diverted by the Administration of the country of origin to the financial detriment of the country of destination, via a transit route not agreed between the two parties, it is for the Administration of origin to reach agreement with the transit Administration with a view to remunerating it by drawing on the terminal share of the Administration of origin, unless the Administration of destination is prepared to agree to a different share.

If, however, the route which has not been agreed has been chosen for reasons such as failure or impairment of quality of the direct route, or traffic overflow, the Administration of origin will negotiate with the Administrations concerned on the basis of the provisions set out in 2.2.

3.3 Principles for switched transit relations

3.3.1 A switched transit relation is a relation between two terminal Administrations in which the traffic is routed by switching through one or more international transit exchanges in one or more countries other than the country of origin and the country of destination.

3.3.2 The accounting rate in a switched transit relation should normally be divided into two terminal shares and one or more transit shares, as applicable.

The balance of the accounting rate after deduction of the transit shares should be divided equitably, in principle on a 50/50 basis, between the terminal Administrations concerned. A sharing basis of other than 50/50 may be agreed if both Administrations agree:

- that cost-orientated accounting rates have been achieved; and

- that the costs incurred by each Administration for the provision of international telephone service are not essentially equivalent.

3.4 Principles for temporary alternative routes

3.4.1 A temporary alternative route is an alternative route used for a short period of time to meet high congestion or other adverse conditions occurring in the international network (see Recommendations E.410, E.411 and E.412).

3.4.2 Transit countries should be remunerated on the basis of facilities provided. The accounting rate should be allocated in two terminal shares and one or more transit shares. The accounting rate, transit shares and divisions of revenue should be those applicable normally for transit routing of switched telephone traffic.

3.4.3 Where conditions warrant it and all concerned Administrations agree, special accounting arrangements may be implemented. These may include, but are not limited to, waiver of accounting, or a transit charge lower than the normal rate.

ITU-T RECOMMENDATIONS SERIES

 Series A Organization of the work of the ITU-T

 Series B Means of expression

 Series C General telecommunication statistics

 Series D General tariff principles

 Series E Telephone network and ISDN

 Series F Non-telephone telecommunication services

 Series G Transmission systems and media

 Series H Transmission of non-telephone signals

 Series I Integrated services digital network

 Series J Transmission of sound-programme and television signals

 Series K Protection against interference

 Series L Construction, installation and protection of cables and other elements of outside plant

 Series M Maintenance: international transmission systems, telephone circuits, telegraphy, facsimile and leased circuits

 Series N Maintenance: international sound-programme and television transmission circuits

 Series O Specifications of measuring equipment

 Series P Telephone transmission quality

 Series Q Switching and signalling

 Series R Telegraph transmission

 Series S Telegraph services terminal equipment

 Series T Terminal equipment and protocols for telematic services

 Series U Telegraph switching

 Series V Data communication over the telephone network

 Series X Data networks and open system communication

 Series Z Programming languages