Charging on-net calls
An on-net call never leaves the switch: one of your accounts calls another, directly or through a DID. No vendor is involved, so there is no termination cost, but you may still want to charge the caller, the callee or both by the minute. FlySIP does this with special prefixes in the accounts’ tariffs, and with accessibility surcharges for calls that arrive through a given access number.
How it works
Section titled “How it works”On-net calls are rated by the tariff of each account’s service plan, like any other call, but the rate is not looked up by the dialled number. Three special prefixes take its place:
| Prefix | Prices | Charged to |
|---|---|---|
onnet_out |
An on-net call the account places to another account | The caller |
onnet_in |
An on-net call the account receives, from another account or through a DID | The callee |
voicemail_check |
Access to the account’s voicemail box | The account that checks its voicemail |
- Recognise the call as on-net. The routing group of the caller has on-net routing turned on, and the dialled number is an account within the On-Net Scope or a DID with a Late rule. See On-net routing.
- Rate the caller’s leg with the
onnet_outrate of the caller’s tariff. - Rate the callee’s leg with the
onnet_inrate of the callee’s tariff. - Round the billed seconds by On-Net Calls Duration in the billing settings: Round or Round-Up. See Settings.
The special prefixes take every option of a regular rate: Interval 1, Interval N, Price 1, Price N, Grace Period and the activation and expiration dates. Add them on the tariff’s Rates screen; the Prefix field suggests them. See Rates.
Accessibility surcharges
Section titled “Accessibility surcharges”A service plan can add a surcharge to calls that reach the switch through one of your DIDs, typically the access number of a calling card service. Open the service plan, go to Accessibility Surcharges and add a row with Incoming DID/CLD, Connect Fee, Free Seconds, Grace Period, sec, Interval 1, Interval N, Price 1 and Price N. Accounts on the plan pay the surcharge on top of the tariff for calls that came in through that number; other calls are not affected. See Service plans.
Key terms
Section titled “Key terms”- Account — a SIP identity owned by a customer that originates and receives calls and carries its own balance.
- Prefix — the leading digits of a dialled number that select a rate or a route.
- Rate — the price for calls to one destination prefix within a tariff, with intervals, connect fee and effective dates.
- Service Plan — the billing plan of an account: it links the tariff with the billing type, fees and included minutes.
- Access number — the phone number callers dial to reach an IVR application.
Common scenarios
Section titled “Common scenarios”Calls between your accounts are free
Section titled “Calls between your accounts are free”Add onnet_out and onnet_in to the tariff with Price 1 and Price N 0. The calls show in the CDRs with zero cost, and you still see their volume in the reports.
Charge the caller only
Section titled “Charge the caller only”Give onnet_out your per-minute price and set onnet_in to 0. This is the usual model for a PBX or a calling community where the caller pays.
An account with no balance must still receive calls
Section titled “An account with no balance must still receive calls”Tick Allow Free On-net Calls in the Advanced tab of the account. The account then receives calls that cost it nothing even when its balance is too low to make calls. See Accounts.
A calling card access number should cost more than the local one
Section titled “A calling card access number should cost more than the local one”Add the toll-free access number to Accessibility Surcharges of the card holders’ service plan with the extra per-minute price. Calls through the local access number keep the plain tariff price. To charge by the caller’s number instead, use the incoming tariff of a charging group.