Approval bodies appointed to Metering and Billing Systems Approval Scheme

The Secretary of State for Trade and Industry has appointed BABT (British Approvals Board for Telecommunications), BSI (British Standards Institution) and NQA (National Quality Assurance) as approval bodies for Oftel's Metering and Billing Approval Scheme using OTR003: 2001.

Giving operators the choice of three approval bodies has introduced competition into the provision of approval services while at the same time increasing the resources available, as the Scheme is made available to a much wider range of operators and service providers, compared to its predecessor.

In order to ensure a level playing field between the approval bodies, they are required to extend their existing UKAS (United Kingdom Accreditation Service) accreditation against EN45011 for the operation of this Scheme and to participate in a formal Approval Body Forum, with its opportunities for peer review. Operators will also be able to contribute to ongoing development of the interpretation of requirements and their innovative application at an annual open forum.

The Scheme is being rolled out to named operators in accordance with the published programme and will be extended progressively to all significant industry players in 2003. Naturally operators and service providers are encouraged to make a voluntary approval application without waiting to be called, to gain the corporate benefits of measurement disciplines, good practice in revenue assurance and enhanced customer confidence as early as they can. Obtaining approval is a relatively slow process, but experience indicates that a net corporate benefit is likely to accrue.

Oftel published the Standard for telecommunications metering and billing systems 0TR003: 2001 in January as a consumer protection measure. Application of its requirements aims to establish confidence in the whole process of metering and billing by confirming its accuracy in aggregate and making arrangements for individual bill investigation and systematic corrective action when things go wrong.

Oftel has regulated the accuracy of equipment and systems used to meter and charge for telephone calls since the early 1990s, but only five operators were approved against the previous standard, OTR003: 1993. With the explosion in the range of operators and service providers, an ever greater variety of services and increasing complexity of tariffs and discounts, Oftel decided to review the scheme, modernising its scope and coverage in line with the changes in the industry.

The Scheme aims to cover all material aspects of customers' bills, including call charges, SMS, line rental, inclusive calls and correct application of subscriptions and discounts. The Scheme ensures accuracy of metering and charging through testing and data analysis, and uses quality management principles to improve individual bill accuracy through systematic investigation and corrective action when errors are discovered.

Oftel and the industry worked together on the Scheme, through working groups attended by interested parties, wider electronic discussion and a formal consultation in October 2001. Oftel thanks all those industry participants whose valuable contributions helped shape the content and thrust of the scheme, ensuring that it is rigorous without placing an undue burden on operators.

The Standard and Scheme Guide are available on Oftel's website together with contact details for the Approval Bodies and extensive background information.

For further information contact Roy Davies (tel: 020 7634 8906 / e-mail roy.davies@oftel.gov.uk) or Bill Hawkins (tel: 020 7634 8807 / e-mail: bill.hawkins@oftel.gov.uk).