Revenue Management System for Penal Call Tariff Validation
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Solution Overview
Problem
In penal institutions and similar facilities, existing revenue management systems struggle to prevent call forwarding and tariff circumvention, leading to unaccountable telephone costs and lost revenue due to un-billable collect calls, especially when callers use three-way calling, remote call forwarding, or number portability, which allows inmates to make calls at local rates instead of long-distance rates.
Innovation Solution
A revenue management system that integrates with existing telephone management systems to validate call billing through local and external databases, including LEC, CLEC, LNP, MNP, and ON-NET databases, and offers alternative payment methods to ensure calls are billed at the correct long-distance rate, using a remote server connected via PSTN or direct lines to manage user accounts and restrict access to prevent un-billable calls.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a controlled telephone system is used to monitor and control outgoing calls in penal institutions, then unaccountable telephone costs are prevented, but call forwarding and tariff circumvention methods (such as three-way calling and remote call forwarding) can still be exploited by inmates to make calls at local rates instead of long-distance rates
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary validation by checking the called party's telephone number against multiple databases (LEC, CLEC, LNP, MNP) before the call is completed. This preliminary action identifies whether the call should be billed at local or long-distance rates, preventing tariff circumvention before it occurs. The system establishes the correct tariff classification in advance, making it impossible for inmates to exploit call forwarding methods to avoid long-distance billing.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback mechanisms by continuously monitoring call patterns and validating telephone numbers against updated databases. When call forwarding or three-way calling is detected, the system provides feedback by identifying the ultimate destination of the call and adjusting billing accordingly. This feedback loop ensures that even if inmates attempt to circumvent tariffs through complex calling sequences, the system detects and corrects the billing classification.
2Ease of operation
If collect calls are allowed from penal institutions, then communication with external parties is enabled, but un-billable calls result in accumulated debt that cannot be recovered
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary validation of the called party's telephone number against multiple databases before the collect call is completed. This preliminary check determines whether the call is billable to the called party or should be classified as long-distance. By validating the number in advance, the system prevents un-billable calls from occurring, eliminating the accumulation of unrecoverable debt while still allowing legitimate collect calls to proceed.
Solution Approach 2:
The system automatically validates telephone numbers and determines billing classification without requiring manual intervention. The automated validation process checks against multiple databases and makes real-time decisions about call billing, eliminating the need for manual review of each collect call. This self-service approach ensures consistent application of billing rules and prevents human error in identifying un-billable calls.
3Measurement precision
If multiple database validations are performed to determine correct billing rates, then billing accuracy is improved, but system complexity and processing time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The validation process is segmented into distinct database checks for different carrier types (LEC, CLEC, LNP, MNP). Each database serves a specific purpose in determining the correct billing classification. This segmentation allows the system to methodically check each database in sequence, improving billing accuracy while maintaining organized and manageable system complexity. The segmented approach prevents the validation process from becoming an undifferentiated mass of checks.
Solution Approach 2:
The revenue management system is designed to perform multiple functions through a single integrated validation process. The same validation mechanism handles both local and long-distance call classification, works with multiple carrier types, and prevents both call forwarding circumvention and un-billable collect calls. This multi-functionality reduces overall system complexity by consolidating what could be separate systems into one universal validation platform.
Data Source
AI summary
A telecommunications method for call forwarding including storing information regarding a called party in at least one local database, where the information regarding the called party is stored in a user account and making a telephone call by dialing a telephone number with a telephone, where the telephone is contained in a telephone management system. The method also includes determining whether the telephone number is associated with the user account and transferring, via the switchboard, the call to the called party if the telephone number is associated with the user account, where the telephone management system is in communication with a revenue management system, and also where the revenue management system contains at least one local database.