HGC Selects XConnect to Mitigate OBR Surcharges in Europe

HGC Global Communications Limited (HGC), a fully-fledged ICT service provider and telecommunications operator in its quest to adapt latest technology to improve productivity and efficiency is working with XConnect, a Somos Company, the provider of world-class numbering intelligence solutions, to reduce its losses from Origin Based Rating (OBR) in Europe and deliver predictable business margins within the region.

By deploying XConnect’s Global Number Range (GNR) data to determine if its A numbers are valid, HGC has been able to reinstate almost half of its routes terminated into Europe that had been previously removed because of costly OBR surcharges.

OBR takes into account both the origination and termination of a call when billing. The terminating network will apply a surcharge to the mobile termination rates based on the country of the call’s origin. Unanticipated surcharges can be 10x cost with some as high as 35x the standard termination rate.

“OBR adds complexity to an already challenging voice market. As a growing number of countries implement OBR across the globe, carriers are becoming more fearful of facing costly surcharges. In HGC’s case, this caused it to discontinue up to 50% of the routes it was terminating into Europe,” said Tim Ward, VP Number Information Services at XConnect. “By harnessing our data for checking A-Numbers, HGC can be confident that it is maximising profitability while protecting against surcharges. As a result, it has been able to reinstate all its discontinued routes. We are committed to helping carriers to increase their sustainability and health of voice business across the globe.”

“In an evolving voice landscape, OBR has become a critical consideration that carriers of all sizes must face. To stay ahead, it was essential that we acted quickly to take the necessary steps to reduce its impact on our business,” said Carrie Chan, Vice President of Voice and Cloud Communications at HGC. “By deploying XConnect’s GNR data, we have been able to cut disputes to almost zero and restore our routes, allowing us to focus on uninterrupted business growth. XConnect’s solution has enabled us to continue providing a seamless service for our customers whilst removing risk to our margins.”

XConnect’s GNR database is continuously constantly reviewed, refined and cleaned to ensure that it is accurate and up to date for its customers. The outcome is highly accurate data that enables carriers to efficiently and effectively route their traffic, while lowering costs and increasing end user satisfaction.

XConnect, a wholly owned subsidiary of Somos Inc, consolidates, maintains and delivers trusted telephone number intelligence to world leading telecommunication service providers. It processes information from hundreds of different global datasets and ensures that customers solve routing, validation and fraud challenges in real time.

XConnect’s Number Information Services are used for voice and messaging routing, fraud protection and to identify and validate insights. They also support the deployment and evolution of next-generation communications, such as VoLTE and RCS.

Its service is accessed through its global distributed hybrid cloud platform using simple, secure, scalable real-time protocols and APIs.

HGC Global Communications Limited (HGC) is a leading Hong Kong and international telecom operator and ICT solution provider. The company owns an extensive network and infrastructure in Hong Kong and overseas and provides various kinds of services. HGC has 23 overseas offices, with business over 5 continents. It provides telecom infrastructure service to other operators and serves as a service provider to corporate and households.

The company provides full-fledged telecom, data centre services, ICT solutions and broadband services for local, overseas, corporate, SME and mass markets. HGC owns and operates an extensive fibre-optic network, five cross-border telecom routes integrated into tier-one telecom operators in mainland China and connects with hundreds of world-class international telecom operators. HGC is one of Hong Kong’s largest Wi-Fi service providers, running over 29,000 Wi-Fi hotspots in Hong Kong.