What are local rates and how are they applied and updated?
In North America, phone service for regional calling areas has been divided among various telephone companies (Telco’s). Telco’s offer a choice of local services with different rating structures: Flat rates – service includes free local calls for a fixed monthly amount. Measured rates – service includes x free local calls; additional calls incur a per call charge. Message rates – service charges are structured into “message units” based on call length and/or distance (“local bands”). The system comes with a built-in database of local rates for every major U.S. Telco. Once the system administrator adds a switch site and identifies its local services, the appropriate rates will be applied to local calls. NOTE: Local rate updates are available to users with an active maintenance agreement from Veramark (www.veramark.com). The download will provide the latest local Telco rates, as well as an up-to-date table of calling areas and country codes.
