GlobalTel's Billing Procedure and The Account Balance Function
Revised 15 August, 1999

This is a description of GlobalTel's BILLING PROCEDURE and the ACCOUNT BALANCE function, described in the USER MANUAL. Two computers are used in GlobalTel's billing system; The SWITCHING COMPUTER, and the BILLING COMPUTER. All calls go through the switching computer which collects complete call detail (raw data). The BILLING COMPUTER uses some, but not all of this data. For example, incomplete calls and busy signals are deleted and not billed to the customer.

THE ACCOUNT BALANCE FUNCTION is designed for use with pre-paid accounts and on credit card accounts on which the customer puts a credit limit on his or her own account. In each case the switching computer is set to interrupt service when the credit limit is reached. The balance that remains after each telephone call by the customer is an "approximate" balance, and is the balance reported when the customer checks the balance.

Customers check this balance by accessing the system and pressing . This opens a menu of 4 items. Follow the voice instructions and choose the first item to check your approximate ACCOUNT BALANCE.

On CREDIT CARD ACCOUNTS where the customer does not specify a credit limit for the account, an ARBITRARY AMOUNT OF CREDIT is set on the switching computer, even though the customer has not specified any limit to the amount that can be charged on the credit card. The balance that remains after each telephone call by the credit card customer is also an "approximate" balance of that arbitrary amount, and is the balance reported when the credit card customer checks the balance using the ACCOUNT BALANCE function.

When a pre-pay customer runs out of credit the service is interrupted until another prepayment is received. But when a credit card customer runs of the ARBITRARY AMOUNT, the computer is re-set so that another ARBITRARY AMOUNT is established and service is not interrupted.

Credit card accounts are billed twice each month, around the first and the fifteenth. The phone bill is then sent to the customer at the end of the month.

In summary, the account balance is helpful mainly to customers with pre-pay accounts, or customers who have specified a limit on the amount permitted to be charged on their credit card each month.

When you check your bills at the end of each month you will be pleased at the savings. In order to maximize your savings, learn how to use all the functions offered, use speed dialing, make multiple calls on one access, press the pound key () after dialing, and press before hanging up.

Thank you for using GlobalTel!