How We Price Outbound Voice Calls in the United States of America
At Vonage, we strive to offer a transparent and competitive pricing structure for all our voice services. While most countries follow a standard model of pricing based on the destination number type (mobile, fixed, etc.), the pricing system for outbound voice calls to the United States of America (USA) is slightly different. In the USA, we price calls based on the Termination Prefix Groups determined by the prefixes of the destination number.
What Are Termination Prefix Groups?
In the USA, the structure of phone numbers includes various prefixes that define different regions and types of services. To ensure fair pricing and reflect regional variations in telephony costs, we’ve organized the country into specific Termination Prefix Groups. Each group corresponds to a range of prefixes that are used for specific locations or types of services, such as toll-free numbers or regional destinations.
For example:
- Toll-Free Numbers: Numbers starting with prefixes like 1800, 1811, 1822, 1833, etc., are classified under the Toll-Free Group and are priced according to the rates for toll-free calls.
- Alaska: Numbers starting with the prefix 1907 are classified under the Alaska Group and are priced according to rates for calls made to Alaska.
Example of How It Works
- If you place a call to the number 1800123456, our system will detect the prefix 1800 and will apply the pricing for toll-free calls in the USA.
- If you place a call to 1907123456, the system will detect the 1907 prefix and apply the pricing for calls to Alaska.
Termination Prefix Groups Table
You can find a table of the Termination Prefix Groups and their corresponding prefixes at the bottom of this article.
This system ensures that the pricing is aligned with the actual routing of the call, reflecting the specific regions or services being reached.
How You Can Track Your Usage
Customers will be able to track the quantity of minutes used for calls to these Termination Prefix Groups in their Traffic Report. The Termination Prefix Groups will be shown under the "Termination Prefixes" field in the report, allowing you to easily monitor and manage your usage for each group.
Why This Matters
This pricing structure allows us to be precise and fair when it comes to charging for calls to the USA. By pricing calls according to Termination Prefix Groups, we ensure that customers are billed accurately based on the specific characteristics of the call, rather than simply lumping everything into broad categories.