ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Leading global customer care and billing solutions provider CSG Systems (Nasdaq: CSGS) today announced the general availability of its new stand-alone Roaming Module that will provide mobile operators worldwide with more flexibility to support new roaming standards and to more efficiently process roaming information.

CSG’s Roaming Module helps mobile operators manage the call information generated as customers from other countries and other networks use their mobile phones when they visit, or roam to, another country or network. The Roaming Module gathers information about each call, each caller, and applies a charge based on operator agreements.

The GSM Association estimates that more than 20,000 individual roaming agreements are in place between its operators, a number that is growing exponentially. These agreements enable operators to share revenues made from calls that cross disparate networks, each including specific rules as to how much revenue each operator should earn from calls taking place in or outside of their home network.

Operators need to manage not only the terms of each agreement, but also keep up with standards that offer a process for the exchange of call information. CSG’s Roaming Module can process call information based on the latest TAP (Transferred Account Procedure) standard, which specifies the exchange of information required for billing and accounting purposes between operators. In addition, the Roaming Module supports the RAP (Returned Accounts Procedure) standard, which enables operators to manage erroneous call event records that are rejected, resulting in lost revenues for the operators.

Previously, CSG offered roaming capabilities as part of its world-class billing engine, Kenan/BP. By un-coupling the roaming solution and adding support for the latest roaming standards, CSG has created a stand-alone solution that can be quickly updated as new standards become available. The module also includes built-in rating capabilities as well as the ability to easily configure the product to support business rules for partnerships with various operators. The Roaming Module can pass information to downstream applications for additional rating, billing or data warehousing and can apply the proper format to call records for each downstream application.

“We’ve leveraged our strength in billing, rating, roaming and mediation to create a solution designed to support evolving standards and the changing needs of the mobile industry”, said Darla Thompson, vice president of product management for CSG’s Global Software and Services Division. “As operators sign more roaming agreements and leverage advanced networks to allow customers to access music, video and more as they roam, we believe that the design of this product will help our customers leverage their investment over time.”

CSG Systems International Inc.