In communications, a Call Detail Record (CDR) file is a ‘flat’ file, most often in .csv format, that provides a detailed breakdown of transactions over a communication network. Typically, these include phone calls, SMS messages, and data transfer – in fact, any communication across a network, telephone exchange, or switch.
CDRs are used to bill customers for their use of carriage network services at the end of a billing period (usually a month or quarter). The customer’s use of the network will be calculated using the CDR, and charges applied according to their tariff to generate the bill.
What Data Is Included In A CDR bill?
A CDR contains metadata about how a certain phone number or user account has utilised the network. A CDR will typically include the following information:
- The date and time of calls.
- The duration of each call, in minutes.
- The source and destination numbers.
- The type of call (inbound/outbound/international etc).
- The cost of each call, based on a per minute rate.
A CDR will also include metadata relating to SMS messages and other communications; however, the content of the messages is not revealed, only that the communication took place.
Why CDRs Are Important
A CDR is a useful record of every chargeable communication that passes through your telecommunications system. Not only does it allow the phone company to generate an accurate bill quickly, but a CDR billing platform enables businesses to benefit from instant access to their call usage, supporting them with:
- Call reporting and billing.
- Dispute resolution.
- Analysis of spending.
- Identification of disruptions in service.
- Identifying calling trends and employees’ patterns of usage.
Often, a service provider will utilise a mediation system, which combines different data records to produce a single, consolidated CDR file. This is especially useful for businesses who use multiple services, handsets, or channels, as their call data can be outlined clearly in one file, eliminating the time-consuming and confusing task of analysing several different CDRs.
How SATbill Can Benefit Your Business
At Symbiosys, we offer an industry-leading satellite billing system, SATbill, which combines the CDRs from different providers with non-call based charges, including subscriptions. As many different CDR formats can be loaded and billed, SATbill offers unrivalled flexibility to meet every business’s needs.
SATbill is especially suited to call plans for land-based units or mobile installations, such as aircraft or vessels, as the tariff charges can be directly linked to individual equipment, such as SIMs or terminals, giving you complete control over your expenditure.
To find out more about SATbill, why not request a free, no-obligation demonstration to see how it could benefit your business?
