International Telecommunications Routes - Re-origination (or Refiling)

Re-origination (or Refiling)

Re-origination is the name given to the practice of substituting a new calling line identity (CLI) for the call at some point in its journey. The idea is that the carrier will pay less if the call comes from the country indicated by the new CLI than from the original country.

Re-origination is made possible by the SS7 signaling system, which allows a great deal of call information to be transmitted. In principle the receiving telecoms company can inspect the CLI to see where the call has come from and charge accordingly. In practice, switches are able to remove or change the CLI, thus disguising the origin of the call.