WO2001022704A1

WO2001022704A1 - Method for offering a call with a differing charge

Info

Publication number: WO2001022704A1
Application number: PCT/FI2000/000802
Authority: WO
Inventors: Lauri Isotalo
Original assignee: Elisa Communications Oyj
Priority date: 1999-09-20
Filing date: 2000-09-20
Publication date: 2001-03-29
Also published as: FI19992004A; EE200200147A; FI109388B; AU7292900A; EP1214836A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for providing an exceptionally priced call and for notifying about it, which is based on information on a call to be formed or which has been formed and which is to be examined being directed to an intelligent network centre in response to a dialled number containing a specific number series, such as an area code, which is received from the calling subscriber's connection, and a lottery or lottery-like operation being carried out under the control of the intelligent network, as a result of which exceptional pricing is set for the call to be examined. If exceptional pricing is set for the call to be examined, the control of the intelligent network is used to prevent at least one metering pulse or other billing information from reaching the billing system taking care of the billing of the call to be examined, a message is sent under the control of the intelligent network centre (12) to the rest of the telephone network to form a telephone connection to the calling connection (10) and/or to the notification device (14), and to use this telephone connection to inform the calling connection (10) of the exceptional pricing of the call to be examined.

Description

METHOD FOR OFFERING A CALL WITH A DIFFERING CHARGE

The present invention relates to a method, according to the preamble to Claim 1, for providing an exceptionally-priced call, in which a call, which is randomly selected from the point of view of the calling subscriber, is provided to the calling subscriber at an exceptional price.

There are many known ways to provide callers with exceptionally-priced calls. Often calls that are priced differently to the prevailing practice are priced to be free or cheaper to the calling subscriber. Free-phone numbers, incorporating a certain prefix, such as the 0800 number series, inform calling subscribers that calls made to an area with a specific prefix will not cost them anything. Calls made to free-phone numbers can be routed to be paid by the called subscriber.

In the free calls provided in Sweden under the name 'Gratis Telefon', callers make an agreement with the operator concerning the making of free calls. Calling subscribers surrender information about themselves for advertising purposes and specific consumer profiles are made from the information. After this, a calling subscriber can make a free call from a specific connection, by dialling the operator's free number. The call is connected to an automatic voice device and the calling subscriber is identified. Next, an advertisement fitting the subscriber's consumer profile is sent to the calling subscriber as a voice message. Having heard the advertisement, the calling subscriber dials the telephone number to which a connection is desired. The call is connected to the telephone number dialled by the calling subscriber, once the called subscriber replies. During the call, both the calling and called subscribers are sent advertisements as voice messages at certain intervals. Generally, the duration of the call is not limited.

Changes to charges can be made in the network switching centre. For example, a temporary billing analysis can be set for service number calls, long-distance calls, and foreign abroad to the charging switching centre, providing free calls, either at a specific time or at specific times.

Phone cards, incorporating smart-card technology and/or a magnetic band, are a simple way to provide free call-time from telephone booths. Such cards, which provide an amount of call-time corresponding to a certain sum of money, can be distributed to people to whom it is wished to offer free calls from telephone booths. During calls made using such cards, communications that can be selected by the operator, such as advertisements, can be sent to the telephone subscriber in voice messages sent over the telephone connection. There are also telephone account cards, which permit calls to be charged to an account linked to the card's security ID, after receiving the ID contained in the card and the user's password. A desired amount of money, up to a value for which it is wished to provide free calls, can be set for such an account.

The sum to be billed on the basis of nearly all metering charging is determined in such a way that, in ordinary cases, the caller has no grounds for knowing the precise price of a call, because the caller does not know the exact times of sending the pulses.

The state of the art does not permit a call that is random, from the caller's point of view, to be provided with an exceptional price, in such a way that the caller would know immediately after making the call that it had been exceptionally priced. In this application, random from the caller's point of view means that, before the telephone connection is formed, the caller has no grounds for knowing that the next call will be priced exceptionally. Thus, the caller does not know during a exceptionally priced call that exceptional pricing is being applied during precisely that call.

A defect in the state of the art is that calls made to free-phone numbers are always free to the caller. This means that free-phone numbers cannot be used in cases, in which it is wished to provide the calling subscriber with exceptionally-priced calls that are random from the caller's point of view.

Free-phone calls provide the caller with a continuous way to make free calls to desired numbers. Thus, this method too cannot be applied to provide free calls that are random from the caller's point of view.

Charging changes based on switching-centre technology can also be used to provide an exceptionally-priced, e.g. free, call that is random from the caller's point of view, but in that case the caller does not know immediately after the call that precisely that call was exceptionally priced. This would, however, be necessary, if it is wished to provide a exceptionally-priced call that the caller would have made in any case and, in addition, so that having grounds for knowing that the call in question is exceptionally priced could not influence the duration of the call in question.

In practice, nearly all metering charging is determined randomly from the point of view of the caller, because the caller has no grounds for knowing when the pulses are sent, so that calls of the same length, priced similarly from the caller's point of view, will result in different billing. However, in such normal cases, the differences in price are so small in cash terms that there is no information value in stating them separately for individual calls. The metering pulses can, however, also be sent to the subscriber connection, so that information on the pricing of the call can be sent in real-time to the calling connection. However, this requires that the receiving subscriber has a network terminal device capable of reading pulses. When the user checks the charging of the call during the all, the regularly of the charging and the sum being accumulated can be observed, so that the call is not formed randomly from the caller's point of view.

By distributing free phone cards or telephone account cards with call time in the account, or by selling phone cards or telephone account cards at a price differing from the nominal value of their call time, calls can be priced exceptionally, but, in this case, randomness from the caller's point of view is not realized.

The invention is intended to eliminate the defects of the state of the art disclosed above and for this purpose create an entirely new type of method.

The invention is based on the fact that, in response to a number dialled from the calling subscriber's connection, containing a certain number series, such as an area code, information on the call to be examined being formed or having been formed is routed to an intelligent network centre, and a lottery is carried out under the control of the intelligent network, the result of which determines the exceptional price of the call to be examined. If an exceptional price is determined for the call to be examined, the control of the intelligent network prevents at least one metering pulse, or other charging information concerning the call to be examined, from entering the charging system that carries out the charging of the call to be examined. More specifically, the method according to the invention for providing an exceptionally-priced call and notifying of it is characterized by what is stated in the characterizing section of Claim 1.

Considerable advantages are gained with the aid of the invention. The invention permits a call that is random from the point of view of the caller to be provided with exceptional pricing, in such a way that the caller knows immediately after the call that it was exceptionally priced.

The method according to the invention allows exceptionally-priced calls to be provided in such a way that the distribution of their duration is essentially the same as that of normally-priced calls to the exceptionally-priced area code or individual telephone number. Thus, there are no additional expenses to the operator caused by providing exceptionally-priced calls that the customer knows to be exceptionally priced, and therefore speaks for a substantially longer time.

In the following, the invention is examined with the aid of examples and with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 shows one method according to the invention for providing an exceptionally- priced call, in which an exceptionally-priced call is formed.

In the example according to the operating diagram of Figure 1 , the following numbered elements are used:

The calling connection 10 is a connection or subscriber identity in a public or private telephone network or mobile telephone network, to which it is wished to provide an exceptionally-priced call that is random from the caller's point of view.

The calling-end SSP centre 11 is the SSP-level switching centre nearest to the calling connection in the network hierarchy.

SCP (Service Control Point) 12 is a call-control database controlling the intelligent network services of the telephone network, to which control signals can be sent from at least one SSP-level centre, and which can send control signals to at least one SSP-level centre. The receiving connection 13 is the connection or subscriber identity of a public or private telephone network or mobile telephone network, to which it is wished to provide the formed call at an exceptional price, which is random from the caller's point of view.

The IP notification device 14 is an IP-network network terminal device, which on reception of a predefined control signal, sends, to at least one telephone connection of the telephone network to which the IP notification device is connected, a predetermined type of information, such as speech or speech-like signals.

Lottery element 15 is an apparatus or software, which can form a response that is random or random from the caller's point of view, to an impulse that has been received.

System 16, which is connected to the operating and control interface of the operator's maintenance network, is a device that sends signals that can be used to configure the settings of SCP 12.

An area code refers to a dialled number, which routes the formation of a telephone connection to a long-distance network, an international telephone network, a specific network of a specific operator, such as a mobile telephone network, and/or a service number with a charge.

In the method for providing an exceptionally-priced call, the following stages are performed. Stage 101 is performed to link a desired form of exceptional pricing with a desired dialled number, such as an area code:

101) SCP 12 is set to carry out a lottery. At least one control signal formed on the basis of a specific dialled number is set to as the impulse to carry out the lottery. Probabilities are defined for an exceptionally-priced call to be provided on the basis of each specific dialled number. Various exceptional-pricing charges can be defined as a possible response for at least one received dialled number.

These settings and definitions are carried out under the control of such an external system as is entitled to update SCP 12 and which has the necessary data communications connection to it. Such a system may be, for example, system 16, which is connected to an operating and control interface of the operator's maintenance network, and which is connected to SCP 12 through the operator's operating and maintenance network. The settings and definitions defined in stage 101 can then be altered at a desired moment during the operation of SCP 12. Stages 102 - 103 are carried out to connect the call to the receiving connection 13 and to notify of this connection to SCP 12, which controls the exceptional pricing. Stage 104 is carried out to define the pricing of the call to be connected.

102) In calling-end SSP-centre 11 a specific number series, such as a dialled number targeting a telephone number containing an area code, is received from the calling connection 10, through possible centres at a lower level in the hierarchy.

103) In response to the dialled number targeting a specific area code, a control signal, stating that a dialled number directed to a telephone number containing a specific area code or other specific number series has been received, is routed from the calling-end SSP-centre 11 to the SCP 12 controlling the telephone network's intelligent network services.

104) In response to the control signal, a lottery is carried out under the control of SCP 12, using the SCP's logic or a lottery element 15, to which the SCP has a data communications connection, to decide whether to provide the call to be formed and being examined under exceptional pricing, e.g. free.

The result of the lottery may indicate that the call to be formed should be formed normally, or that it should be formed under exceptional pricing with a certain charge. In cases in which the lottery result indicates that the call should be formed under normal pricing, the call connection is formed and charging takes place as usual. The following stages of the method depict a situation, in which the call is formed with exceptional pricing. Stages 105 - 106 are performed to control the charging signalling according to exceptional pricing.

105) If, as a result of the lottery, it is wished to provide the call being examined with exceptional pricing, the call is connected normally towards the receiving connection 13, but SCP 12 is used to direct the calling-end SSP-centre to suppress the received metering pulses and/or billing messages, and to record the pulses and/or billing messages on a call ticket to be formed for the call being examined. If necessary, itemized pulses and/or billing messages received during the call, which are not suppressed, can also be recorded on the call ticket.

106) In calling-end SSP-centre 11, at least one metering pulse and/or charging message is received from the direction of receiving connection 13 and its progress towards the calling connection is stopped and information concerning it is recorded in the calling-end SSP-centre 11.

Stage 107 is carried out, to be able to record, for later examination, charging messages according to normal charging of the telephone connection formed between the calling connection 10 and the receiving connection, as well as possible charging messages according to exceptional charging.

107) The call under examination between calling connection 10 and receiving connection 13 is detected in calling-end SSP-centre 11 as having been broken and a signal of this is sent to SCP 12, which is also sent information on the pulses received during the call under examination, the duration of the call, and/or charging messages.

Stages 108 - 110 are carried out to connect the call to the connection being called, to notify that the call just terminated was exceptionally priced.

108) A message to form a telephone connection to calling connection 10 is sent under the control of SCP 12 to calling-end SSP-centre 11. Such a message may be an ICA (Initiate Call Attempt) message and a Continue message. The telephone number of calling connection 10 is then sent to SSP-centre 11 in the DestinationRoutingAddress field of the ICA message, and SCP 12 is used to direct calling-end SSP-centre 11 to react to the response message from the calling connection, e.g., by sending an RRB message with criterion DP7-R. A message, such as an FCI message, individuating the ticket to be formed from the call under examination, is then also sent to calling-end SSP-centre 11.

109) A call-formation request is sent from calling-end SSP-centre 11 to calling connection 10. 110) A signal, stating that the call has been connected to the target according to the identity of the calling connection, is received from the direction of connection 10.

Stages 111 - 112 are carried out to connect the call to the IP notification device, to be able to produce or repeat a voice message telling of the exceptional pricing of the call just terminated and send it to calling connection 10.

111) In response from the direction of calling connection 10 to the signal notifying of the connection of the received call, notification of the formation of an additional call to be examined is sent from calling-end SSP-centre 11 to SCP 12, e.g., using an ERB (Event Report BCSM) message.

112) A signal, e.g. Connect, is sent from the SCP to connect the call to the IP notification device, to form a telephone connection between calling connection 10 and IP notification device 14, and to send calling connection 10 notification that the call just terminated was exceptionally priced, e.g., free, in addition to which this connection can be used to send other information deemed suitable by the operator, such as advertisements, in the direction of calling connection 10.

The formation, disclosed in Sections 108 - 112 above, of a connection between calling connection 10 and the notification device is thus implemented using the impulse-call procedure. In practice, the implementation used with INAP messages may, in the future, differ from the solution disclosed above, but the scope of protection of the invention covers all solutions operating on the impulse-call principle for notifying of exceptional prices for a call.

In the example disclosed above, a connection is first formed to calling connection 10 and then to IP notification device 14. Alternatively, the connection can be formed in the opposite order, i.e. first to IP notification device 14 and then to connection 10.

In the method according to the invention, the operator can use various grounds for targeting an exceptionally-priced service. For example, the operator can, for example through a control interface connection to the operating and maintenance network, alter the proportion of exceptionally-priced calls in the case of all the area codes for which exceptionally-priced calls are provided, in the case of a specific area code or specific area codes, or even in the case of individual telephone numbers. This can take place by changing the lottery routine of SCP 12.

Embodiments of the invention, differing from those disclosed above, can also be envisaged.

In the method according to the invention, it is not essential to form call tickets from suppressed pulses or charging messages. However, the formation of a call ticket makes it easier to monitor exceptionally priced calls, arrange money transactions, and clear billing between the parties involved, through the telephone network.

In this application, an exceptional series refers to a control definition set to a response, according to a predefined sequence, to each specific impulse or impulses according to a received number sequence. Instead of, or along with a lottery, a method according to the invention can be used, in which exceptionally-priced calls and normally-priced calls are regularly provided, according to a specific predefined exceptional series, to calls containing a certain number series on the basis of an area code, separately in the case of a specific area code or to specific area codes, or in the case of individual telephone numbers or parts of them. The predefined exceptional series should then be such, that callers will have no grounds for knowing if their next call will be priced exceptionally.

The predefined exceptional series can be defined to the SSP-centre, to elsewhere in the telephone network, to the SCP, to be available to the SCP, or to any combination of these. Triggering stage 103 to the SCP need not be carried out for any calls other than those in the exceptional series, if the exceptional series has been even partly defined to somewhere else than to the SCP.

The exceptional series can be, for example formed in the telephone network by routing a certain proportion of the calls between two switching centres to a specific transfer route and by setting only dialled numbers containing a specific number series or specific number series, arriving on the transfer route in question, to trigger SCP 12. A sequence to responses can be defined in the exceptional series, which is given to certain kinds of dialled numbers, while the exceptional series can be applied to dialled numbers arriving from a desired direction. The exceptional series can also be formed in the programmable logic of the SSP, in which case dialled numbers containing a specific number series or specific number series according to the sequence recorded in the exceptional series will trigger SCP 12. In SCP 12, a lottery or an operation similar to a lottery can be carried out by the programmable logic and a signal controlling charging of the call can be sent from the SCP as a result of the lottery, or the signal in question can be transmitted beforehand to the SCP, or to elsewhere on the basis of an exceptional series available to the SCP, or a combination of these.

In this case, a lottery refers to an operation, in which a certain impulse or certain impulses are used to obtain a certain response with a certain probability, so that there are no grounds for knowing the order of the responses in advance. When using an operation similar to a lottery, a method bound to data that changes in some specific manner, such as information produced by a clock, forms a response to a control signal received in the SCP. The result is, in practical terms, sufficiently random, though it has not been completely randomly created in a strictly mathematical sense.

In the method according to the invention, communication between SSP-centre 11 and

SCP 12, depicted in the operating diagram according to Figure 1, can be carried out by any SSP centre providing a telephone connection between calling connection 10 and receiving connection 13.

In the method according to the invention, the calling subscriber can be given, in a message after the call, information on the costs to the caller arising from the exceptionally-priced call being examined and/or the costs of a corresponding normally- priced call, or the difference between them.

At least in cases, in which the caller is informed of the costs to the caller arising from a corresponding normally-priced call, or of the costs to the caller arising from a corresponding normally-priced call and the call carried out and being examined, sets of charging information on the call being examined can be formed under two different identifiers, one of which contains the exceptional pricing applied in practice and the other the normal pricing of the call being examined or a definition comparing the normal pricing and the exceptional pricing of the call being examined, such as the difference between the call charges. In the method according to the invention, a telephone connection can be formed, in addition to or in place of that to the IP notification device, to an automatic voice device or other similar notification device, which is able to transmit a message to the calling connection, the content of which states that the call that was just made was exceptionally priced or made to the operator's customer service connection.

The method according to the invention can also be used to implement a service, in which the customer is given an opportunity to direct the amount of money saved due to the exceptional pricing of the call being examined, or part of it, to a specific purpose. This can be implemented by enquiring from the customer calling from the calling connection, during notification of the exceptional pricing, whether it would be possible to direct the money saved to a certain purpose or certain purposes, by making a call ticket in the SSP-centre for the saving or part of it, and targeting the ticket to the desired recipient in the billing system of the same operator or of another operator and adding the saving or part of it to the bill of the calling connection in the billing system. The recipient of the money saved can be selected from the parties to whom the operator can target a call ticket. The customer calling from the calling connection can be offered a narrower group of recipients than this, for example, only a single party.

In the method according to the invention, exceptional pricing can also be applied to the local network charge or to part of the local network charge. This is possible, for example, by setting the SSP-centre to send a message concerning the exceptional pricing of the local network part of the call in question, such as an ACM-free- notification setting the local network part to be free of charge, to the centre handling local network charging. This is the easiest way in cases in which the centre handling local network charging for the calling subscriber and the SSP-centre to be used in the method according to the invention both belong to the same operator, as in that case there will be no need for one operator to compensate another for the randomly missing local network charge. One way to also offer a free single call in cases in which the SSP- centre and the centre handling the local network charging of the calling subscriber are in networks belonging to different operators, is to use, in the case of calls connected on the basis of a certain or all certain dialled numbers or certain dialled numbers, such as service number, long-distance, mobile telephone, and foreign calls, the so-called access- payment principle in the case of the local network charge, in which a local network charge is not made, instead, charging for the local network charge is included in the charging for the part of the call according to the area code, charging compensation being carried out between the local network operator and the operator handling charging according to the area code, for example, on the basis of the metered telephone traffic.

The invention can be applied in such a way that the customer calling from the calling connection is offered the possibility to participate in a lottery by calling a telephone number containing a certain number series, and offered exceptional pricing of the call in question as the possible lottery prize. As a result of the lottery, an exceptionally-priced call can be given a negative price, i.e. free call-time, for example, is given as the prize.

The following explains the meanings of the various concepts in this application, and especially in the Claims.

An intelligent network centre refers to a system connected to a telephone network, which centrally carries out operations controlling the telephone network, requiring more complicated or different data processing to that carried out in the switching centre of a public switched telephone network (PSTN) or a public land mobile network (PLMN).

Activation information is a definition, which, when it takes effect, directs the intelligent network centre to send a certain signal controlling the pricing of a call. Various signals controlling pricing can act in response bringing various kinds of activation information into effect, while there need be no kind of control signal acting in response to certain activation information. In a preferred embodiment, the response to a control signal received in an intelligent network is to carry out a lottery or a lottery-like operation, or to use the operation of a computer program to search for activation information from an exceptional series to select a control signal, which is preferably a value supplied by the computer program, to be sent to the telephone network as the response to activation information.

Normal pricing, i.e. the normal price, refers to the pricing, in which the pricing of a call formed is known to the possessor of the connection liable to pay connected to the telephone connection, or which is available to the possessor on enquiry, prior to the call to be formed. In this case, the possessor of the connection liable to pay knows or can find out, prior to the call to be formed, the cost of a call to be formed under normal pricing, which will be targeted to the connection liable to pay. The possible imprecision of the cost of a normally-priced call arising to the connection liable to pay is due to the discrete value of pulse-based charging.

Exceptional pricing refers to the pricing, of a call formed, differing from normal pricing, applied to a call that is random from the caller's point of view.

Billing information is a definition containing the charges to be made for a specific call or part of it, such as a specified form of call ticket formed for a specific call in a telephone network, or a metering pulse or charging message transmitted using a specific telephone connection or a signalling connection to the telephone connection in question.

A billing system is a system that generates customer-specific bills and payments to service-provider accounts, from the billing information.

A telephone network refers to a public switched telephone network (PSTN) or a public land mobile network (PLMN).

A notification device refers to a network terminal device, which, in response to a specified type of control signal, sends a specific type of information, such as speech or other speech-like signals, in the direction of the telephone network to at least one telephone connection.

A notification system can refer to a notification device or a similar system, in which a person responds to connection formation requests coming to terminal devices connected to a subscriber connection.

A call ticket refers to a data construction identified by an individuated identifier targeted on a specific call, which contains charging and/or other information to be transmitted in connection with the call in question.

Claims

Claims:

1. A method for providing an exceptionally-priced call and for notifying about it, in which

- a dialled number containing a specific number series is received (102) in a telephone network from a calling connection (10), and

- a first control signal is sent (103) to an intelligent network centre (12), in response to the specific number series received,

characterized in that

- in response to the first control signal, a lottery (102) or lottery-like operation is carried out under the control of the intelligent network centre (12), resulting in activation information, or the next activation information from a predefined exception series is selected under the control of the intelligent network centre (12) and the activation information is set to take effect, and

- if the activation information set to take effect requires activation, a signal controlling the exceptional pricing is sent (105) to the telephone network under the control of the intelligent network centre (12), and

- in response to the signal controlling the exceptional pricing, the billing system is directed (106) to apply exceptional pricing in the case of the call being examined, and

- the exceptional pricing of the call being examined is notified (107 - 112) in the direction of the calling connection (10).

2. A method according to Claim 1, characterized in that the notification of the exceptional pricing of the call being examined in the direction of the calling direction (10) takes place (112) after the call being examined, by using the telephone connection to be formed between the subscriber connection (10) and the information system (14).

3. Some method according to Claim 2, characterized in that when forming the telephone connection between the notification system (14) and the calling connection (10) after the call to be examined,

- the call to be examined is detected (107) as having been broken and this is signalled to the intelligent network centre (12) , and

- at least one message, directing the telephone network to initiate the formation of a telephone connection to the calling connection (10) and/or the notification system (14), is sent (108) under the control of the intelligent network centre (12) to the rest of the telephone network.

4. A method according to Claim 3, characterized in that the sending telephone number and a Continue message and a control signal, which directs the telephone network to react to a certain type of message received from the direction of the calling connection (10) are contained in the DestinationRouting Address field of the ICA message to be included (108) in the message to be sent to the rest of the telephone network under the control of the intelligent network centre (12).

5. A method according to one of Claims 2 - 4, characterized in that

- in response to a signal indicating the connection to the calling connection (10) of a call received from the direction of the calling connection, or to a signal indicating the connection to the notification system (14) of a call received from the direction of the notification system (14), a second control signal is sent (111) from elsewhere in the telephone network to the intelligent network centre (12),

- in response to the second control signal, a message (112) is sent under the control of the intelligent network centre (12), directing the telephone network to connect a telephone connection between the notification system (14) and the subscriber connection (10).

6. A method according to one of Claims 1 - 5, characterized in that, in response to a signal directing exceptional pricing, at least one set of billing information formed from the call to be examined is recorded (107) in the billing system, or to be available to it, each set of billing information being identified by a unique identifier, and which can be used together or separately to decide the price or part of it of the call to be examined, which would be charged when pricing the call or part of it normally, and the exceptional pricing of the call to be examined or part of it.

7. A method according to one of Claims 1 - 6, characterized in that, in response to a signal controlling exceptional pricing, at least one set of billing information received in the telephone network and targeted on the calling connection (10) is prevented (106) from progressing towards the billing system handling the billing of the call to be examined.

8. A method according to one of Claims 1 - 7, characterized in that

- a set of billing information, according to the exceptional pricing defined by the call- specific activation information set to take effect, is formed (106) from the call to be examined or from part of it, and

- the billing system is directed (107) to perform billing for the call to be examined or part of it according to the billing information according to the exceptional pricing.

9. A method according to one of Claims 1 - 8, characterized in that an SCP (Service Control Point) of the telephone network is used as the intelligent network centre (12).

10. A method according to one of Claims 1 - 9, characterized in that a call ticket of a specific form is made from the formed or received sets of billing information or a combination of them, or the information in question is added to at least one call-ticket of a specific form.

11. A method according to one of Claims 1 - 10, characterized in that the notification device is used as the notification system (14).

12. A method according to one of Claims 1 - 11, characterized in that the lottery to be carried out in response to the first control signal is carried out only if the calling connection (10) is a specific connection or one of a number of specific connections.