A VoIP rate deck is the price list a carrier sends for its voice routes: one row per dialing prefix, with the destination name, the rate per minute, the billing increment and the date the rate takes effect. Reading it well means matching its prefixes to your traffic, not just looking at the cheapest numbers.
What a rate deck contains
Most carriers send the deck as a CSV or Excel file. Column names vary, but almost every deck has the same core fields.
| Column | What it means | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Prefix (code) | The leading digits of the dialed number, country code included (for example 2348 or 447) | That the prefix is complete and has no leading zeros or plus sign |
| Destination | The name of the country and network, such as "Nigeria Mobile MTN" | Use it as a label only: billing follows the prefix |
| Rate | Price per minute, usually in USD or EUR, often with 4 to 6 decimals | The currency, and whether taxes or surcharges are separate |
| Billing increment | Minimum and step billing, such as 1/1, 30/6 or 60/60 | That it matches your average call length |
| Effective date | When the rate applies | Future dates mean a pending change |
| Change flag | Status such as new, increase, decrease, unchanged or closed | Increases and closed codes first |
Some decks add a connection fee, a route type (CLI, non-CLI, premium) or the traffic types accepted. If those fields are missing, ask before sending traffic.
Prefixes and longest match
Switches pick the rate by longest prefix match. If the deck has 44 at one rate and 447 at a higher rate, a call to 447700 900123 is billed at the 447 rate because 447 is the longer matching prefix. This is why a deck with a cheap country-level code can still be expensive: the real traffic falls into more specific mobile or operator codes. See how breakouts split a country into mobile, fixed and operator codes, and make sure your numbers are in E.164 format before you compare.
Billing increments change the real price
The same rate costs different amounts under different increments. A 20 second call on a 60/60 route is billed as a full minute; on 1/1 it is billed as 20 seconds. For traffic with short calls, such as dialers or verification calls, a slightly higher rate on 1/1 can be cheaper than a lower rate on 60/60. The guide on billing increments 1/1, 6/6 and 60/60 shows how to calculate this.
Effective dates and notice periods
Carriers update decks often, sometimes weekly. A typical deck is a full file where every row carries an effective date. Rate increases usually take effect after a notice period agreed in the contract (7 days is common in wholesale voice), while decreases can apply at once. Load the new deck into your switch before the effective date, or you will be billed at rates you did not plan for. Read more in rate changes and notice periods.
How to compare decks from several carriers
- Normalize every deck: same currency, same prefix format, same column order.
- Rate your own CDRs (last month of calls) against each deck, instead of comparing prefix by prefix. This shows the real cost of your traffic mix.
- Add quality to the picture: a cheap code with low ASR or wrong CLI costs more in failed calls. See ASR, ACD and PDD.
- Watch for closed codes and missing prefixes, which push calls to a backup route.
This comparison is the starting point of least cost routing.
Common traps
- A low headline rate that applies only to fixed lines, while most of your traffic is mobile.
- Surcharges for calls with a foreign or missing CLI, listed in a separate note.
- Rates valid only for one traffic type, for example conversational traffic, with call center traffic refused.
- Duplicate prefixes with different rates in the same file.
Getting a deck for your traffic
A generic deck lists every country. If you only need a few destinations, it is faster to ask for prices on those. VoIPMatcher sources wholesale VoIP termination for the destinations you need and manages the route for you. Request a voice route with your destinations, traffic type and volume.
Frequently asked questions
What is an A-Z rate deck?
An A-Z rate deck lists rates for every country and breakout a carrier can reach, from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, often tens of thousands of prefixes in one file. It comes with A to Z termination and is updated often. Buyers usually use it for long tail destinations and buy specific routes for their main countries.
What does deck rate mean in telecom?
The deck rate is the price listed in a carrier's rate deck for a prefix, before any negotiated discount or special agreement. Buyers with large or committed volumes often negotiate below deck rates on their main destinations, while smaller buyers usually pay the deck rate as published, subject to the deck's billing increment.
What is a closed code in a rate deck?
A closed code is a prefix the carrier no longer terminates, marked as closed or deleted in the change column from a given date. Calls to it will fail on that route, so your switch must send them to another carrier. Check closed codes in every update together with rate increases.
How do I load a rate deck into my switch?
Most softswitches import decks as CSV files with mapped columns for prefix, rate, increment and effective date. Normalize the file first: one currency, prefixes without plus signs or leading zeros, and dates in the format your switch expects. Import before the effective date and check billed results on a sample of calls.
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