Neither the industry nor the government foresaw the gorilla that OSS interconnection would become. Just as with a gateway, connecting to an ASP generally requires a circuit. Once the single connection is in place, the user can be hooked seamlessly with a whole series of trading partners. Startup, Tier 3 carriers that want to minimize operational expenses, and have relatively low order volumes and few OSS, may be able to avoid a gateway investment altogether. With an interconnection ASP, carriers pay per order.
Costs are determined up-front and based on projected order volumes.
It's like leasing a car. You visit the dealer and first determine the range of features you need in the car - in this case, the range of services you want to be able to deliver to your customers. Then, you estimate the mileage you will drive over the course of the lease period. Incoming orders and requests are automatically translated into the appropriate protocols and delivered to the right recipient. ASP users also avoid training staff on the nuances of different trading partners.