Numbering

OBR (Origin-Based Rating)

OBR is a wholesale telecom pricing model where outbound call rates depend on where the call originated from (the calling number's country) as well as where it is going. It applies primarily in the EEA (EU + Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway) under the EU's roaming + termination rate regulations.

How it works

An EEA-originated call to an EEA destination is rated at a low EU regulated rate. A non-EEA-originated call to the same EEA destination (e.g. a US number calling a Frankfurt number) is rated at a much higher rate, because non-EEA traffic falls outside the EU intra-community caps.

Practical impact: if you operate a US-based PBX and dial out to EU mobiles using a US calling number, you pay the high non-EEA rate. If you dial from an EU calling number, you pay the low EEA rate — often 10-50× cheaper. See calling rates for live numbers.

Concrete example

From DID country	To Germany mobile	Rate ($/min)
From a German DID	+49 mobile	$0.025
From an EU DID	+49 mobile	$0.025
From a US DID	+49 mobile	$0.96

That is a 38× price difference for the same destination. Call origination location matters.

Why the gap

The EEA caps intra-community termination rates by regulation. Non-EEA originators are not covered, so terminating carriers can charge what they want. OBR exists because some traffic floods (e.g. wholesale dial-around) try to disguise non-EEA origin to avoid this surcharge — modern STIR/SHAKEN-style attestation is partly a response.

Related terms