What is a roaming hub?

A platform that connects many operators and providers through one link each. Many companies use hubs for the long tail and direct OCPI links for large partners.

Explained in

OCPI and roaming · Stop 02Direct connection or roaming hub?Peer-to-peer connections between each pair of companies, or one connection to a hub: how the number of links grows, and why many companies use both.
  • Direct for the largest partners: full control over the connection, no hub fees, faster changes.
  • Through a hub for the long tail: one connection reaches hundreds of operators, with one contract and one technical integration.
From “Why many use both”, stop 02

Terms

  1. OCPIOpen Charge Point Interface: an open protocol for roaming between operators and e-mobility service providers.
  1. What does OCPI exchange?Locations and tariffs from the operator, tokens from the provider before a session; sessions and commands during it; the CDR after it.
  2. How is a roaming card authorised?Either from a cached list the provider shared with the operator, or by a real-time check with the provider. The provider sets which, per token.
  3. Can a CDR be changed after it was sent?Not directly. OCPI treats CDRs like invoices: a wrong CDR is cancelled with a credit CDR and replaced by a corrected one.
  4. What is in a CDR?Who wrote it, the token that started it, the one EVSE used, the tariff as it applied, the session as periods with energy and time, and the totals before taxes. The deep dive reads a complete record line by line.