System and method for enabling reciprocal billing for different types of communications over a packet network

A system for determining inter-carrier network usage, said system comprising:

• at least one database configured to store network usage information of a first packet network managed by a first communications carrier, said at least one database configured to store first network usage information of the first packet network by subscribers of a second communications carder communicating via the first packet network, the stored network usage information distinguishing network usage derived from data packets including real-time content and non-real-time content communicated over the first packet network, wherein the real-time content comprises information of at least one of voice data, voice over IP data (VoIP), speech during a telephone call, video data related to a live broadcast, music data related to a live broadcast, or gaming data, and the non-real-time content comprises information of at least one of music downloads, webpage content, or program update downloads, wherein the stored network usage information includes a first billing rate for real-time content and a second billing rate for non-real-time content;
• and a processing unit configured to obtain second network usage information collected by the second communications carrier representative of subscribers of the first communications carrier communicating via a second packet network managed by the second communications carrier, the second network usage information distinguishing network usage derived from data packets including real-time content and non-real-time content communicated via the second packet network, said processing unit further configured to determine a network usage differential between the first and second distinguished network usage information associated with the real-time content and apply the first billing rate for real-time content, wherein said processing unit is further configured to cause communications of subscribers of the first communications network to be routed via the second packet network if the network usage differential is determined to be below a threshold and to be routed via a third packet network if the network usage differential is determined to be above the threshold, wherein the processing unit is configured to determine if the network usage differential is above the threshold due to routing of data packets including real-time content, routing of data packets including non-real-time content, or both, and responsive to a determination that the network usage differential is above the threshold due to routing of data packets including real-time content and not due to routing of data packets including non-real-time content, routing only the data packets including real-time content via the third packet network while maintaining routing of the data packets including non-real-time content via the second packet network.