Remote VOIP Node

Remote Country VoIP Node for Calling Card and Call-through Operations

What is VoIP?

VoIP or Voice over Internet Protocol, is a method of digitizing voice and transmiting voice packets over IP networks. We provide dedicated hardware and software for doing this task .

What Services Can be provided over a VoIP node?

Any services provided in UK can also be provided in the destination country. However, the list of services may be limited if the local PTO (public telephony operator) does not provide CLI (caller line ID) information.

The most common services, which would be available to the country are:

	Prepaid Calling card services to be sold in the country, with local language and currency
	Home call-through services (this would require CLI, please refer to CLI section below)
	Corporate services (this would require CLI)
	Call termination of minutes to the destination country
	Etc. – for a full listing please contact customer services

What information is required in the Destination Country?

There are 2 types of information required from local country, which segments in to legal requirements and technical requirements.

Legal requirements:

	License requirements in the local country?
	Are there Requirement for PTO connectivity? (this may not apply if connecting to a cellular provider instead of the PTO)

Technical requirements:

	What type of PTO connectivity is available in the destination country? E1/T1 is preferred.
	Is CLI available and if so is V21, V23 standards supported by local PTO?
	What type of bandwidth is available from the IP provider? ADSL, DSL, SDSL, clear channel leased line ….?
	Are any fixed IP addresses available from local IP provider?

How does the system work?

The equipment installed at remote site, provide the connectivity to the destination PTO. The actual product, voice prompts, billing and CallingPlaces access are managed through the Network from UK, US and Europe.

New products can be offered to the clients by creating new Groups in CallingPlaces and managing customer accounts through CallingPlaces web portal. All facilities available on CallingPlaces will be available for new clients in the destination country.

All calls are ported from the destination country to CallingPlaces network for final routing and call termination.

What options are available for connectivity at remote site?

There are various options available in the destination country depending on the type of connectivity.

Remote site VoIP Node options: Each option offers a different type of connectivity. All options can be expanded for more lines.

There are 3 main issues to consider when connecting with the local PTO:

Answer supervision – this is a signal generated by the MGW when call is answered by the calling party in the destination country. This signal is the start of a billing cycle. This is important when terminating calls into the destination country.
Hang up - this is a signal generated by the MGW when the calling party in the destination country finishes the call. This signal is the end of a billing cycle. This is important when terminating or originating calls at the destination country.
CLI information – for call origination this is the caller ID received by MGW. Where the line connectivity is via E1/T1 interface this information is received as part of ISDN_PRI protocol. Where the connection is via GSM SIM cards the information is automatically detected by the SIM channel bank and converted to E1/T1 type signaling. However where the interconnection is via analog lines, the channel bank used should be able to recognize the PTO standard and convert this to digital ISDN_PRI signaling. There are several types of CLI standards adhered to by PTO’s which are:
1) ETSI–DTMF: most of Europe use this
2) ETSI-FSK: most of Europe use this
3) Bellcore-FSK: US and Canadian PTO use this for CLI information.
4) V.23: UK uses this standard
5) V.22: Finland uses this standard
the majority of channel banks are able to detect the first 3 standards above. For (4) above there are circuits, which can be design to convert the signal to ETSI-FSK format. We do not currently have a solution for V.22 signaling on CLI recognition.

The diagram above describes the 3 distinct interconnection possibilities with the local PTO and cellular provider. Once connected to local PTO or cellular provide, all incoming calls can be processed according to product definition for the inbound call.

Once connected to local PTO or cellular provide the node can also be used to terminate calls from CallingPlaces network into the country. This provides an additional source of revenue for the reseller.

What is the typical System Cost?

The fixed set-up cost of the system will depend on:

	Whether the connection is to PTO or cellular provider. Connection to cellular provider requires GSM SIM channel banks which are typically expensive.
	Whether the connection to PTO is via analog lines or ISDN-PRI line. Connection via ISDN-PRI is most cost effective since analog line connection requires analog channel banks which are more expensive.
	The number of E1 lines which are connected to the PTO.
	The installation and initial configuration cost. This will depend on the location of the destination country and the level of technical help available from the reseller.
	As a rough estimate typical equipment cost for a single E1 (30 simultaneous calls) connectivity is about US$8000.

The overhead cost of the system will depend on:

	The running cost of the Bandwidth
	System monitoring and regular configuration management – this is done by CallingPlaces management engineers and is included in the contract.