Interconnect Voice Automation

So, what are the needs for interconnect voice in 2016?  Well, fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on your position or perspective in the marketplace, the needs for interconnect voice in 2016 are vast.

Here’s just a quick list:

• Real-Time Routing Policy

• Real-TimeCDR Processing & Rating

• Rate Management

• Carrier Management

• ANI Based Routing

• Multi-Currency Support

• LCADs Routing

• LNP Routing

• International A Number Routing/Rating

• Bi-Lateral Management & Routing

• Real-Time Reporting and Analytics

• CDR Reconciliation

• Supplier Invoicing Auditing

• Interconnect invoicing

• U.S. Domestic Jurisdictional Routing

• QoS based Routing & Auto-Blocking

• etc…

The list goes on and on. Today’s interconnect voice needs have actually grown from where they were just 3 years ago. Some of this is due to regulatory changes (EU A# routing), increased granularity in routing (LCADs Routing), and advances in technology (BIG DATA).  These all have allowed carriers and voice service providers to expand their list of needs to encompass many of the historically off-line functions carriers needed to perform previously. As a solution provider to the interconnect voice marketplace, it’s great that the needs of the marketplace continue to expand. It challenges us to continually innovate and problem solve and it also ensures that demand for solutions like ours will continue for the foreseeable future.

That’s actually what is great about the interconnect voice marketplace and it really does speak to the marketplace’s vitality and that, despite what outsiders may think, it’s actually a thriving industry. Yes, rates for voice calls on a per unit basis are continuing to decline and, yes, traffic is moving to more of the OTT providers (Skype, Facebook,). But actually, these market forces are pushing Voice Service providers to look to their solution providers for innovative solutions that allow them to maximize the available technology, the next gen network infrastructure and the market trends to do more via automation.

10 years ago a $100 Million VSP might have 50+ people working in their voice interconnect business. Today, that number shouldn’t be more than 20. That’s a 60% reduction in overhead spend, inefficiency, and errors, completely eliminated via software platforms.  So, the needs of interconnect voice are many, but there is one that is overwhelming all the others…Automation. That’s the future of interconnect voice. The more of the back-office processes that can be automated, the lower the error rate, the higher the efficiency and thus the lower the operating costs.  Interconnect voice automation.  That’s what it is all about going forward.