XConnect extends VoIP peering point

[QuintonB]

XConnect VoIP peering extended

New VoIP exchange at NAPAfrica IP peering point established

[XConnect]

Just to clarify what the latest development entails:

The XConnect Federation, or Voice Peering Hub has been operational for over 2 years, at Teraco in Isando. However, each customer at Teraco had to install a cross-connect to the XConnect POP in order to connect.

Now that XConnect is connected to NAP Africa, any operator using NAP Africa for IP peering, can easily join the Federation. No additional links are required. They can then benefit from the transit to other operators who are members or with whom XConnect has interconnect.

This, in turn, creates an additional incentive for customers at Teraco to connect at NAP Africa, as they can now do IP peering as well as voice peering, with one connection.

The future benefits are that the same link can be used to peer with high-definition voice, video calls and more future-orientated multimedia call types.

Both NAP Africa and XConnect are 'vendor neutral' so provide flexibility and autonomy in terms of access to services.

[entrepr]

Surely the IP peering is a sufficient service for an operator to do voip peering, as voip is simply an IP service itself?

[XConnect]

Entrepr, in an ideal world that would definitely be the case. I guess the differences are : the enormous complexity around getting all the sip dialects to talk to each other; issues around settlement (IP is all 'sender keeps all') and billing; and discovery (tracking phone numbers) - since the ENUM standards are run differently from DNS in IP. Also, with new services, such as high-definition voice, interops are even more complex, if they weren't complex enough already.