0860 costs reduced through LCR

0860 numbers are a boon to consumers: No matter where they are in the country, they pay local call rates to get in touch with a national business. But for the businesses who foot the Telkom bill for the difference, the costs can be high.

Vox Orion explains that customers can reduce those costs with a least-cost routing (LCR) solution specifically designed for 0860 numbers.

“The problem exists because South Africa’s regulatory environment doesn’t yet allow for proper geographic number portability,” says Vox Orion MD Jacques du Toit.

“If it was possible to have local numbers in Nelspruit and Kimberley and Bloemfontein, that would ring in your Johannesburg office, many businesses would choose that. Until we get there, the 0860 system is an expensive compromise.”

Vox Orion’s LCR solution relies on the fact that the company has a point of presence (POP) in most towns in South Africa, linked by Vox’s own national backbone network.

“We pick up the call at the local exchange, and then carry it to its destination across our own network,” he says. “The customer saves the entire national portion of the call.”