Wireline

摘要

The FCC’s trial giving VoIP providers direct access to numbers has been a “resounding success,”rnsaid the largest trial participant, Vonage, in a report released Friday (http://bit.ly/1i8eJUa). Direct accessrnhas helped advance key policy goals like IP interconnection, Vonage said. “The trial confirmed whatrnVonage has long explained: direct access to numbers furthers the public interest without harming callrnrouting, number porting, or intercarrier compensation.” During the trial, Vonage and Verizon entered intornan IP interconnection agreement, the VoIP provider said, and other companies are currently negotiatingrninterconnection agreements with Vonage. “Even this narrow trial, in other words, facilitated IP interconnectionrnagreements,” it said. Vonage call routing and number routing both proceeded successfully duringrnthe trial, and no intercarrier compensation disputes have arisen in connection with its directly assignedrnnumbers, it said. Vonage did face two obstacles, it said: First, one carrier was “slow to enable direct portingrnto Vonage.” Second, “some carriers proposed inefficient PSTN interconnection arrangements that willrnlikely delay the transition to IP interconnection,” it said. Vonage decided not to deploy numbers in thernPhoenix area because CenturyLink “demanded inefficient routing arrangements,” it said. “CenturyLink’srnapproach is a step backwards with respect to the Commission’s goal of transitioning to all-IP networks.”rnGenerally though, the trial was a success, and the commission should “expressly recognize that interconnectedrnVoIP providers may demonstrate facilities readiness by showing the combination of an agreementrnbetween the interconnected VoIP provider and its underlying carrier and an interconnection agreement betweenrnthat underlying carrier and the relevant ILEC,” it said. CenturyLink did not respond by our deadlinernto a request for comment.