QOS; Is It Necessary for VoIP to VoIP Peering?

VoIP companies need peering, whether they know it or admit it. As time goes on those without peering will lose out, as they are paying unnecessary costs that their competition is not paying.

Some have asked me if two providers are peering over public internet, how do the control QOS. I suppose I look at this somewhat differently.

Let us assume that you have two VoIP subscribers that use two different services. For the explanation we will call these two services abc and xyz. Now John@abc makes calls all day long. One of his contacts is Mary@xyz. But since john is the average VoIP user he pays a flat rate to all calls to his home country. Mary lives in Tasmania and has a DID number from John's country. John's calls to Mary are included in his plan so he does not use or perhaps even know about anything like SIPBroker that may allow him to call Mary over SIP directly.

So John's provider ABC works very hard on QOS on their network. Clearly this is an important issue. However nobody can control QOS over the Internet, so that leg of the call is a crap shoot.

Mary's provider has the same worries, and similar practices. They all worry about QOS, and here again Mary's provider XYZ can not control the QOS on the internet to Mary all the way in Tasmania (perhaps from North America) any more than ABC provider.

Now when John calls Mary, there are these two nagging QOS issues on both ends of the call as it routes through the PSTN, but the call works and they call each other every week. ABC and XYZ do not peer. One of the reasons they may cite is that they are "unable to control QOS to that peer" . But WAIT! Nether leg of the call itself when it routes through the PSTN has any QOS, so what is REALLY the issue? Even if the call needed to be CODEC translated, would that still not be better than routing that call through the PSTN? This is without mentioning that the recipients DID may already be routed over the public Internet.

I have done extensive testing on this, and I can say, I would much rather have a direct SIP to SIP call rather than a PSTN call any day. There are already QOS issues all along the path. If Providers ABC and XYZ have enough bandwidth and low latency there is no real issue. The translation to and from the PSTN is far worse than the amount of jitter that is normal on a SIP to SIP call, not to mention Mary's DID is probably delivered over the public internet from the DID originator in the USA to XYZ in Tasmania.

I would like to point out that I am talking about VoIP to VoIP peering where both endpoints are already connected to the public Internet.

Small to medium VoIP providers need to start participating in ENUM offerings. Unfortunately these existing offerings are mostly geared towards telcos and larger providers, with the single exception of e164.org which to date , has not responded to my emails about entering large numbers of DIDs into their database as they offer on their web site. I think most small to medium VoIP providers would be willing to pay a small annual fee for running and maintaining a small ENUM database. Of course there is always the fear of stale data in truly public offerings such as e164.org , so it would be best if the ENUM database was made available only to qualified parties, who control a minimum quantity of DIDs.

e164.org, SIPBroker and Voxalot

Apparently e164.org http://www.e164.org, SIPBroker http://www.sipbroker.com, and Voxalot http://www.voxalot.com are all related. I must say that what they offer to the community is unlike anything offered anywhere. You can use these services all together or separately.

e164.org allows you to enter your telephone number(s) in an ENUM database. After doing so users that use that ENUM database for look ups can call you free automatically with no fancy codes or dialing strings. The ENUM database simply returns an address such as sip:me@myprovider.com. Your device or server can then connect directly to that address to make the call without ever touching the PSTN.

SIPBroker.com uses the aforementioned e164.org ENUM database as well as others to look for alternate ways to dial a PSTN number, then connects you to that address via the SIPBroker service. This is just one way of taking advantage of calling ENUM enabled numbers. It is really more than an ENUM lookup service though, it actually connects you, and all with nothing more an an ATA. Additionally they offer SIP codes that allow peering into many networks. You can actually use the SIPBroker service with only a Linksys or Sipura device and your existing SIP provider. The services is more like "middleware" which installs between your ATA and your service provider. Best of all , the service is free.

Voxalot.com is kind of like an extension of SIPBroker. You can register multiple VSPs (Voice Service Providers) to a Voxalot account. For instance, if you call the USA , Canada and Mexico, you can have three different service providers. Each provider offering the best rate to one country. You can then build a mini LCR (Least Cost Routing) from those three providers. You then register your ATA or SIP Phone to the Voxalot account where you have installed your VSPs. All SIPBroker Peering codes are also available on the system, as well as ENUM lookups Voxalot now offers limited services for free and also offers some pay services.


I am always anxious to know what the next step these guys will take is. It may be the next logical evolution such as what I call "Brute Force Peering" (More on this later, please do not ask!), or something completely different.

Only time will tell , and say hello to Martin for me when you get over that way!

Non Geographic numbers for Mexico???

Non Geo numbers do not really exist in Mexico. This is only my dream, as I am often in a sleepy state of consciousness.

I propose that Non Geographic numbers be assigned in Mexico in the following way:

• All Non Geographic number should have AUTOMATIC ENUM entries. An entire number range may be assigned to a provider anywhere in the world, and numbers would be assigned 100 at a time to keep them from being exhausted. Each assignment would include the corresponding ENUM ( Let's not revisit http://www.enum.org.mx) entries to reference the providers' SIP Proxy address.
• ENUM entries should reference ONLY SIP addresses, thereby eliminating the need to accommodate multiple protocols, and keeping the cost down.
• All non geographic numbers should use the code 520 , just as cell phones now use 521. There are already city codes that occupy ALL other possibilities such as 522, 523, 524, etc. This would also make it very easy for the caller to know that they are calling a non geographic number. Domestically however a special code may need to be assigned much like local cell phones are dialed as 044 and long distance cell phones are dialed as 045 from within Mexico. I think the domestic dial plan in Mexico is overly confusing and in need of dire reorganization, however that may only cause more confusion. Perhaps the domestic dial plan should be more conformed to the international dial plan?
• All provides should be required to terminate calls to non-geographic numbers at the same cost as a local call! As this cost is currently about $0.14 US Dollars per call this is abnormally high and should well accommodate a ROI for companies such as Telmex who would only need to gateway those calls out to SIP addresses.
• The allocation of non-geographic numbers should not preclude the use of geographic numbers for VoIP. Instead, it should only allow an alternative, and a means by which particularly international companies may more easily acquire DID that are more more "friendly" and less cost than toll free, or multiple local DIDs.

I really think that companies like TelMex might whine at the need to accommodate such calls , however Telmex is currently known to be developing VoIP products to compete in the market, so the infrastructure to deliver these calls may already be in place. As for the CLECs , they are for the most part , already using SIP and it is a no-brainer for them. IUt may however force them to open their SIP proxies to allow inbound non-geographic ENUM calls at least.

Dreams of Open SIP Proxies and Public ENUM

I am so excited about some recent discoveries in relation to Peering! At http://www.SuperNetTel.com we peer with more networks every day!

Here are my hopes about Peering and ENUM from the USA perspective.
FCC should MANDATE that ALL SIP NETWORKS ARE OPEN AND FORCE ALL VOIP PROVIDERS TO PARTICIPATE IN PUBLIC ENUM! This would completely eliminate fees paid to the incumbent telephone providers on VoIP to VoIP calls, as they are the ones reaping the benefits of the settlement fees from DIDs they control. Of course the Vonages of the world do not want that as they are sharing those settlement fees. What the Vonages of the world are doing is a bastardization of SIP. They are not allowing direct inbound SIP calls , nor do they participate in ENUM. Vonage has taken aim at ISPs who block or hinder VoIP, so we as consumers should take aim at the Vonages who are blocking inbound open SIP calls. What is good for the goose is good for the gander.

More and more companies are appearing that are Private Peering companies with Private ENUM databases. This only represents a shift in who is making the money and does not benefit the end user. The consumer pays the same if the private peering company is making the money or XO.

Mark

WiFi Telephony in Puerto Vallarta, a first hand experience

UPDATE
Since this original post , many of the restaurant and Starbucks hot spots are now locked down with Infinitum credentials required which can not be entered on the phone discussed here.

WiFi Telephone, What is it?

A telephone that much resembles, or may be integrated into a cell phone. It connects via 802.11b or 802.11g which are standards used for wireless networking. It uses the same internet telephone technology used by many Internet Telephone Providers. The advantages are clear: It works anywhere there is an open WiFi hotspot, or a hotspot that you have the network key to use.

We recently had the opportunity to test the UTStarcom Model F3000 in Puerto Vallarta. This article will cover the experience with open WiFi HotSpot compatibility, availability and overall call quality.

WiFi in Puerto Vallarta does not have the availability as it does in the USA. In the USA it is very common to find offices and homes opening their WiFi connections. In Mexico it seems that people are less likely to have an open network. Secondly, when available, WiFi does not have the same compatibility for a couple of technical reasons detailed below.

1) Prodigy Infinitum is fine, sometimes, when used with the included wireless router. Some of these 2Wire routers may tend to block SIP telephony packets. Many “Do it yourself” configurations make the error of a separate wireless router on a modem that has an integrated router. Any modem used with a separate router should operate in the Bridge mode, or a modem with a router built in should be used with a wireless access point (with no router), Many wireless routers will operate in a Wireless Access point only mode, but the included documentation is usually not clear on how to do this.

2) Cable is different in Vallarta from the USA or Canada in that the cable providers here do not offer a public IP to the Customer Premise Equipment. Instead a NAT is between the end user and the Internet. This in itself does not present a problem, however when cable companies provide wireless modems they are placing them in Router/NAT mode and not in bridge mode. If the wireless modems operated in bridge mode all of the IPS would come from the cable company’s DHCP server (since they are private IPs anyway they cost them nothing!) , and not the modem, thereby eliminating the second “layer” of NAT (Router integrated into the modem). This current configuration represents mass stupidity (or an intention to block these devices) on the part of the cable companies in Vallarta.

In either of the cases above there are two layers of NAT. This presents a problem for most SIP based services that these phones use. Although at times, you may have no problems with a dual NAT, the problem may occur suddenly unexpectedly, and without warning.

It is also very common to find multiple access points from the same network that are configured in a way that there is no automatic “roaming” between access points. This means that the user must “reconnect” to the new access point manually or wait till the phone finds the signal of the new access point.

We tested all along the Malecon and found near a dozen open hot spots available. We were not able to identify the source of all the signals, but suffice to say that with a phone like this there are plenty of open spots all around Puerto Vallarta that work. In fact we have been surprised at times, like when in the Centro branch of HSBC, that the WFi phone rang on an incoming call. It had picked up an open WiFi signal from the Cigar Shop across the street.

90% of the 30 calls over a 3 day period were fine. Of the 10% with issues, most of these were related to bandwidth availability. You never know what you are getting when you connect to an open Access Point. Also however thee phones can be configured to use different CODECs. The CODEC mandates the amount of bandwidth required. The tradeoff for using less bandwidth , is lower quality.

Vangoh Café, Plaza Caracol: Good Results, but not an “open” WiFi spot they did provide us the key.

Bubba Gump, Malecon; Connectred and made good quality calls

Starbucks Malecon: NO CALLS IN OR OUT WERE POSSIBLE. This is an access point owned and operated by TelMex, which as I understand it they may begin requiring a TelMex account to use. The ownership of the access point alone may indicate why this technology did not work there.

Starbucks Plaza Peninsula: We were able to make and receive calls. We found that the signal from Chili’s gave us better results.

Chili’s Plaza Peninsula Excellent results with incoming and outgoing calls

Vip’s Restaurant: Located in front of Wal Mart offers open WiFi that worked with excellent results for incoming and outgoing calls.

Roberto’s, South Malecon. There appeared to be a signal here but we had problems connecting to it. We later found a different signal with SSID “Home of the Dolphins” just a few doors to the south, but could not find the origin.

In Nuevo Vallarta we found Velas and another called Marival. Neither of these were usable for VoIP Services , most probably due to the configuration of those networks.

We found a lot of WiFi signals in and around Vallarta that have the SSID name “WebStar” We suspect that these come from “Webstar” wireless cable modems. Unfortunately because the configuration of the double NAT described earlier, NONE of them worked!

The nice folks at AeroNet allowed us to test the WiFi phone with their service in their office. We had excellent outbound call quality, but could not test inbound calls.

In conclusion any person making regular stops in Vallarta will learn where the open WiFi Spots are very quickly. This means you can easily stop for a coffee, and make some calls in a more relaxed environment while not paying through the nose. If you are fortunate enough to have the same service in all locations, those calls may well be free, no matter the physical locations.

The cost of these WiFi phones can be anywhere from about $150 US to $400 USD depending on the model and features.

I think there is also an important rule of thumb to follow, “The love you take is equal to the love you make”. What this means if you will be using others’ bandwidth, share yours, and do not be a leech!

The Never Ending Mexico ENUM Tests

Well, I really have to wonder about who is behind the Mexico ENUM tests at enum.org.mx.

I think it Must Be Telmex and Sr. Carlos Slime (SP? - Really?). These folks have been in testing now for I think over two years, and you can still not put a real phone number in their database! They issue fake seven digit numbers for the ENUM tests. I mean that is great for testing but we want it in production, especially now that more and more SIP service providers come online in Mexico.

For those of you who do not know TelMex owns the local telephone loop and does not make it available to CLECs , or at least not at a reasonable price. This forces CLECs to use alternate methods to deliver local Telephone service. VoIP is rapidly becoming the method of choice. Unfortunately I have not yet found any open SIP proxies from any of them to send calls to, but perhaps that MIGHT change if there were a real Mexico ENUM database. It is the old chicken or the egg....

I mean I could see exactly why Telmex, who probably donates heavily to the Tech de Monterrey would want to hinder ENUM in Mexico.