Carriers are the providers of VoIP termination services that the system uses. Carriers have endpoints and tariffs assigned to them in the system. Users can follow vital carrier statistics like cost, ASR, ACD, etc.
1. Create Carriers
Routing > Carrier > Add Carrier
You are required to enter the carrier’s name – optionally you can add a short description of the partner that gives additional details needed by the users of the system.
2. Create Translation Sets
Translation Sets are used to manage ANI/DNIS number translations before forwarding calls to termination provider. The translation set is an aggregation of a number of translation rules.
The translation set can be applied to any carrier endpoint (egress translation) and to any customer account (ingress translation). Translation sets can be uploaded and downloaded.
Routing > Translation Sets >Add Translation Set
You are required to enter the translation set’s name – optionally you can add a short description of the set that gives additional details needed by the users of the system.
With egress translation the called and/or calling numbers are translated according to the translation set assigned to the carrier endpoint just before the call is sent to this carrier. This is needed when carriers require calls to be sent to them with specific prefix (in order to be able to distinguish between different customers, type of traffic, etc.).
With ingress translation the called and/or calling numbers are translated according to the translation set assigned to the customer account as soon as the call enters the system. This is needed when customers are dialing some destinations with specific prefix (e.g. 011 for users calling international numbers from the USA) which needs to be stripped form the called number so that the system can recognize the correct destination and to rate and route the call correctly.
Routing > Translation Sets > Edit Translation Set > View Translation Rules >Add Translation Rule
The translation rule defines how the called or calling number will be translated. In one translation set you can add as many translation rules as you need.
Enter a unique name for each translation rule and choose to apply it either to the calling or the called number.
Please note that one rule cannot be applied to both the calling and the called numbers at the same time – if you need to do this you have to create separate translation rules in the same set.
You have to enter also the digits that need to be stripped from the number and/or the digits that need to be added to the number. You can also enter the number of digits to match in the number – in this case the strip and/or add digits will be applied only if the calling or the called number has exactly the same number of digits in it as entered.
There are two reserved words with special effect which can be used in the strip field:
- ALL – strips the whole number (e.g. when you want to remove or replace the calling number)
- NOT NUMBER – strips the whole number if there are non-digit symbols (e.g. when there are letters in the calling number, but your provider does not accept other digits than numbers)
3. Create Endpoints
The endpoint is an aggregation of all settings of the carrier that have to be set in your system so that the two ends can interconnect correctly and work together.
Routing > Endpoints -> Add Endpoint
Enter a unique name for each endpoint and select one of the carriers that are already created in the routing section of the system. You also have to enter the IP address or the domain name to which the traffic will be sent and the number of concurrent calls the carrier has allowed you to send.
The virtual port is used when you need to have more than one endpoint with the same IP address/domain name. One example for such case is if your carrier wants you to send premium and standard traffic to the same IP but with different prefixes so that they know what traffic you are sending.
Choose VoIP protocol (SIP or H323) and service port (shown automatically with selection of protocol) – standard port for SIP is 5060 but this can be changed as needed.
All codecs supported by the carrier should be selected as well – please do not select any codecs that you are not certain your carrier supports.
Some providers might require you to register with username and password:
- IP to IP calls – this is the most common case when calls are send directly between the systems
- Switch must register with Endpoint (supported with SIP only) – this is used when the carrier has a requirement for the switch to register with their IP address and provides you with registrar, user name and password; the registration interval is usually set to 60 seconds and the domain and outbound proxy are entered only if your carrier has provided you with such.
- Endpoint must register with Switch (supported with SIP only) – this is used when the traffic is sent to a switch or gateway which has a dynamic or internal IP or for any other reason needs authentication with username and password.
- If the Carrier wants you to send the calls with specific prefix you need to assign here the translation set that adds this prefix – first it should be created in the routing section of the system as describe above.
Accept calls from endpoint should not be checked as otherwise the endpoint will not appear in the routing.
Proxy Media should be checked if you want to proxy media on Carrier Level. Using this feature you can hide IPs of your Carriers.
Please note that in order to complete the process a carrier tariff and a route set must be created as well.