Re: VOIP Peering Questions

[John Todd <jtodd@loligo.com>]

At 11:10 AM +0100 on 6/1/04, Alex Bligh wrote:
> Randy,
>
> [snip]
>
> > voip peering is about how to identify and route calls at the application
> > level.
>
> ...& that is a far more interesting question.
>
> Behind that there is a paradigm question - whether that routing (leave
> aside for a minute the calls) will operate end to end with a "light middle"
> (cf DNS, and as proposing ENUM for routing - or rather as a substitute for
> routing), or whether there is to be intelligence in the middle for routing
> (cf BGP, and as those proposing TRIP & selling softswitches presumably
> support).
>
> It's possible I am reading more into the word "routing" than you meant.
>
> Alex

It is my opinion that end-to-end routing is still in the far-off 
future, certainly from the perspective of implementation of ENUM in 
major geographic (aka: national) regions at a meaningful density.

Any destination not reachable in the end-to-end model immediately 
implies the requirement for intelligence in the middle, unless you're 
happy to 'default route' your LD traffic to a friendly, smiling 
carrier who will be happy to charge you a rate that they will ASSURE 
you is competitive.

Until someone can argue that there are sufficient numbers of 
end-to-end native IP ("free") calls that the cost of running LCR 
systems is irrelevant, I'll assume that LCR is required.  I don't 
care if that LCR is based on TRIP, some kind of XML transfer, or 
high-speed Morse code, but the current method (nothing, or faxes) is 
insufficient.  (I know, I know - "shut up and write code or send 
money."  My ability is zero and funding for writing such code is 
zero, though I'm sure I could come up with a few grand from various 
customers, partners, and interested parties.  I actually _do_ have 
someone working ~30 hours a week on TRIP, though he's making slow 
progress due to the nature of his experience.)

I would argue also that the continuing deployment of LD termination 
with VOIP _increases_ the demand for LCR, since now there is a 
reduced impediment to shopping out for the best rates - no longer is 
there the significant cost of a PRI that discourages provider-hopping.

*LCR = Least Cost Routing (meaning typically monetary Cost in telco-jargon)

JT


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