VoIP peering shapes up to disrupt

VoIP peering is one of those techno-industrial phenomena happening in the background--physically and figuratively--that is quietly altering the infrastructure and business models of the telecom sector. VoIP peering is a way for VoIP providers to exchange IP voice traffic transparently, bypassing the PTSN (public switched telephone network) and the fees associated with using it.

Stephan Beckert of Washington, DC, research firm TeleGeography, told FierceVoIP that there are several companies involved in VoIP peering, all with their own approaches, which may or may not be comparable. Last week, for example, we reported that VoIP peering traffic had doubled for a New York company by the name of Stealth Communications. Another company, Arbinet of New Brunswick, NJ, was also mentioned in the same story for what appeared to be a similar offering. However, Arbinet provides an exchange and correlative platforms for routing and terminating VoIP calls. Stealth offers a secured Layer 2 Ethernet network by which VoIP providers can make direct trades.

In both cases, the point is to reduce the reliance on the PSTN. For example, a cross-country call from an analog phone may involve a combination of local phone companies and long-distance carriers. A VoIP call, however, can traverse the same territory entirely on the Internet using peering technology. VoIP providers may set up their own architectures or rely on third-party management, but both systems must have Electronic Telephone Number Mapping, or ENUM. ENUM is a way of translating phone numbers into IP addresses so VoIP-to-VoIP calls can be identified and routed without hitting the PSTN.

As Ryan Lawler of Light Reading reports, the cable industry tech tank CableLabs in Louisville, Colo., started working on a VoIP peering project nearly two years ago. CableLabs issued a Request for Information in November, 2005, to assess the peering approach. A spokesman for CableLabs declined at this time to discuss the project.

Source: CableLabs VoIP Peering RFI

For more:
- Ryan Lawler's coverage in Light Reading is here
- The CableLabs 2005 Request for Information is here

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