OTEL Telecoms has announced the relocation of its VoIP transit service, dubbed Victoria Station, from 158 Jan Smuts Avenue to TERACO in Isando. The service, used by providers as primary or failover VoIP termination, has been operating from the Rosebank-based data centre since 2009.
TERACO, being a vendor neutral data centre, has attracted almost all Tier 1 carriers and this facilitates OTEL’s carrier inter-connects. Playing an important part in its “infrastructure as a service” portfolio, OTEL’s Victoria transit service provides ECNS license holders with termination of their calls at inter-connect rates with a transit fee mounted on.
“The transfer project began in September 2012, and went live in beta mode at the end of November. With a network as big OTEL’s, it’s not a simple process to move transit partners to the new environment. However, it has been smooth going thus far,” comments Thyson Makitla, project and development manager at OTEL Telecoms.
To accommodate the growth, OTEL now offers co-located VoIP switches. Some channel partners outside of Gauteng prefer to host their own switches, and connect to Victoria via the OTEL NGN Leased Line service.
“The Victoria VoIP transit station works well alongside our TVNO offering. It is the perfect turnkey solution to VoIP providers wanting to quickly deploy carrier grade voice solutions, consolidating their multiple provider channels into one, or upgrading their reseller status to Internet telephony service provider (ITSP),” says CEO of OTEL Telecoms, Mohammad Patel.
Unlike OTEL’s other VoIP switches, located in various data centres nationwide, the Victoria Station service allows propagation of the providers ICASA allocated numbers.
Providers will be charged per port usage, and market related transit fees in addition to the ICASA regulated inter-connect rate. Non-license holders will be charged an added transit fee to separate them from the licensed operators.
In brief, the location of Victoria VoIP station at TERACO places the service in an ideal position to provide multiple providers the opportunity to quickly deploy an effective voice service and benefit the consumer by enhancing the industry with competitive products.
“OTEL continues to lead with innovative IaaS solutions. Providing stable carrier grade infrastructure to providers at a low ‘pay-as-you-grow monthly’ fee can only ultimately benefit consumers and businesses alike who will enjoy lower telecom costs,” adds Patel.
Similar VoIP Stations will soon be deployed at TERACO Cape Town and Durban.
“I believe that that OTEL’s deployment within TERACO, and peering at NAP Africa, places us strategically geographically. Personally I am a convert of the vendor neutral data environment. This will only translate into improved connectivity and a continuation of our dedication to our channel and associated clients,” says Paul Colmer, OTEL’s business development executive.