Pipe Networks to offer VoIP peering

Stuart Corner
Wednesday, 02 August 2006 15:25

Business IT - Technology

Pipe Networks has launched Australia's first commercial VoIP peering service enabling VoIP providers to directly interconnect VoIP calls with other VoIP providers reducing interconnection costs and increasing service performance.
The service, PIPE VoIP Exchange ( PVX) is presently in trial mode and is being tested by a number of ISP and carrier customers. However none wish to be named at present.

Pipe Networks co-founder and chief technology officer, Stephen Baxter, told iTWire that VoIP providers could set up a single point of interconnection in Sydney Melbourne or Brisbane and peer with other users of the service in any of the three cities. "We have our own fully redundant SDH network linking the three cities," he said.

"The PVX will allow VoIP providers to potentially connect with every other VoIP provider using a single connection and to arbitrate the commercial and technical aspects of the calls made," Baxter said.

It will provide real-time connection information including call quality and billing information back to VoIP providers to enable billing and other activities.

Pipe Networks say its target customers include voice over broadband providers, DSLAM based ISPs, carriers who can deliver voice over ULL (the analogue telephone call), trunk voice carriers both nationally and globally, as well as corporations and government clients seeking access to least cost routing destinations.

"We are currently in discussions with operators in Europe and the US about the possibility of connecting each geographical network and potentially establishing a world-wide VoIP peering mesh," Baxter said.

PVX trials are expected to be completed by 30 September, 2006 and the PVX is expected to be commercially operational by late October 2006. VoIP providers wishing to participate in the trial will need to register by 11th August.

Back in 2002 Pipe broke the "Gang of Four" oligopoly on Internet peering. It charged ISPs a flat fee of $1100 per month regardless o traffic volumes at a time when the four peering partners, Telstra, Optus, AAPT and OzEmail charged all other ISPs by the megabyte. Some large ISPs were said to be paying well over $1 million per year for Internet interconnection traffic.