Number portability goes to the cloud

The legacy of the copper network is forcing upstart telco MyNetFone, via its Symbio infrastructure subsidiary, to spend $3 million over three years interconnecting with all 66 of Telstra’s Call Connection Areas.

The new connections will allow the company to offer number portability in the cloud, said chief executive Rene Sugo, as well as provide cost competitive 1300 and 1800 number services to companies in the bush.

“The CCAs are a legacy of old technology,” Sugo told iTnews. “As a carrier, to interconnect with Telstra, they force you to connect to all 66 CCAs.”

The $3 million expenditure will cover the cost of building backhaul from the CCAs to Symbio’s infrastructure.

According to Sugo, once the infrastructure and interconnects are in place, the company can offer number portability in the cloud.

“This is something traditional carriers can’t do because they are tied to their legacy copper," he said.

Number portability in the cloud separates a number from a physical copper line.

It means numbers can be maintained and provisioned in software, Sugo said. Additional services such as a software console can provision IVR, answering services and so on.

Cheaper 1300 and 1800 calls are also possible because of the cloud provisioning, Sugo said.

“When a subscriber is out in the bush and they call 1800 number that call must be transported to where the recipient is,” he said.

“The recipient pays for the toll. With us having having infrastructure in the bush, we are carrying the call, and so we can offer cheaper rates to companies wanting to offer those number services.”