Peer Pressure

VoIP peering is nothing new, but Switch and Data only recently has signed a deal with VeriSign Inc. that gives its customers access to peering and exchange services with capabilities that include ENUM and SIP protocols. ENUM and SIP enable service provider and enterprise VoIP traffic to bypass the PSTN, thereby saving money and improving network reliability.

“The wider adoption of SIP and ENUM protocols is facilitating interoperability for address resolution and routing,” Mario Galvez, Switch and Data’s vice president of marketing, explains. “The continuing increase in broadband subscribers provides greater access to VoIP services and is stimulating adoption of VoIP services.”

But Switch and Data executives felt the technology behind VoIP peering was not mature enough until now to justify adding the service to its portfolio, says Galvez, adding, “VoIP peering has a long way to go before it becomes a significant means of terminating VoIP calls. Service providers will continue to depend on the PSTN for some time. ... The key to VoIP peering, as with Internet peering, is density of networks at the exchange.”

Switch and Data is combining its PAIX peering infrastructure with VeriSign Inc.’s Network Routing Directory. The combined services will be available only in New York at first, because the company has “quite a bit” of density between 60 Hudson and 111 Eighth Ave., says Galvez. “This combination enables secure end-to-end IP communications and provides access to feature-rich VoIP services, which service providers can use to quickly enhance their service offerings,” he says. Galvez expects additional locations to be announced sometime during the fourth quarter.

Galvez says Switch and Data selected VeriSign’s platform because it is proven — it’s the same platform the company uses to deliver its .com and .net domain services. Also, Galvez adds, “the customer interface to the portal they built for VoIP is very user-friendly.”

Any customer already using Switch and Data’s PAIX platform for Internet transit peering will be able to use the same port to peer voice, says Galvez. Customers will pay a minimal incremental fee, he says, but it will not come close to the full cost of a port.

Galvez says Switch and Data’s VoIP peering is different from other offerings because it is a turnkey solution with one bill for colocation and interconnection services; because of its QoS interoperability support for VoIP call exchange; and because it provides phone number-to-IP address mapping via an ENUM directory.