Vonage fixing problem of subscribers not reaching toll-free numbers

The head of marketing at Vonage Canada says the company is aware that some calls to federal government toll-free numbers aren’t going through and the VoIP provider is working diligently to fix the problem with its network architecture. "Because we’re routing out of the US, the call looks like it’s originating from the US to the toll-free number," says Joe Parent, VP of marketing at Vonage Canada. "If the owner has restricted calls from the US coming in, the call is blocked." Vonage plans a network-wide fix before the end of 2006, according the marketing executive. "It essentially makes sure that we can separate out Canadian calls and route them uniquely," Parent tells Network Letter. "They will no longer be shipped and terminated from the US. We’re going to be terminating those calls within Canada, on our own network." Meanwhile if a customer finds a toll-free number that doesn’t appear to work, Vonage applies a fix specific to those digits. It usually takes about two days for the carrier to patch the problem. The VoIP provider has opted not to volunteer this information to subscribers, and the company isn’t about to start doing so now. "It’s something we plan to have fixed in less than 60 days," Parent says. "It’s quicker for us to just go ahead and fix it." The problem stems from Vonage routing its calls through New Jersey where the Internet call is connected to the publicly switched telephone network (PSTN). To gauge how widespread the problem is, Network Letter asked a Vonage user to test six federal government toll-free numbers – those of the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. (CMHC), the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS), the Canadian Human Rights Commission (CHRC), Health Canada, and the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada. The tester was only able to reach the CRA: none of the other numbers worked. Organizations employ toll-free numbers to make it easier for customers to contact them and the glitch with Vonage makes this difficult. But the issue isn’t only technological, it’s economic: organizations often cap their toll-free numbers to accept calls only from certain area codes, keeping toll costs down. This might not be a Vonage-specific problem but a VoIP-wide issue, according to Parent. "All of a sudden the number you’re calling from may or may not have any relationship with where you live," he says. "You could have a 416 number in Vancouver. You could have a New York City number in Toronto." It’s unclear at this point how the industry will reconcile toll-free restrictions and area-code portability. Two consultants are divided, however, on what should be done. Businesses might have to change their toll-free number parameters to accommodate more area codes. Doing so is straightforward, says Michael Dunne, a telecom consultant at Angus Dortmans Associates Inc. Carriers would simply have to designated the 800-number North American wide. "It would cost them nothing," he says. But others say toll-free number owners shouldn’t have to worry about this: it’s the VoIP carrier’s problem and it should be up to them to straighten out the issue. "Philosophically, why should I have to offer service for Canadian citizens?" notes Gary Audin, president of communications consultancy Delphi Inc. The government agencies were contacted and asked if they knew about the problem and whether they were willing to use Dunne’s solution. While some seemed confused by the questions, Marie-Anne St-Amour from the Canadian Human Rights Commission understood. She says the organization didn’t know about the problem prior to Network Letter’s inquiry, but "over the past week we’ve been looking into it, and taking steps to change it." The commission is being cautious, however. "We’ve been asked to monitor very closely if we increase the number of calls coming in from the United States….That would make it impossible for us to deal with other calls," she says. Paul Duchesne of Health Canada says his organization is keeping its options open. "I’m told we can request our telecommunications provider to add area codes outside of Canada at a cost, but at this time we’re not aware of any difficulties in accessing the toll-free number from callers within Canada." Asked if companies should change their toll-free number parameters to accommodate US-terminated calls, Parent says, "If they wish to, they could, but we don’t think that’s necessary." He figures his company’s network-wide repair should suffice. Still, "longer term, all of us in the telecom industry need to get used to the idea that your phone number doesn’t have a lot to do with your physical location anymore. That’s going to require all sorts of changes in the way we think."

Vonage fixing problem of subscribers not reaching toll-free numbers

News | 11/24/2006 5:00 am EST

Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting and digital media news you need.

FREE TRIAL

SUBSCRIBE

Reuse & Permissions

Inside The Wire Report

Information

Hill Times Publishing

Get in Touch With Us