Hi Keith, I can't say much about XO or Paetec, haven't worked with them yet. However, I have worked with both Level3 and Verizon. We have SIP trunks to both providers. We run several million minutes a month to each provider, so minimum call volume hasn't been an issue for initial setup (contracting issues). Below are my comments regarding both Level3 and Verizon: Level3 We initially ran with a SIP trunk to Level3. Their InterOp for SIP trunks was thorough, but not overwhelmingly difficult. Also, they will peer directly to you and they don't require VPN tunnels for signaling. We initially had a lot of call drops due to our use of g729 as the primary codec. Level3 admitted to having issues with their Viper network (old outdated gear) and asked us to move to their newer "Vector" network. We have yet to move to their Vector network (all new gear), which supposedly supports g729. So, if you SIP peer to Level3, make sure you are on their newer network if you want a choice of codecs. I'd be interested to hear anyone's opinion of Level3's "Vector" network since we are planning on migrating over to Vector soon...anyone? As far as local inbound, Level3 has been a good provider and easy to work with. They have good national coverage and ordering numbers has been fairly simple. Although, our telco group tells us their cuts are little rough (taking hours instead of minutes). That has irritated a few customers. Verizon Verizon InterOp was a bit of a pain. We found them to be more difficult to work with and inflexible in their signaling parameters. For example, Verizon required that we build a VPN tunnel to them for SIP signaling. This required a network redesign for us in order to maintain IP redundancy. Needless to say, it was costly and time-consuming. Also, we found out the hard was that Verizon doesn't handle SIP 491s very well (in glare conditions). They are working on a fix, but it will be 6-12 months before they have a fix. Also, working with their other departments is a whole new process; for example, the people in their toll-free group don't coordinate well with their local inbound group. So, if you want toll-free numbers, you'll have to sign a whole new contract AND bring up a separate VPN tunnel for toll-free numbers. We never had those issues with Level3. I guess Verizon is just a huge company, so it goes with the territory that different departments don't communicate with each other. Finally, Verizon cuts typically are very smooth, taking only a few minutes. Our customers are much happier when we cut to Verizon because they get it done within a 15 minute window...nice. Also, they do a much better job of supporting g729 codec and they network seems more reliable. That's all I can think of for now...just my two cents. I would definitely like to hear others experiences with these providers and others as we are looking at turning up another SIP partner soon. Thanks, Eric -----Original Message----- From: voiceops-bounces at voiceops.org [mailto:voiceops-bounces at voiceops.org] On Behalf Of voiceops-request at voiceops.org Sent: Monday, August 10, 2009 10:25 AM To: voiceops at voiceops.org Subject: VoiceOps Digest, Vol 2, Issue 31 Send VoiceOps mailing list submissions to voiceops at voiceops.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit https://puck.nether.net/mailman/listinfo/voiceops or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to voiceops-request at voiceops.org You can reach the person managing the list at voiceops-owner at voiceops.org When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of VoiceOps digest..." Today's Topics: 1. Local Inbound Services (Keith Leclaire) 2. Re: SMS gateway API. (Jared Geiger) 3. Re: Local Inbound Services (Rick Garcia) 4. Re: Local Inbound Services (Mark Holloway) 5. Re: Local Inbound Services (Colin Brown) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Message: 1 Date: Mon, 10 Aug 2009 12:46:42 -0400 From: Keith Leclaire <kleclaire at mywdt.com> To: <voiceops at voiceops.org> Subject: [VoiceOps] Local Inbound Services Message-ID: <C6A5C732.C608%kleclaire at mywdt.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Hi All, We?re currently shopping around for a new provider(s) for our inbound local DID?s (US). We?re currently working with XO and possibly bringing on Paetec. We?re also going to start looking into Level3, although we hear they require a hefty monthly minimum which we may not meet at this time. Does anyone have any experience bringing on Level3 either for their true Local Inbound product or their VoIP Enhanced Local product? We need to provide local DID?s for our residential customers and was also hoping to find a cost effective manner to provide local DID?s as access numbers into our calling card/international long distance platform. We realize this may result in utilizing two different products or providers. Any suggestions from the list? Thanks, Keith