XConnect, a provider of world-class numbering intelligence solutions, has launched its Validator solution to enable carriers to rapidly identify invalid A-numbers and protect against surcharges on both fixed and mobile voice traffic. Carriers can pre-validate numbers before they connect calls, ensuring they do not face surcharges from terminating partners, protecting margins. A-Number Validator provides rapid access to XConnect’s Global Number Range (GNR) data via SIP APIs, ENUM, or HTTP and can be deployed in days, rather than weeks or months.  

While Origin Based Rating (OBR) and other surcharges have been common in markets like Germany and Spain, the UK has emerged as the latest destination to see surcharges grow significantly. Unanticipated surcharges can be as much as 10 times the cost of a call, with some even reaching 500 times the standard termination rate. XConnect’s A-Number Validator enables carriers to gain greater visibility and control over their traffic by only delivering legitimate numbers.

“In the latest move around Global OBR surcharges, carriers have recently been notified about surcharges that will impact any traffic they are terminating in the UK. They need to prepare to manage their exposure to these new surcharges and ensure predictable margins. A-Number Validator rapidly protects a carrier’s business from unnecessary charges and enables them to terminate traffic with confidence,” said Eli Katz, founder and CEO at XConnect.

XConnect’s A-Number Validator is carrier-grade and scalable, to support billions of minutes per month. It has a track record of successfully delivering carrier grade availability when returning queries from its database. Some of the largest and most innovative voice and messaging providers use XConnect’s number intelligence to deliver traffic with greater levels of precision, performance and trust.

“With the rise of surcharges in the UK, we needed a simple and efficient way to pre-validate A-numbers and proactively block invalid traffic with accuracy and speed. With XConnect’s A-Number Validator, we’re able to deliver traffic without blocking false positives while eliminating maximum surcharges,” said Pete Dunbar, Managing Director, at 121 Comms Carrier Services. “The team at XConnect quickly implemented a solution that has had a direct impact on our bottom line. The business case was simple and by using a SIP API we were able to seamlessly integrate the solution into our existing systems.”

A-number Validator reduces the chances of disputes with local partners, while preparing for similar surcharges to be rolled out in other countries. The service is based upon XConnect’s Global Number Range Dataset of 7.5 million range records. XConnect Numbering Management team maintains this data from industry sources and constant feedback of real-time useage, with an average of 40,000 updates a month. The solution means that carriers no longer have to block potentially valid traffic being sent to them by partners or customers, reducing the risk of losing out on legitimate business and immediately delivering return on investment.

 

About XConnect

XConnect, a wholly owned subsidiary of Somos Inc, consolidates, maintains and delivers trusted telephone number intelligence to world leading telecommunication service providers.

It processes information from hundreds of different global datasets and ensures that customers solve routing, validation and fraud challenges in real time.

XConnect’s Number Information Services are used for voice and messaging routing, fraud protection and to identify and validate insights. They also support the deployment and evolution of next-generation communications, such as VoLTE and RCS.

Its service is accessed through its global distributed hybrid cloud platform using simple, secure, scalable real-time protocols and APIs.