thanks for the update. it's not a matter of long winded answers to simple questions, but rather there are no simple answers when government regulation is part of the question :->
""Bruce Enders"" wrote in message news:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Chuck, > I just returned from India doing some IP Telephony training. According to > the students there your description is close, but not fully descriptive. > What is being discussed is something called "foreign end hop-off" (in > telephone jargon). > This practice is loosely defined as calls originating in one location > being transported across a private network to a distant location, and > then being handed off to a local telco for connection to a PSTN phone in > the distant city. (Thereby avoiding LD charges). The regulations that > govern this vary depending on where you are in the world. According to a > fellow VOX instructor that was familiar with the laws in the region, it > was a beheading offense in Malaysia at one time. :-(. ;-( > In the USA, this practice is "legal" as long as the calling party and > called party are performing a function related to a mutual business > arrangement. (A procurement person in LA is calling a vendor contact in > Oklahoma City to check on shipping schedules). However, should an > employee of the same company call an acquaintance in OKC over the same > facilities, the organization responsible for the private transport > network (No, not the WAN SP), is in violation of FCC regulations. The > private transport network is now being used by an individual consumer to > perform the job normally performed by an IXC (Inter-Exchange Carrier). > The IXC industry is a tariffed business, the US government wants their > tariff $$$$. (And we all thought that it was just the LD SPs that were > concerned about Toll bypass). ;-) > Now, back to India; VOIP systems can be connected to the local switch in > India. The system is not supposed to allow a PSTN phone in India to call > a PSTN phone elsewhere in the world, (or anywhere India Telephone > considers long distance). Basically the system connected to the local > telco is segregated from the Toll bypass VOIP system to prevent those > connections. But, an employee in India can call a coworker in the USA, > using a VOIP system (IP phone to IP phone) without fear of criminal > prosecution. It is up to the business governing the VOIP system in India > to prevent "foreign end hop-off" at the distant end by "gentlemen's > agreement". Discovery and Enforcement are the main issues here. > It should be obvious that enforcing rules controlling "foreign end > hop-off" through a "gentlemen's agreement" is not necessarily a realistic > expectation on the part of anyone. India just makes it simple; the system > connected to the local telco will not be part of a Toll bypass system, > period. If you want to support Toll bypass for your company by > incorporating IP Telephony or any VOX system, that is perfectly okay. > Just don't connect that system to their local telco. (Unless they station > someone to oversee each installation now and forever, how would they know > you didn't allow communications between the two VOIP systems?) > As you may have noticed in this whole scenario, the called party has very > little to do with the discussion. That is because the destination Carrier > of a LD phone call doesn't realize much, if any, income from terminating > the LD phone call. They get their money from the subscriber for providing > the phone connection in the first place. They only get additional income > when that subscriber makes an outbound LD call. Most telcos get little or > nothing for connecting an inbound LD call. > As far as buying VOIP minutes into India. There are multitudes of LD > calling card vendors that use VOIP networks for transport. (Last Mile, > Nexxus Telecom. etc.) But, I am not aware of any SP that would have a > gateway into India Telephone, that would allow a consumer to simply > connect a VOIP gateway into their network. (They have far better control, > and less compatibility hassles if you just dial-in from your PSTN > telephone). But the whole VOIP and IP Telephony technologies have created > some very surprising business opportunities, so keep looking there may be > an SP out there interested in supporting your request. > This is what happens when you get tied up with laws and lawyers. You get > long winded answers to seemingly short questions! ;-) > Bruce > > Chuck Whose Road is Ever Shorter wrote: > > ""Curious"" wrote in message > news:[EMAIL PROTECTED] ... > > Fellows > Where is the best place to buy International VOIP minutes, e.g I have a > voice gateway and i want to call India on a regular phone, i have to have > > a > > voip gateway in inda to make this call or if some one already has voip > gateways in india and they are selling there minutes. > does it make sence to any one. ? > > last I heard ( and my info could be obsolete ) is that India did not allow > gateways between VoIP nets and their own telco network. You can have > dedicated phone links using VoIP, but those phones on the Indian side are > not allowed to connect into their telco net in any way shape or form. > > vestige of monopoly by a state run institution or some such. > > -- Message Posted at: http://www.groupstudy.com/form/read.php?f=7&i=73245&t=73210 -------------------------------------------------- FAQ, list archives, and subscription info: http://www.groupstudy.com/list/cisco.html Report misconduct and Nondisclosure violations to [EMAIL PROTECTED]