Vonage Infrastructure?

Posts: 5 · Posted: Tue Apr 12, 2005 5:21 pm Post subject: Vonage Infrastructure?

Can anybody describe to me the make-up of the Vonage infrastructure once the call leaves my adapter? Do they have distributed POPs, or does it all go to one place to interface with the PSTN?

Generic is fine, I just like to know how things really work.

Perci Confused

Posts: 34 · Vonage Forum Junior Joined: Feb 06, 2005 Posts: 34

bumped because it would be nice if someone who knows more about VOIP than me could explain what happens once I dial my phone beyond the simple "it goes on the internet"

Posts: 30 · Posted: Thu Apr 21, 2005 6:04 pm Post subject:

It depends how the provider setup their architecture, but I can give you a generic call flow diagram.

Basically every company (VoIP or not) gets its allocated NXX (phone number series) and puts them in their gateways/switches database.
When a call is generated from a user's adapter, it goes to their provider's gateway, then this gateway sends it to the responsible switch for routing. This provider's switch then handles the area code routing, then end user's connection.

Outgoing calls from a VoIP customer:

User_Phone_adapter => VoIP_provider_gateway =>
case1 - ( same provider subriber? ) => End_Party_Phone_Adapter_address
case2 - ( landline subscriber? e.g. Bell, Telus.. ) => Bell_PSTN => Area_code_switch => End_user_phone

Incoming call works the same because the phone adapter of the VoIP customer registers on the gateway with their IP address (IP of your router or PC if connected directly ) and the gateway comunicates with your IP on predefined ports to talk to your adapter and then your phone rings! Smile

That was a quick one, if you need a more detailed call flow I'll point you to a couple sites ( I have to get going now! Smile

)

Posts: 336 · Posted: Sat Apr 23, 2005 12:15 am Post subject: Re: Vonage Infrastructure?

Perci wrote:

Do they have distributed POPs, or does it all go to one place to interface with the PSTN?

By distributed POPs do you mean does Vonage purchase hundreds of phone lines from the POP phone companies and use those to patch the calls through? If this is what you mean, the answer is NO. That is not how it works. The Vonage gateway connects to the PSTN gateway. It's not physical telephone lines. It works a bit differently, and more efficiently. If it were physical telephone lines, there would be delays waiting for your called number to be redialled on these POTs physical lines.

Posts: 1422 · Posted: Sat Apr 23, 2005 7:46 am Post subject:

Overview of the Cisco VoIP Infrastructure Solution for SIP wrote:

The final internetwork phase is to implement the Cisco SS7 Interconnect for Voice Gateways Solution for integrating the SIP-enabled VoIP network with a PSTN infrastructure. In Figure 2-7, Cisco SS7 Interconnect for Voice Gateways Solution components have been added.

In order to have inbound dialing for a given area code/exchange, Vonage needs to have a PSTN number terminate in equipment connected to a POP. This is typically done through a partnership with a CLEC. This is exposed in the U.S. through the LNP process. To be clear, Vonage's incoming gateways are probably not in the POP so much as in an office handling connections from multiple POPs.

In order to make use of the Internet to reduce call costs Vonage must carry the calls over the Internet to allow the call to be delivered with the lowest toll possible. Therefore it would make sense that Vonage also has multiple outgoing gateways geographically dispersed however it is unlikely that those connections need to occur in every POP.

In the above picture from Cisco you will notice multiple SIP Gateways in the internet cloud. Additionally you will see the special signaling (SS7) that DarKev alludes to between the PSTN and the signaling controller.

In Eddy's 'case2' below he has the call switching based on provider and the provider handling area code switching. Based on the limited research I have done, I suspect that Vonage has multiple connections to providers for different geographic areas.

IP Telephony Overvierw wrote:

A gateway converting the Internet call into a PSTN call has to be used and located as near to the callee as possible to minimize the price for the gateway-to-callee connection.

Posts: 5 · Posted: Thu Apr 28, 2005 6:12 pm Post subject: Re: Vonage Infrastructure?

DarKev wrote:

Perci wrote:

Do they have distributed POPs, or does it all go to one place to interface with the PSTN?

By distributed POPs do you mean does Vonage purchase hundreds of phone lines from the POP phone companies and use those to patch the calls through? If this is what you mean, the answer is NO. That is not how it works. The Vonage gateway connects to the PSTN gateway. It's not physical telephone lines. It works a bit differently, and more efficiently. If it were physical telephone lines, there would be delays waiting for your called number to be redialled on these POTs physical lines.

I guess I was asking if Vonage routes everything back to 1 location, or is there some geographical dispersion like 1 on each coast?

Posts: 336 · Posted: Thu Apr 28, 2005 10:12 pm Post subject:

That I don't know. I do know that the 1-800 calls are all routed through New Jersey in the US. This is why many of the Canadian 1-800 numbers do not work.

Posts: 30 · Posted: Fri Apr 29, 2005 9:45 am Post subject: Re: Vonage Infrastructure?

Perci wrote:

I guess I was asking if Vonage routes everything back to 1 location, or is there some geographical dispersion like 1 on each coast?

That would be the logical solution. I don't know if they have agreements with landline operators that give them access to their switches for cheap. But for the company to be more profitable they should have their own POP in every area.

Posts: 5

DarKev wrote:

That I don't know. I do know that the 1-800 calls are all routed through New Jersey in the US. This is why many of the Canadian 1-800 numbers do not work.

I've seen a vague reference to NJ and Arizona, but I still haven't found what I'm looking for Wink

Posts: 2126

Perci wrote:

DarKev wrote:

That I don't know. I do know that the 1-800 calls are all routed through New Jersey in the US. This is why many of the Canadian 1-800 numbers do not work.

I've seen a vague reference to NJ and Arizona, but I still haven't found what I'm looking for Wink

Nada: Arizona

Thats just where I keep my books, hence the Arizona thingy.

Vonage is very much in NJ.