So you decided to jump into the VoIP fray (with the 1100 or so other companies selling VoIP). Good for you. Now what?

You have to pick your switch - Metaswitch, Broadsoft, Stratus, VocalTec, white-label, or switch partition.

You need billing software. Something that will take all the CDR's and turn them into an accurate bill for your customers as well as true-up against the CDR's. Who will send you CDR's?

You will need Origination and Termination, DID's, E-911, toll-free RESPORG and access to the CNAM and LNP databases. Sometimes you can get that all in one shop. Here are some examples.

I used to recommend DASH Carrier Services, until Bandwidth.com bought them. Now that division is called iNetwork. Bandwidth has had a history of billing issues with my clients.

VoIP Innovations is a company that I rep. No complaints. They are utilizing their managed modem network built during the ISP dial-up days.

Point1 is another. Point1 recently acquired assets from PacWest.

Recently, I started repping Starview. I only have one client on them. No reviews yet.

Most of these companies aggregate from Level3, Global Crossing and Verizon. [BTW, L3 and GC closed their merger today.] Since these companies have a large commit and don't cover the whole USA solo, it behooves many companies to use a reseller.

So you have the back end. Now you have to detail a deployment procedure. That's right. Write it down, so ever install is similar. You don't want to support 300 different installations and end-points.

For the customer premise, you will need switches and IAD or QOS Router as well as Phones/handsets. You can have the phones pre-configured and drop shipped by a fulfillment house like VoIP Supply.

A management and reporting system would be helpful. ADTRAN and Edgewater have one that works with their gear and some handsets (like Polycom). Make sure it allows for remote handset reboot.

All this and more is covered in Vegas on Oct. 13th at the VoIP Deployment Workshop - or make an appointment to go over this in detail.

Peter Radizeski is a telecommunications consultant and analyst with RAD-INFO INC. Service Providers have called on RAD-INFO INC for assistance building a channel, improving sales, managing online marketing efforts, and overall company strategy. Contact RAD-INFO INC at 813-963-5884 or http://rad-info.net

While there are Ethernet Exchange POP's in places like TELX, where carriers can inter-connect to different carriers for Ethernet access, one CLEC is bridging the gap with Ethernet network-to-network interfaces. This is similar to NNI's that used to connect Frame Relay systems and Frame Relay to ATM architectures. Now it connects Ethernet networks.

Mammoth spent the summer inking agreements and completing interfaces with carriers to integrate their Ethernet reach into our Aggregation hubs. By utilizing Mammoth, you have the luxury of using AboveNet on one end of a circuit, and a CenturyLink loop on the other. Best of all, Mammoth is the single point of support and billing. The carriers include:

Looking for a quote? Give RAD-INFO INC a call for Ethernet circuits, other transport, Internet bandwidth and any telecom need you have. 813-963-5884.

Peter Radizeski is a telecommunications consultant and analyst with RAD-INFO INC. Service Providers have called on RAD-INFO INC for assistance building a channel, improving sales, managing online marketing efforts, and overall company strategy. Contact RAD-INFO INC at 813-963-5884 or http://rad-info.net

How long does your cellphone company keep logs of your text messages?

According to these 3 articles in the Consumerist, WIRED, and INC mag, "A 2010 Justice Department memo that was recently discovered shows just how much sensitive data phone providers keep. From IP addresses to call logs to text messages and surfing habits, U.S. telecoms house a startling amount of data—often for a long time."

"AT&T hold onto text message details the longest, at 5-7 years for post-paid. Verizon is the shortest, at 1 year rolling."

"Verizon is the only company that keeps the content of those messages."

Privacy is such a thing of the past. And how much info will they hold on to for the government in exchange for more spectrum?

Peter Radizeski is a telecommunications consultant and analyst with RAD-INFO INC. Service Providers have called on RAD-INFO INC for assistance building a channel, improving sales, managing online marketing efforts, and overall company strategy. Contact RAD-INFO INC at 813-963-5884 or http://rad-info.net