John Todd wrote:
[cross-posted to -biz and -users since it could fall into either category]If it isn't agiast there agement, I would happy setup a "resale" server for this just as you said, and probly at the prces you listed, I will look into this abit more later today.
Interesting new product that has been introduced that I think some would be interested in here (at least, those users in the United States and perhaps Canada): CNAM delivery via IP lookup.
The problem: inbound calls on many PRI connections, and also over many VoIP providers, do not include caller name. This means that all you see is the caller ID number, but no name. Most PSTN lines these days (if they are enabled with Caller ID) will also include a caller ID name. So, you'd think that a well-configured Asterisk server should somehow be able to deliver the same data, right?
A company called Accudata has come up with an IP-based CNAM lookup tool. It's an HTTPS delivery method, with what I assume is XML as the specification language. The nice part is that it really doesn't matter what the backend looks like - Accudata has built app_getcnam that automatically takes the 10 digit NANP number and spits back a 15 character caller name from within the Asterisk dialplan. You get the caller ID from an inbound call (IP or PRI or any channel type as long as it has an e.164 number associated with it) and then hand off the ${CALLERIDNUM} to this application, and get back a string with the name. I don't have exact details on the system (see "disadvantages" below) but it seems to be an interesting product.
Pricing:
At the "low volume" end of the scale (probably under 2000 queries per month, but I didn't ask), the price is $0.0156 per lookup, which is reasonable enough. I'm sure better price breaks come with volume.
Upsides:
1) They have direct Asterisk integration, using app_getcname.c as a data method.
2) They at least are willing to talk to smaller customers who aren't pushing millions of calls a month.
3) It's all IP - no unwarranted complexity of SS7 or other signalling.
Downsides:
1) They want you to sign an NDA before they'll discuss the methods with you. I was not willing to sign an NDA to have an XML schema example transmitted to me, so that was a non-starter. This really angers me, actually - does anyone actually have a clue how many lawyers need to get involved in an NDA, and what is it exactly that the NDA is trying to do? NDAs are used in the USA for the most frivolous and inane reasons. As if your competition didn't know what you were doing? Please, let's be realistic here.
2) They have a $100 monthly minimum charge. If you only have a billing volume of under $100, then you'll pay $100. So, if you have under 6400 queries per month, you're paying for the honor of being billed. This isn't that big a deal if you're an ITSP, but makes this almost impossible for a smaller user to afford. (good opportunity for a small reseller, especially if you are smart with caching.) I can't say I disagree with them on this model to start, but I spent some time doing the math for "small-time" usage, and at a $2 minimum and 50 included queries a month (and $.02 afterwards) this would make a very nice market for a few thousand iPBX systems. Payment via Credit Card or Paypal would be perfect; set it up once, forget about it. However, that's not the model they chose, since they're not shooting for the lower end of the market.
3) There may be hidden problems with the application; I haven't run it, so I can't vouch for it.
Other notes:
The clever integrator of this application will save themselves some lookup $ by caching the responses from the database into their own database, along with a datestamp. Perhaps if an entry is >90 days old, the system will re-lookup the entry in the Accudata database but otherwise will present the memorized answer. (Hint: the caller ID's of your inbound call pool is probably >80% redundant)
Contact information: http://www.accudatatech.com "Tracy Glick" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> [sales contact] "Kevin Nguyen" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> [tech contact]
If anyone else has heard of an easy-to-use method for obtaining this data via free or commercial methods, please follow-up to this post for the archives. I don't speak for Accudata, nor am I a user of their services, but it seems interesting so I'll pass it along to the group.
JT _______________________________________________ Asterisk-Users mailing list [email protected] http://lists.digium.com/mailman/listinfo/asterisk-users To UNSUBSCRIBE or update options visit: http://lists.digium.com/mailman/listinfo/asterisk-users
Only thing I use my asterisk server for, for the most part is a few select hpones (very low usages), but my exist customers (who have a higher volune), or people just wanting todo CNAM look ups could befit from this.
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