Posted on: 26th November 2020, by Magrathea
Welcome to the latest edition of the Magrathea Newsletter, combining news from Magrathea and around the industry.
CLI reminder
Please take a few minutes to remind yourselves of your obligations around presentation and network CLIs and the importance of passing CLIs on all calls.
Our guidance document relating to Caller Line Identity can be downloaded from here: https://mdh-dev-web-01.magrathea.net/wp-content/uploads/Guidance-on-Network-and-Presentation-numbers-1-1.pdf
The new(ish) General Conditions around CLI presentation have been in place for some time now but we are seeing more and more networks tightening up their compliance of this area. If you have an unexpected call failure to a number you know is valid, it is worth making an initial check that your CLI presentation meets the guidance and retesting if necessary, before logging a support ticket.
A reminder about using the PoV process for port orders.
The Pre-Order Validation Process, or PoV, is designed to clarify details on end user installations before a port request is submitted. This can avoid rejections and delays on complex ports.
It is important to note that the PoV process is reciprocal – if you would like us to process PoV requests on your behalf, you do need to be willing to respond to any PoV request we receive with regard to export requests of numbers assigned to your account.
We hold a register of clients who are willing to be involved in the PoV process. If you would like to be registered, please send an email to porting@magrathea-telecom.co.uk to express your interest.
The process can be used with potentially complex orders that match one or more of the following criteria:
- ISDN30/complex DDI
- Multiple sites
- High value customer
- High risk customer
- Unusual port
- Simple order rejected twice or more Magrathea will be able to enter into the PoV process on your behalf, providing your porting request matches one or more of these criteria.
The PoV process can take up to five working days to complete.
To be able to submit a PoV we will need a copy of the Letter of Authority you hold on file to forward with the request. Once the PoV has been completed, your port request can be submitted using the information we have gained during the PoV process and should prevent any rejections for incorrect data.
Unfortunately the PoV process is currently only available on potentially complicated orders; we cannot offer this on all orders as standard. If you register interest, you are not obligated to use it on all your complex orders – you can request that it be done on orders you feel may be tricky to get put through.
Reminder about RESTAPI – submitting 999 data.
For clients who currently submit 999 name and address data via our RESTAPI, please be reminded that the call /nine/data is now deprecated and you should use /nine/dataj instead.
Telecom Fraud on the rise
We have sadly seen an increase in customers being hit with equipment compromises and hacked switchboard type fraud during the last few months. Last year we published a document about telecommunications fraud, it is in no way exhaustive or designed to be used in place of any measures you currently take, but it may be useful in some way to some of you. You can access the document here: https://mdh-dev-web-01.magrathea.net/wp-content/uploads/Telecoms-fraud-1.pdf
If you have any questions about telecommunications fraud or would like to use any of the additional authentication or limited tariffing options we offer, please contact support@magrathea-telecom.co.uk
A reminder about our EU calling tariff
For some time now, some European destinations have been charging higher rates for ingressing traffic that originates outside of Europe. Each of these countries is only required by regulation to cap prices for calls originating inside the EEA, therefore many of them have chosen to set different rates for calls originating outside the EEA.
Many of the networks that carry traffic to these destinations are unable to differentiate between calls originated within or outside the EEA and therefore they set their prices for the worst-case scenario and we end up paying the non-EEA rate for all calls. This is the reason that our prices have unfortunately looked expensive to some destinations on our standard tariffs.
One solution for this is our EU CLI tariff. This is a separate tariff where, if the caller IDs that you are sending on calls are European caller IDs, you will be able to call surcharged destinations for ‘within EEA’ rates – i.e. without the surcharge. This is great news as it is making us very competitive again on these destinations!
For more information including rates on this tariff, please drop the team an email at support@magrathea-telecom.co.uk and we can get you started on this tariff very quickly. The tariff uses our same high quality routes and so the only difference you will see is to the pricing.
International numbering (ITFS)
In addition to our complete range of UK and Irish numbers we can also offer a range of International Freephone numbers.
If you have customers with an International presence, or you want to offer your customers abroad a free local number to contact you on, we can help!
If you would like to see our rates or more information about these services, please drop us an email to sales@magrathea-telecom.co.uk
Regulatory update
Ofcom have recently published a statement on the implementation of the European Electronic Communication Code, along with additional questions, so whilst it’s not finalised we do now have a pretty good idea of what the final statement will deliver.
We will share a full update in due course but for now please take a look at our latest news article where we summarise the key points: https://www.magrathea-telecom.co.uk/ofcom-consultation-summary-european-electronic-communication-code/ .
Congratulations to all the winners at this year’s ISPA Awards
Massive congratulations to all the winners at this year’s ISPA awards held on the 18th November. As with most things this year the awards ceremony took place online. ISPA did a fantastic job and it was a great event with everyone still enjoying cocktails from the comfort of their own homes.
We were very proud to be sponsors of the ‘Best VoIP’ category again this year with Voipfone taking the prize, well done.
For more information on ISPA and the work they do, please see here: https://www.ispa.org.uk/
Recruitment
Due to a steady increase in workload, we are currently recruiting for a Senior Software Developer, initially based out of our friendly offices in Theale, near Reading in Berkshire (Covid guidelines dependent!). To find out more about this role, please contact Vicki – vicki.peskett@magrathea-telecom.co.uk
As always here at Magrathea we appreciate your comments and feedback, if there is anything you would like to contact us about, or you would like to opt out of receiving future newsletters, please email info@magrathea-telecom.co.uk